Armin van Buuren was supposed to play back to back with fellow Dutchman Benwal at Festival Op de Ring near Amsterdam.
Crowd surges at festivals are not to be taken lightly, as the organizers of Festival Op de Ring are clearly aware. They stepped in before Armin van Buuren was set to take the stage at the gathering outside Amsterdam on Saturday, June 21, temporarily pausing the music and effectively canceling his performance.
Dutch DJ and producer Benwal, who was slated to play back to back with van Buuren, shared the news in an Instagram Story. “Unfortunately the police didn’t allow me and Armin to go b2b because of safety reasons,” he wrote. “But the ending was so magical with [DJ trio] TLM. And the B2B with Armin will happen one day.”
“Due to people climbing over fences, it was decided last night to temporarily pause the music at Audio Obscura so that security, police and law enforcement could restore order,” wrote local foundation Amsterdam750 in a statement. “When the music was turned back on for the last half hour, it was no longer possible to let Armin play.”
As its name suggests, Festival Op de Ring took place on the A10 motorway, which locals call the Ring as it encircles Amsterdam. More than 200,000 people attended the event, which was meant to celebrate the 750th anniversary of Amsterdam being founded as a city on the mouth of the Amstel river.
The back-to-back set would have been a major boon to the career of Benwal, a Groningen native whose career dates back to 2017. His fusion of styles can be heard in singles like “Rush,” “Back On Ya Feet,” and “Just Go.”
Armin van Buuren responded to Benwal’s story with a promise that the two will go back to back one day in the future.
