Calvin Harris returns to Hampden Park to perform an electrifying set to his home crowd

Written by Chloe Buckley

Calvin Harris performed to a combined total of 100k fans across two nights in Glasgow

Calvin Harris, originally from Dumfries, Scotland, has built his reputation over the years as an absolute powerhouse in the dance music scene. From collaborations with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Rihanna and Dua Lipa, Harris has gone on to become a household name around the world.

In between his summer residency at Ushuaïa, an iconic open-air beach club and music venue in Ibiza, Harris returned to his home country and played two nights full of his greatest hits at Scotland’s national football stadium, Hampden Park, to a total of 100k attendees across the weekend.

The first night this past Saturday was broadcast live on BBC Scotland, only making the attendees of night two, myself included, anticipate the Sunday’s set even more.

Opening for Harris on night two was Scottish DJ Ewan McVicar, and American DJ and producer MK. At the early time of 5:30pm, McVicar was on the decks first, hyping the Glasgow audience as they continued to shuffle in. Despite the turnstiles only opening a half hour before his set began, fans were early to arrive to support their fellow countryman.

McVicar played hits such as ‘Share The House’, ‘Tell Me Something Good’ and ‘The Miracle Makers’, all of which satisfied the energised crowd, who danced and sang their way through his set.

Next up was MK, starting his set not long after McVicar wrapped his up. The short wait between sets made the three and a half hour wait for Harris fly by. MK, known for tracks such as ‘17’, ‘DIOR’ and ‘Push The Feeling On’ played an incredible set to what was an almost full crowd. His remix of ‘Comes and Goes’ by KETTAMA was a standout and was certainly a crowd pleaser.

The pyrotechnics throughout the night were stellar

At 8:55pm, the moment we’d all been waiting for had arrived as Harris made his way to the stage. Opening with ‘Sweet Nothing’, Glasgow was bouncing right from the get-go, chanting each lyric and even the tune to the tracks.

The transitions between songs were flawless as Harris continued to prove how he’s built the success that he has over the years. Harris of course played some remixes of other tracks, including ‘Versatile’ by L.P. Rhythm and ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ by Fatboy Slim, both of which were popular with the crowd.

There were some special guest appearances throughout the set, the first of which being Serge Pizzorno of Kasabian who appeared in the middle of the crowd to perform their recent collaboration, ‘Release the Pressure’. Later in the night, Clementine Douglas joined Harris on the stage to perform their track ‘Blessings’, showcasing her incredible live vocals.

It was banger after banger, which is to be expected at a Harris show. Around the halfway point of the set, he played ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’ by The Chemical Brothers, accompanied by an amazing laser show that is reminiscent of a Chemical Brothers rave. This was followed by a remix of Daft Punk’s ‘Around the World’, continuing to pay tribute to iconic dance acts.

Going back to his originals, he followed up with iconic tracks such as ‘How Deep Is Your Love?’, ‘Desire’ and ‘Summer’. It’s safe to say there was not a dull moment throughout the night, with the entire audience, including those in the stands, moving on their feet the entire time.

When it came to ‘Where Have You Been’, his track featuring Rihanna on vocals, it felt like a euphoric moment, the stage lighting was incredible and the crowd singing the bridge before the drop was an unforgettable moment.

A remix of Prospa’s ‘Free Your Mind’ had the crowd roaring and jumping, and even had me singing the track after the night ended.

‘I’m Not Alone’ from his 2009 album Ready For The Weekend was the penultimate track, and arguably, one of the best in his discography, both live and the recording. When the crowd thought it was over, he jumped in with a final track covering ‘Levels’ by the late Avicii. Accompanied by a pyrotechnics show, it was the cherry on top of an already outstanding show. One that the Glasgow audience full of multiple generations will not forget any time soon.