By Jordan Katz
Calvin Harris had been the talk of Bangkok for months before his big show at Bed Supperclub for the third anniversary of promoters Champion Sound on Thursday Feb. 16. With floor tickets starting at THB1600 and VIP tables that included a four course meal for THB3900, the crowd ranged from “lo-hos” dressed in micro-minis and plastic heels to “hi-sos” wearing Louboutin shoes and baby doll contact lenses.
Maybe Calvin Harris’s ultimate special skill in particular is being able to cause unification amongst the classes because despite the venue being pretentious, that didn’t deter individuals in camo gear and baggy jeans wearers from turning up to support the DJ deity. The crowd of worshippers was eager to see him spin their favorite exhilarating beats – songs that inspire dance, random make-outs, and most importantly a memorable experience.
With a plasma screen TV behind him projecting trippy graphics and a light show that set the ambiance for an overall sophisticated evening, his followers were in the mood to “liberate” themselves just in time for a Friday morning hang-over.
Unfortunately, whether you were under the influence of any substances or not, Calvin’s performance at Bed was anti-climactic at best.
Sure, he played his newest hits like “Bounce” and “We Found Love” as well as older ones like “Flashback”, but it seemed like he was on auto-pilot the whole time. The energy of the night never quite lived up to the billing, despite a fight between two inebriated alpha male types having to be broken up during one crescendo.
It was an “enjoyable” time at best – an excuse to get dress up, throw back a few whiskey-sodas, and above all say that we did something a little bit hipper on their Thursday night.
It must also be said that the process for buying tickets was unprofessional and a pain in the ass. Buyers had to call the mobile phone of an unknown woman named Lyn to reserve the tickets, then make a transfer to her personal account (keeping the transaction receipt), and present that at Bed to pick up the tix. There was no online booking with credit cards.
After much back and forth with Lyn saying that she was holding two regular tickets for me, the night before the show she bailed and said they were gone. So we ended up reserving VIP tickets and had to go pick them up and pay for them at Bed the afternoon before the show.
It was all very confusing.
A few videos of the show are below:
