Hola everyone.
I can just repeat myself over and over again. Oh my god. Oh my freaking god. Guys. You’re not going to believe what happened in Amsterdam. Seriously. I myself am still so deep in shock, it’s overwhelming. But let me start at the beginning before I get a heart attack.
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Okay, so, as some of you may know, my friend and I flew to Amsterdam last Thursday for ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event), mainly to see Martijns show on Friday. And usually I’d start off this series by telling you all about the beautiful Amsterdam and showing you the pictures I took, but I’m literally too freaking excited to keep this to myself any longer. I just have to tell you guys, really. And just to warn you, this post will feature quite a lot of me fangirling and freaking out, so read at your own risk. And please enjoy. Seriously. I can’t freaking believe I really get to tell you all of this. I’m so damn happy.
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So, as already mentioned Martijns show was on Friday. It was my third time seeing Martijn in a matter of three years – let’s say I already can’t wait for next year. And the reason for us flying to Amsterdam and not to any of his other shows was actually the show in Amsterdam itself. I knew the show because as the fan I am, I watched the whole livestream of his show last year. And that included jumping around in front to my TV until 4 am in the morning. And goddammit, was it worth it. And as I was sitting on my couch at the end, happy tears glistening in my eyes and my heart racing, I thought to myself “one day I’ll see this live, one day”. But who would have guessed that one day meant a year afterwards? Not me, to be honest. Actually I’m still so baffled that this really happened. That I really flew to Amsterdam and went to Martijns show. It’s so unreal.
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For me, Friday was just about counting down the hours until I’d be seeing him. The show was scheduled to start at 10 pm in the evening and last until 6 am in the morning (holy moly), with Martijn playing from half past one until 4 am. That’s 2 and a half hours of pure heaven for me.
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So, half an hour before 10 pm we made our way to the venue. Thank god our hotel we were staying at had the best location ever, so the RAI, the venue, was only about 15 minutes away. Saying that I was really excited would be such an understatement, no joke. I was literally jumping around my friend with the biggest smile on my face. My heart was racing. After getting to the venue we immediately got into the queue and I got a little bit worried. I mean, not to be dramatic or anything, but Dutch are freaking tall. Holy moly. My tiny self standing behind all those tall ass men and women, not even being able to see the entrance. I knew that if we wouldn’t be able to get a spot right at the front or behind some magical dwarfs, I wouldn’t be able to see Martijn at all. So yeah, I got a teeny tiny scared.
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And then we got into the venue and immediately starting ticking off our to-do-list. I wanted to buy merch, we wanted to put our stuff into a locker and then we had to look out for a good spot. First thing was merch, of course I had to buy some, especially as Martijns merch is more like a clothing line on itself and not just a shirt with his name and symbol on. I chose to treat myself a little bit and bought his new jumper, which if I’m correct is his newest piece of merch and basically clothing heaven. It may have been a little bit on the pricey side but oh well. I’m literally going to live in this the whole winter, so it was really worth it.
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After that we secured our stuff and got into the venue. And holy moly, what a huge building. At first we went straight for the stage one of his support acts was playing on already but I thought that that could never be Martijns stage. And then I saw it, the stage we were meant to head for. His stage. What a beauty.
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So we got closer and closer and closer and then, and I’m not joking, we were suddenly right at the barrier in the front row. Can you believe this? Front row!!! We seriously managed to get into the front row at one of Martijns biggest shows. The show in his own hometown. And let’s get this straight, Martijn has this kind of fans that wait for hours just to see him. If I would have expected anything to happen, it would surely never have been this. I still can’t quite handle it. First freaking row right next to the stage. So crazy. During the three hours we waited for him, we sat against the barrier and I once in a while had to jump up and look at the stage to realize it. I freaked out every single time.
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And then, at half past 1 in the morning (what a crazy time to start a show), it was finally time. I think I went into trance the moment he walked up the stage, basically because we were just a few meters apart. I know, at that point I had already seen him twice, but being so close and being able to take everything in, his mimic, his moves, the way he works and plays his music, is something completely different. It’s mesmerizing, to be honest. And let me tell you something, this guy and his team work their asses of before and at these shows. Seriously. It’s the biggest party ever.
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And of course the show was mind-blowing, as always. I truly loved every single second of it and although he played for two and a half hours, he could have gone on for another few hours in my opinion. I just didn’t want him to stop. Ever. And I don’t really know why, but somehow being at his shows and experiencing it all live lifts all the weight off my shoulders. Like, I think those are the hours I feel the freest in my life. At those moments it’s just him, his music and me. The rest of the world is gone and with it all my worries and troubles and thoughts. I scream my lungs out, sing every single lyric like it’s the last time and dance like I’ve never danced before. Now you should know that I usually never dance when I’m not alone, so getting me to dance for more than two hours really means a lot. You know, it’s not just that I enjoy being in his presence so much that make this kind of shows so special for me. It’s everything combined. The music, Martijn, the crowd, the production, everything. It’s pure heaven for me. And means hundred percent happiness. The shows are literally like my own personal drug and right now I’m on a cold turkey and it’s driving me insane. I need more.
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Apart from that Martijn is literally the cutest sunshine ever. He sometimes had a camera behind him and then turned around and did a heart sign and smiled so brightly, it was like the sun just moved from the sky into the venue and was lighting up the whole room. And during the show he actually pointed at people in the crowd until they looked at him and then he did both a heart sign and put his hands together as a sign for saying thank you. I mean, how freaking cute is that? Who does that? He literally said thank you a hundred times.
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I recently read an interview he did with Nylon Magazine (here’s the link: nylon.com), in which they asked him what he is looking for in an artist he is watching himself and he said this:
“I just want to see that the artist is enjoying themselves. I don’t like it if an artist is on stage, giving this attitude, like, “I don’t give a fuck who you guys are. I’m getting paid.” I like it if I see an artist generally enjoying the show. It makes me enjoy the show a million times more. They have to care.”
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And that’s like so me. And describes him perfectly too. Because the moment he goes up on stage until he leaves again, Martijn makes you feel so appreciated. You can really see and feel that he enjoys and loves what he’s doing and that he’s grateful. And I think that’s so important. And it basically makes me love him even more.
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So yeah, the show continued and I was so so so happy. And then he played his last song, In The Name Of Love, and I’m just going to be honest now, yes, I cried. If you ever get to experience this song live, you’ll know why. It’s literally the most beautiful part of the show, as Martijn let’s the crowd sing and thousands of people singing with him standing on his pult, smiling from ear to ear with his hands up in the air forming a heart, that’s just pure magic. You could really feel the love in the whole room.
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And after playing this song he went off stage. Watse, his manager, came up and they hugged – I’m so happy that I got to see him too – and Louis, his photographer, hugged him too and then he was gone. Actually, due to the fact that I watched the lifestream last year and saw that he went down to the crowd at the end, I was kind of expecting him to do that again, but yeah, he was gone. But I was an emotional wreck anyway.
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So I turned to my friend, happy tears in my eyes and suddenly there was a huge uproar and I turned around and there he was, jumping down from the stage with his security guys. And from that moment on, I can’t really remember anything else than looking at him. I don’t know how I got this amazing spot at the front, I don’t know who was standing next to me and I didn’t even notice that another DJ was already playing again. The moment I saw him the world was literally gone. First I need to tell you that, no, I didn’t get a picture or anything, but I don’t even care. Luckily for me he knew the girl standing left to me – I guess she has a fan account, because he knows those -, so he stopped and stood there for maybe 5 seconds but for me it lasted for hours. I probably looked like the craziest freak ever, I was so shocked. Thank god he didn’t fully look at me, he would have probably thought I’m the biggest weirdo ever.
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Like, can you believe this? Martijn was literally half a meter away from me. I still can’t cope with the fact that I got to look into his eyes and see his beautiful smile up close. That’s just too unreal for me.
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He was down with the crowd for less than a minute but it seemed like an hour for me. After stopping in front of me he proceeded to the very end of the line, taking pictures with fans and hugging some of them. I remember that I suddenly heard someone talking over the speakers and saw that it was actually him. I don’t know how but he suddenly had a mic in his hand and was jumping around with the crowd, hyping us up for Brooks, who was playing at that moment. And he looked so happy. I just stood there, admiring him and his amazing smile. All I could think and say was oh my god. That was everything I was able to articulate at that moment. I didn’t even notice the pain in my ribs as people were pushing me into the metal barriers. And I didn’t care, to be honest.
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And can I just say this? He is so goddamn beautiful. Like, not just good looking. He truly is beautiful and I’m so damn thankful for everything he does and for every single time he puts a smile on my face. After he was gone I turned around to my friend and literally threw myself into her arms, happy tears streaming down my face and my whole body shaking all over. At that very moment, I felt like the happiest person in the whole universe. I think it took me about 15 minutes to calm down, I was so shocked – but in a good way, the best, actually.
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I was momentarily deaf, my voice was gone and my body was numb. In short, I was completely done. And so damn happy. We then walked home to our hotel and I literally couldn’t stop talking and smiling and laughing. I think if I took drugs, I would only be half as hyped up as I was at that moment. It still makes my heart race and my eyes light up in happiness when I think and talk about it. So you can probably guess how happy I am feeling right now.
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So yeah, there you go guys. That’s what happened last Friday and basically one of the happiest nights of my life. I still haven’t fully realized that this seriously happened. It’s like a dream come true. And I know, some of you may think “oh, what a crazy fangirl”, but you know what? Yes, I am a fangirl. And it’s literally turned me into the happiest person ever. I know, society has different thoughts when I comes to that. I’m used to people thinking that I’m weird for admiring someone who’s so out of reach, but honestly, at the end of the day, I listen to a song or watch a short video and get a huge smile on my face and a bubbly feeling in my stomach and that’s what matters. At least that’s what matters the most to me.
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I recently came across a tweet by the account “vodkawithjacob” that perfectly sums up my thoughts: “you know… i will never regret being a fangirl even though its probably the reason why ive never had a boyfriend or a social life and people think im weird but i dont care bc while being a fangirl i’ve had the greatest moments of my life and the best friendships i could wish for”
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And you know what, that’s so true. I will never ever regret being a fangirl. I get to feel emotions I would never be able to feel otherwise. And I get to travel to places and meet people I would never see or meet in any other way. Right now my heart is so full of happiness and love and you know, I’m so damn thankful for that. Martijn is a literal sunshine and he makes my world light up and I seriously can’t wait to see him again.
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So, guys, there you have it. My happiness on a plate. I’m sorry that this post turned out to be so long, but I just had to tell you everything and get it off my chest. I hope you at least enjoy me babbling on about the things and people that make me happy. Have any of you ever been to Amsterdam or to one of Martijns shows? Do you like EDM? Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below. And until then I wish you all an amazing weekend and, as always, thank you so much for reading. x
Ps: I literally just scrolled through the pictures of Martijns show and oh my god guys. There is literally a picture online with me and him together. I mean, I’m blurred and all but you can clearly see me as I had my flashlight turned on – I forgot to turn it off – and I’m freaking out right now. You can even see my shocked face, even though I’m blurred. Oh my god.
Here’s the link: facebook.com