60,000 fans, a gigantic stadium, drones above the dancefloor and lasers coming from literally every direction. Knockout Outdoor has grown into an event of unprecedented proportions in recent years, and last weekend the Australian organisation took things up another notch. Under the banner of ‘Level Up’, the Sydney Showground was once again completely taken over by the harder styles.
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The fact that Knockout Outdoor has become one of the absolute giants within the scene is evident from the ticket sales alone. All 60,000 tickets for this edition sold out within an hour. Those lucky enough to secure a ticket only found out exactly where each artist would be playing when the timetable was released just a few days before the festival. Until then, it remained unclear how HSU would divide its enormous line-up across the different areas.
To put the scale into perspective with Dutch locations: imagine the Johan Cruijff ArenA as the mainstage, with the Ziggo Dome as the second area and AFAS Live as the third. All part of the same festival.
Get Wrecked kicks things off with a packed Mega Pit
Anyone expecting Knockout Outdoor to take some time to get going only had to take one look at The Mega Pit. The second area was all about Get Wrecked at the start of the day, with Aversion, Kruelty and Dual Damage taking care of the opening sets. Even early in the afternoon, the enormous dancefloor was already filling up fast.
For Aversion, it was about more than just playing the first set of the day. During his LIVE set, he announced that his debut album ‘For The Love Of The Game’ is on its way. It was one of many premieres and announcements at Knockout, with artists bringing plenty of new music to Australia. With Kruelty and Dual Damage picking up the pace afterwards, there was little room for a quiet start at The Mega Pit.
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From classics to uptempo at The Oasis
Things were just as busy on the other side of the festival grounds. The Oasis served as Knockout Outdoor’s third area and offered everything from euphoric hardstyle to hardcore and uptempo throughout the day. Frontliner and Wildstylez played there early on, while Tha Playah was among those raising the tempo later in the day.
In the evening, BKJN took over the stage with Satirized, Yoshiko, Major Conspiracy and Noxiouz representing different sides of uptempo. For Satirized, it marked his Knockout Outdoor debut, and it immediately became one to remember. During one of his fake drops, the expected kick never came, prompting an ecstatic dancefloor to let out a massive ‘oooh’ almost in unison.
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Severe weather temporarily shuts down The Arena
The biggest spectacle of the day naturally unfolded at The Arena. The stadium mainstage once again formed the beating heart of Knockout Outdoor, although the afternoon did not go entirely according to plan. Due to severe weather over Sydney, the programme had to be temporarily suspended. The crowd was forced to leave the dancefloor and seek shelter in the stands until the worst had passed. Fortunately, the interruption did not last long. As soon as conditions allowed, the programme resumed and The Arena quickly filled up again.
A thousand drones above Knockout Outdoor
A huge stage alone is no longer enough for HSU. At several moments throughout the day, around a thousand drones appeared above the stadium, creating complete animations in the sky. During Ran-D’s anthem, among other moments, the sky above the Sydney Showground became part of the show itself.
D-Block & S-te-Fan also got the full treatment. As ‘Darkest Hour (The Clock)’ echoed through the stadium, a gigantic clock made out of drones appeared above The Arena.
Lasers from literally every direction
During the traditional Laser Ceremony, The Arena transformed into one huge light show. As new music from Rebelion, among others, blasted through the stadium, lasers shot across the crowd from every direction, turning the entire arena into a full 360-degree laser show.
Headhunterz returns with new music
A few hours later, it was time for arguably one of the most talked-about sets of the day. Headhunterz made his official return behind the decks at Knockout Outdoor, almost three years after announcing that he would stop performing. His return was not limited to familiar material either. Headhunterz opened his set with a brand-new track, while the crowd was also treated to plenty of classics during one of the most highly anticipated sets of this year’s Knockout.
After D-Block & S-te-Fan and a final dose of uptempo from Dimitri K, Knockout Outdoor slowly seemed to be heading towards its conclusion. But HSU still had one major surprise left for the Closing Ceremony. Suddenly, Headhunterz and Wildstylez appeared on stage together: Project One. The duo joined forces behind the decks for one track, giving Knockout one final unexpected Project One moment before the end.
Knockout Outdoor keeps ‘Leveling Up’
From a Mega Pit that filled up early during Get Wrecked to thousands of drones above the stadium and a Laser Ceremony that illuminated The Arena from every direction, Knockout Outdoor once again showed just how big the event has become. Even a temporary interruption caused by severe weather did little to change that.
With 60,000 tickets sold, three massive areas and a production that continues to expand every year, Knockout Outdoor more than lived up to its theme. Sydney went ‘Level Up’, and HSU immediately raised the bar another notch for the next edition.
