Natalie Clarke takes a look at Summer XS, Donnington, with Liberty X, Gareth Gates and Blue.
Summer XS, Donnington, 15th June 2002
26,000 music fans left the comfort of their local and trooped out to Donnington Park to watch the cracking England victory over Denmark, shown on two giant screens either side of the stage. What better way to top that amazing game than with a sing-a-long with top-selling artists such as Mis-Teeq and Gareth Gates?
This massive music fest was a bizarre mix of those who have firmly established themselves as music stars, such as the Lighthouse family and Blue, those who are just embarking on the route to stardom such as Darius of Popstars/Idol and old favourites like one-hit wonder Chesney Hawkes! The stars trooped out in no particular order so that the audience were always kept on their toes, craning their necks to see who would appear on stage next. Mis-Teeq kicked off the event and whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their massive hits "All I
want" and "Be with me".
Personal faves were Liberty X who firmly proved that they are certainly no 'flopstars', dance star Ian Van Dahl whose tracks such as "Reason" soon got the crowd on their feet, and of course the senstional Blue who had one of the longer sets of the day. Their chart-topping hits "All Rise" and "Fly By" had the crowd singing along and Lee added to the atmosphere by promising his jacket to the loudest screamer- this ensured that even those at the back increased their decibel level in an attempt to gain such a coveted item.
The event ended with headliner Gareth Gates performing his number one single "Unchained Melody" and his new track "Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake)" to hoards of screaming fans. The 17 year old star lived up to expectations even after a technical hitch with his microphone, and reminded us all why he was the runner-up of the Pop Idol.
The crowd left truimphant with the England score, pleased that the sun had continued to shine all day and more than satisfied at having had the chance to watch and join in with their favourite stars.
Natalie Clarke
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DFA Records: Holiday Mix 2005
Summer XS - Donnington Park 2002!
