There was a point during Beyonce’s gig at Hampden on Thursday where the words ‘God is God, I Am Not’ appeared on the big screen.
Fast forward a few nights to Saturday night at T in the Park though, and Calvin Harris’ set very much felt like a place of worship.
Forget the mud and rain, the home hero could do nothing wrong in the eyes of the thousands who trudged across the site to see him and, from the minute the familiar strains of Sweet Nothing came on, it was full on ‘hands in the air’ stuff.
Hits like Bounce, I Need Your Love, Feel So Close and Summer had the crowds singing loud and proud well into the night, while he was also joined on stage by Dizzee Rascal at one point to perform their collaboration Hype.
Fans were expecting the full light show, the fireworks and the bells and whistles, and it’s fair to say Calvin did not disappoint on his return to home turf.
Sure, he’s an acquired taste, and that was probably borne out by the fans who booed when Travis frontman Fran Healy mentioned his name over at the King Tut’s tent.
It was an unfortunate scheduling clash to be honest, and there would have been a fair few music fans who would have loved to have seen both gigs in their entirety.
Travis were on tremendous form – probably the highlight of the festival for me so far to be honest.
It felt like a really intimate gig for real fans, with Fran on one punter’s shoulders at one point to see his own band and even tutoring the audience in a dance lesson to go along with recent song Magnificent Time.
It was a real homecoming for the band who played the first T in the Park back in 1994 and have now played nine times in total, and their enthusiasm and energy was something to behold.
A great mix of songs ranging from All I Want To Do Is Rock from their first album, right through to the rather fitting Why Does It Always Rain On Me – given the conditions outside.
Fair play to the throngs of festival goers who stuck it out in at times horrendous weather throughout the day, and special mention has to go to those who stayed put as what can only be described as monsoon-like rain hit the Radio 1 Stage as Kaiser Chiefs were in full flow.
It sent many heading for shelter, but Ricky Wilson persevered – with the inevitable I Predict A Riot sparking wild scenes in the crowd.
Other highlights included the hugely talented Jack Garratt and a spectacular set from Dizzee Rascal on the Main Stage before the rain came, while Bastille closing their slot with Pompeii was the perfect prelude to Calvin Harris.
On a day when the heavens opened and the music was diverse – even the Bay City Rollers were playing King Tut’s on Saturday evening – thankfully the Dunkirk spirit shone through.
