Above & Beyond bring Common Ground tour to Warehouse Project in Manchester

Earlier this year, it was announced that the iconic Store Street venue in Manchester would be closing down. After years of hosting some of the city’s biggest events underneath the Piccadilly Railway Station, the announcement was more of a sad affair than a shock. Seeing many venues close over recent years always lends to the thought that your favourite could be next, and Store Street’s days were limited. However, that didn’t stop the infamous Warehouse Project team setting up for one final season below the trains, and the line-ups were just as huge. With performances from house and techno heavyweights populating the 4 month showcase – including Seth Troxler, Pete Tong, Solardo, Adam Beyer, and more – there was room for some more variety across the many genres of electronic dance music. Andy C’s Metropolis night brought drum and bass to the Northern city, whilst deadmau5’s performance on Saturday crossed numerous genres, but a real highlight of the programme was Above & Beyond‘s Common Ground tour, which landed in the city on Friday night for an extra special, rare Manchester performance.

With shows in Bristol and Newcastle along the way, the Common Ground tour has spread the length of the United Kingdom over previous weeks, following on from the trio’s London show at Creamfields Steel Yard in May 2018. Undoubtably one of the most universally loved venues, Store Street has played host to the UK progressive trance trio on numerous occasions, but this one was extra special as it marked their final journey into the history books. The former air-raid shelter stems further in length than width, and has a similar dynamic to London’s Printworks in that respect, but this works entirely in the favour of the venue, which is a car park by day. Tightly packed, widely loved, and with a reputable sound system, Friday’s show was spectacular. With legendary tracks dropped left, right, and centre, featuring the modern classic ‘Ghost Voices‘ from Virtual Self, right back to the trio’s ‘Sticky Fingers‘, the night was a true spectacle for all involved. United by music, the Manchester faithful flocked in their masses to sell out the venue, with fans flying from further afield to join the party. Closing with their track ‘Sun & Moon‘, Above & Beyond – represented on this occasion by Paavo and Tony – proceeded with their ‘Push The Button’ format to round things off, and closed a monumental night. Supported by Anjunabeats’ finest, with blistering sets from Oliver Smith, Spencer Brown, Amy Wiles, Grum, Ben Böhmer, Josep, and the Anjuna HQ Takeover in Room 3, the night was special for those involved, and those who didn’t missed out on an incredible display.

To get a glimpse of the proceedings from Friday night’s Common Ground show, check out the video below from the UK Prog Fans’ Instagram page.

 

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?Above & Beyond – Sticky Fingers @ WHP18 – 16/11/18 ? • What a night down at Store Street this Friday… Manchester was #CommonGround. Incredible sets from @amywilesmusic, @spencerbrownofficial, and @oliversmith but as always @aboveandbeyond stole the show. Paavo and Tony, we salute you! ?? • Sticky Fingers is something special, and Manchester took it in their stride on Friday… progressive trance is truly alive! • • • • • #progtrance #progisalive #progressive #trance #progressivetrance #manchester #whp #storestreet #uk #warehouseproject #commonground #aboveandbeyond #stickyfingers #oliversmith #spencerbrown #amywiles

A post shared by UK Progressive Fans ?? (@ukprogfans) on Nov 18, 2018 at 4:49am PST