Set pieces are hung in place, technicians connect hulking LED screens and pillars get a final coat of paint. The final touches are being made to the Johan Cruijff ArenA sensation, which is completely sold out again after five years of absence. How has this dance phenomenon, first organized in 2000, remained so relevant?
“It feels like coming home,” says event director Eric Keijer on Friday morning in the Amsterdam football stadium. Between all the activity, he takes a seat in the royal box, which overlooks an imposing stage where the forklift trucks and cranes are still busy. “I’ve organized 134 shows in 35 countries, but the last edition was four years ago. It’s a great feeling to be here again.”
sensation in 2000 was the first stadium party in the world and grew into an international dance phenomenon. The last Dutch edition was in 2017, when the organization thought it was time for something different. “We got the feeling that we were getting into a bit of a rut,” said Keijer. “There were now so many other events; you really had to fight to stay between them. Moreover, such a stadium is very expensive in terms of production.”
After a silence of three years, the plan was to set a new course in 2020. the announced Beyond Sensation had to be the first step in that, but that kite did not go up because of the corona virus. “We had come up with a new idea,” says Keijer, “following the concept of sensation. That idea has been shelved for several reasons. Since then, the event landscape has also changed again.”
Keijer says that after the difficult corona periods they deliberately waited before launching a new concept. That’s why at least this year they’re sticking to the ‘familiar’ sensation. “We are going to set up a strong edition, then we will look further. We are certainly still open to a new event. For this edition we can use all the knowledge from the past, combined with a lot of advanced technology.”
Event director Eric Keijer has been involved with Sensation since the first edition. Photo: Sensation.
LED screens without image
sensation-fans can recognize part of the stage from a previous edition, but there are also new developments. “The quality of the video is much better these days”, Keijer gives as an example. “That was a bit of a squeeze, by the way. Everything was tested in advance in the studio, but last Wednesday we did not get an image from the LED screens on the spot. So on Thursday we had new processors flown in for 15,000 euros. Otherwise we would have had a stage. with twenty black posts around it, haha.”
After 22 years a lot has changed in the dance world. Has sensation still the same relevance as with those first groundbreaking editions? “Nowadays, football stadiums all over the world are being filled for dance events,” Keijer acknowledges. “So you’re not unique in that area anymore. But I think this is still the mother of stadium events. Just like that Burning Man will always be in the American desert, even if other editions are held worldwide.”
sensation is unabatedly popular, according to Keijer. The event is sold out and the big names in the dance world are also lining up to take the stage. “DJs like Tiësto and Martin Garrix became number one in the world after performing with us.”
Previous editions of Sensation
Skyrocketing costs for commercial DJs
That sensation is still relevant, also has to do with musical styles. After house, techno and trance in the first editions, genres such as clubhouse were also discussed later on. “We started to wave a bit in that area,” says Keijer. “For this edition we are going back to club. We don’t want to be too much of an event with a commercial sound.”
On the one hand, this has to do with the amounts that larger commercial DJs charge; per performance these can run into the tons. “But it’s also about the target group that you want to appeal to in the longer term,” explains Keijer. “There are many people who have never sensation have been, while we would also like to have visitors from the past. That is quite a difficult task.”
There are unexpected challenges every edition. Think of a year with torrential rain, which left tens of thousands of visitors wet and steaming into the hall. Or the PR disaster after the fight between kick boxer Badr Hari and businessman Koen Everink (the two got involved in a fight in the toilets).
The first edition was also stressful, Keijer recalls. “On the Thursday evening before, the Netherlands played here against Italy in the European Football Championship. We were literally waiting in front of the door with trucks. First there was an extension, then that penalty series. While we still had to build up that entire event.”
Since the second edition of Sensation in 2001, there has been a white dress code. Photo: Sensation.
‘We went financially wet’
Media reported at the time that sensation was stiffly sold out, but Keijer admits with a laugh that that was a publicity trick. “At that time we were only allowed to have 30,000 people, because we did not yet know how everything would work logistically in relation to a football match or concert. But in that first year, I think there were only 23,000 visitors. Of course we didn’t say that. nobody knew what such a crowd looked like. Financially we were all wet in the meantime. But the following year we were full, haha.”
In the meantime, the large LED screens in different colors are switched on on the field of the ArenA. We have to wait for sunset to see everything properly. On the eve of Sensation, the entire show is tested. “Many friends come by on that Friday evening,” says Keijer. “And my children. That has become a kind of tradition. Watching a show together, that’s how they experience it too.”
There is no partying on the evening itself for Keijer. “If everyone does their job well, I have nothing to do, but with 2,500 employees and artists there are always some challenges. Because of the shortages, we have put everything extra high. If fewer staff show up, we will still just manage it. I am especially proud that it all worked out again. And that so many people are still coming. I’m looking forward to it.”