On November 11, 2023, AFAS Live in Amsterdam was dedicated to Warface for one last time. Live For This: 10 Years of Warface marked the end of a remarkable series of events that had been a highlight on the hardstyle calendar for years. Three years later, the men behind Warface look back on the event in PLAFONDDIENST, reflecting on their ambitious plans and why they ultimately decided to bring the concept to an end on a high note.

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For years, Live For This was one of the biggest highlights on Warface’s calendar. Together with Art of Dance, the duo managed to sell out AFAS Live multiple times. The event also became the place where new albums and live acts were introduced, giving fans something special to look forward to every year.

“At some point, the entire year was pretty much mapped out. You’d do that event again, throw in another live act or album. It became a bit of a never-ending cycle,” Youri recently explained in PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast.

From AFAS Live to the Ziggo Dome

At one point, Warface’s ambitions for Live For This extended far beyond AFAS Live. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo had plans to take the event to the next level by moving to the Ziggo Dome. “I had a different vision for Live For This. Before COVID, we were supposed to do the Forgotten Future edition. After that, the idea was to move to the Ziggo Dome. That was the plan, that’s how we wanted to build it up.”

However, the pandemic changed those plans. By the time the event eventually returned, the hardstyle scene had also evolved. Warface therefore decided to return to the familiar AFAS Live for a fifth edition, where they celebrated their tenth anniversary in spectacular fashion on November 11, 2023.

“We ended Live For This on a high note”

Although it has now been three years since the last edition of Live For This, Warface mainly looks back on the experience with pride. For Youri in particular, who started his career as an event promoter, it marked a special milestone. “I’m still incredibly proud of that. For me personally, it was also a full-circle moment as a promoter. I started out as an event organiser. If you manage to do something like that five times, on that scale, in such an iconic venue with what I still consider the best sound system in the Netherlands, I can only feel proud and happy about it.”

Whether Live For This will ever return remains uncertain. However, Warface isn’t completely ruling out the possibility. “I’m not saying the concept is finished, who knows what might happen someday. But there are no plans for it right now. For now, it feels right this way. I also want to preserve what we created.”

Looking back, Warface has nothing but fond memories of five remarkable editions in Amsterdam. “I think we ended Live For This on a high note. It felt like the right decision.”

Images via: Art of Dance