IT HAS BEEN three days of exhilarating speed and even racier concerts once the chequered flag has come down and tonight, the jewel in the crown, Pink, will be signing off on another Yasalam at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The line-up for the du Arena concerts has read like a diversity programmer's dream with EDM, hip-hop, folksy hipster vibes and pop rock being represented by Calvin Harris, J. Cole, Mumford & Sons and Pink respectively.

Walking round Yas Marina over the weekend, the festival feel has been intoxicating this year. Pop-up art exhibitions by the Opera Gallery, circus performers on stilts wearing LED lights, free Panama hats for every visitor, the sound of a live saxophonist playing over dance hits at the House of Debonair and of course, the many billions of dollars on display in the form of yachts and oligarchs' wristwatches have merged in the fine winter weather to create a snapshot of traditional racing fun and glamour. Although unlike most events of this scale, the planning has been meticulous with the ease of getting people around the island taking high priority. Okay, that's not very rock and roll to mention, but our appreciation is too great to ignore.

Thursday evening's Calvin Harris gig set the right notes music-wise. The Scottish DJ opened his set with Sweet Nothing, going on to perform a series of chart-topping hits such as This is What You Came For, Despacito, How Deep is Your Love and Summer. Pyrotechnics and light shows added to the frenzied atmosphere.

J. Cole on Friday made it two out of two by dropping beats from his most recent album 4 Your Eyez Only. He also performed a few favourites from earlier mixtapes including Cole World: The Sideline Story and his earliest work, Born Sinner before addressing the crowd with an emotionally-charged speech encouraging them to live in the moment. He then immediately dove into an electric verse of Déjà Vu.

Last night Mumford & Sons had the crowd swaying and jigging with their hits including the ever-popular I Will Wait and, to top it all, the grungy yet soulful superstar Pink's show tonight from 8pm is sure to blow the lid off a great Formula One weekend.

Source: Khaleej Times