Calvin Harris knows a thing or two about playing big stages.
From his star spangled Las Vegas residency at OMNIA to his recent appearance at Glastonbury, where he headlined iconic spider structure Arcadia, the Scot is used to record-breaking crowds.
Up there with those, is his exclusive high-profile, weekly residency at Ushuaïa.
The talk of the island, we felt a visit to one of Ibiza 2022's success stories was overdue.
Capacity crowd
Selling out week after week, it was clear this past would be no exception.
From the moment we arrived, the bustling crowd was buzzing with energy as excitement grew for one of the world's most beloved DJs. We had met people earlier in the week, either giddy with excitement for Friday night or envious of others who managed to get a ticket.
Needless to say, when a soft Scottish voice in distance exclaimed, "my name's Calvin Harris" it was met with a deafening roar.
Strobe lights, smoke and fire erupted, as Calvin took to the stage. It didn't take much to get the crowd bouncing. The electric atmosphere never dipped throughout his one and a half hour set. A pumping Ushuaïa continued to rock all the way to midnight - the energy palpable.
The hit machine
Classics from his earlier albums flowed elegantly into more recent tracks, featuring an array of the world-famous collaborators.
Vocals from Dua Lipa and Rihanna echoed around a jubilant Ushuaïa, giving a feeling of unity and gratitude. This type of shared experience has been so sorely missed over the last few years.
The crowd roared as the first few bars of Blame blasted from the speakers. With hands in air and feet rarely on the ground, those in attendance sang "don't blame it on me" back towards the direction of the stage and at each other.
Despite Ushuaïa's expansive open-air layout, a chorus of voices shouting "I feel so close to you right now" in unison amplified around the club.
The set would not be complete without his chart-topping One Kiss or his renowned hit How Deep is Your Love. Both were met with screams, shrieks and a whole lot of dancing.
Sonically incredible
Calvin Harris once declared his music to be "sonically designed to make you feel fuckin' incredible", and this was certainly evidence of that. Ibiza was rocked to its Balearic foundations as Rihanna's lyrics in This is What you Came For hit dancers' ears.
Dead on cue at midnight, the superstar DJ departed from the stage leading to a mass exodus as the party drew to a natural conclusion.
There was no sense of disappointment, however. Only a sense of bottled-up delirium, captured over the last few hours. Leaving with the same buzz with which they arrived, the capacity crowd filed out. The air was filled with the unmistakable taste of elation.
Calvin Harris' Fridays at Ushuaïa are almost sold out for the rest of the season (check 19 August!). We can understand why. Do whatever you can to get your hands a golden ticket.
