Tiësto

The headliner group at this show included Danny Avila, Seven Lions, Eric Prydz, Tiesto, and Manufactured Superstars (with the last closing out for Tiesto from 2-3 AM; Tiesto opens for no one). The layout of the place was fantastic with 2 stages (the main stage for the better-known acts, and a second, smaller stage for up-and-comers). For events such as this it is definitely worth checking out secondary stages to get a taste of music you otherwise might not have heard before and potentially see future big names before they become big names. The venue was well set-up and temperature was acceptable (it's nearly impossible to keep upwards of 10000 moving people cooled off completely). Danny Avila produces the kind of electronic music that seems to be exceedingly popular these days: minor-key instrumental verses (of the arpeggio-heavy kind) followed by big room drops. The music wasn't particularly memorable and wouldn't be the kind that most people would be found just sitting around listening to, but it does a fantastic job fueling a party. The track selection was good, as was the mixing, and the party was superb throughout his set. Seven Lions generally produces a lot of dubstep and electro house, and has only just begun to become widely popular. As far as genre is concerned, he was kind of out of place amongst the other headliners, who were all prog house/trance producers, and it showed in his set. Clearly, he tried to bend his music to the styles of the other headliners, and as a result he wound up watering down his own sound. Still, when he played his hits everyone went wild, and for good reason. Eric Prydz is a prolific deep house producer. Like many other electronic producers, his music might not be the kind you'll find yourself sitting down to listen to. His set was absolutely on point, vastly exceeding my expectations. The place had sort of settled down after Seven Lions, and once Prydz turned up it basically turned into the cave scene from The Matrix Reloaded. If you like any of the following: a great party, deep house, getting some good exercise, or not being a square; then you should definitely check Eric Prydz if he is coming your way. Tiesto is a legend amongst the dance community, getting his huge break when he performed at the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympics. If you're into dance music, then you have to have lived under a massive rock for the past ten years not to have heard of him. For those who are new to, or have no experience with dance music, Tiesto would be a fantastic first to see, as a great deal of modern pop music has taken elements from his music. As for his set, it was probably one of the best dj sets I've ever seen. Track selection and mixing were, by all accounts, perfect, and the place went nuts for the full 90+ minutes of the set. Tiesto was actually at the I Hear Radio music festival mere hours before his set and flew from Las Vegas to Denver to make the show. You couldn't even tell he had just a couple hours to prepare. Also, some lucky fan went home with his headphones. Unfortunately, it was not me. If you ever have the opportunity to see him, clear your calendar, travel across a state (or three), just do whatever you need to do. Seriously. Go to a Tiesto show at the earliest opportunity. Manufactured Superstars closed out the show. While Tiesto is pretty much an impossible act to follow, they did a great job keeping the party going. They are much more DJ than producer compared to the other headliners, which means that they played more music that was immediately familiar to the EDM crowd, which kept things fun despite the fact that it was rapidly approaching 3AM.
To conclude, if you've never been to an EDM festival, you're missing out. They're happening everywhere these days, even on cruises! Once you find one that you can go to, look at the lineup and check them out on Soundcloud, Youtube, etc. if you aren't familiar with their sound. Then enjoy partying with a couple thousand (or couple hundred thousand depending on the festival) of your new friends. AND DRINK TONS OF WATER. SERIOUSLY.

The first time I saw this Dutch sensation live was in February at the first ever Ultra Music Festival in Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to that, I never fully understood why there was so much hype about the World's #1 DJ (at the time).
Since Tiësto was the Headliner, he was the last DJ to play his set and close off the festival. Even though my friends and I had been there for nearly 9 hours dancing and raving, the entire crowd started chanting, "Bring out the King" right before he came onstage and this is when the crowd's energy had truly reached its apex. I've been to several raves prior to that with but I have never seen a crowd that was so moved and a DJ who was so in tune with the audience. He started his set with the then recently released single 'Red Lights', which is now the first track of his latest album. When Tiësto played, there was a highly euphoric atmosphere that one only experiences at few performances and from that day I promised myself that I'd see Tiësto live whenever he's in my city. I think what made the whole experience even more memorable was that at one point there was a city-wide power outage for 10 minutes in the middle of his set and if you live in Cape Town, that’s pretty common so the whole crowd completely chilled about it.
Even though he recently went down to Number 4 on the list of Top 100 DJs, I still see him as the King of the Electronic Dance Music Scene. His music always includes great vocalists, soothing melodies, foot stomping beats and heart-warming lyrics that keep you dancing all night. He plays old tracks from Club Life Volumes, new singles and he might even surprise you and showcase a new mix he’d been working on in the studio. He truly is a crowd pleaser and hopefully I will be seeing him headline this year at the first ever Île Soniq in Montreal, Canada on August 15 because I cannot wait to feel that same euphoria once again especially since he'll be playing tracks from his new album 'A Town Called Paradise'.

You can say I’m an EDM veteran, let’s just say that I was allowed in clubs in 1990… I have been listening to Tiësto for a very… very long time, and no matter the current trend, new sounds or new artists, for me he’s still the best Dj & producer, I have seen him in small clubs, big clubs, festivals and in Ibiza, where I met him personally at Pacha’s restaurant before his gig, one of the biggest highlight of my life! (Definitely my biggest smile in a photo!) For someone so powerful, energetic & charismatic, I have to say that he can be very mellow when he’s off the turntables.

I saw him last a few weekends ago at Toronto’s Digital Dreams Festival and yes… you are expecting him to be the highlight of the event, but when he gets on and blows your brain with his set and you see WHY he was supposed to be the highlight. He might be forty-plus years old but he still moves the masses of twenty-something crowds. He’s the reason I don’t feel old when I go nuts at a festival! He’s the live testimony that EDM and music in general are ageless! His collection of hand-picked tracks “In Search of Sunrise” is the best way to get your feet wet if you are a new to this genre or if you are addicted to Tiësto, it’s an awesome way to keep you going. Each CD has its own magic and theme so start with the “In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza”, then “In Search of Sunrise 7: Asia”, then “In Search of Sunrise 4: Latin America”… then you are on your on!

Finally, somehow he has the time to mix his weekly podcast “Tiësto’s Club Life” another amazing source of awesome music, I have discovered so much great music and different artists thanks to him, I can say he’s the foundation of the EDM movement, along with others, that will keep growing and going for generations to come. One day, The “Sons of Tiësto” will keep going. Thanks man, keep spinnin’!

It’s hard to capture the energy of a Tiësto show by simply writing about it. The EDM powerhouse has become the epitome of a commercial success, having managed to break out of EMD-heavy countries including his native Holland, penetrating formerly untapped markets to become a global reference for EDM in the past decade. His music has changed significantly over the past few years, mostly in an effort to break into the commercial market, which he’s managed to do with a range of female vocalists featured on tracks which have since become club anthems. Still, that means his shows have only become that much bigger, performing with synth-heavy, beat driven tracks in front of massive crowds all over the world. From headlining EDM festivals like the world-renowned Tomorrowland in Belgium, to hitting all major hotels along the Las Vegas strip, and even having a regular residency on Spain’s party island Ibiza, there’s no limit to where Tiësto will go.
His ever-expanding shows project an incomparable aura and energy from crowds heavily under the influence of his music (and likely other substances). His In Search of Sunrise and Club Life series albums epitomize his live sets, while his five studio albums with their countless remixes ensure an insane amount of ammo for his live performances. It seems like Tiësto never stops performing, and it’s almost like there’s nowhere he wouldn’t go to rouse the crowd.

The music was on point, there was a lot of club life music played at first, which was to be expected. Then he played a variety of classics that had me jumping up and down in joy, and hugging those around me for being able to witness the legend known as Tiesto once more. My heart was slightly broken though because though the music was good it seemed Tiesto was not into his set as much as previously seen. At one point I saw a water bottle fly through the sky from some unseen fan that was really disrespectful. I understand Tiesto has been in the game for so long and one can wonder how many more shows he will play before he retires which is heartbreaking to even think of. My one request from him would be if he could bring out a guest and live play some classics with the violin. Adiago for Strings will always be his most well known song and it can bring such peace to everyone around as well as loving one another like sister and brother. Thanks for playing for us in New York, I wish you the best in the future Tiesto and hope to see you at least 1 or 2 more times before the end arrives!

If you are thinking about seeing Tiesto - GO!

Just saw Tiesto for the 14th or 15th time. I can't keep track of all the times I've been, but each time I see DJ Tiesto, I look forward to the next time.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Tijs Michael several times and he is truly a nice person! The energy that fills the event is electrifying - whether a club, music festival or concert hall.

I true legend to the EDM music industry. He always bring it. The Tiesto fans are some of the greatest people I've met. His musical following is worldwide and so are the friends I've met through following this fantastic DJ.

Tiësto is the greatest DJ of All Time. Not only for the amazing music that evokes emotions and nostalgia, not only for the long lasting memories we can associate with each of his songs, BUT for the outstanding artist he is. On Saturday 3 people threw water-bottles at him and he was hit!!! But he simply turned around smiled and continued the show for all of us true fans. Tiësto if you ever read this, thank you Sir ! Just know anytime you are in Jersey/NYC or somewhere I can make it, I will be there....but a free ticket always helps haha. Thank you for a memorable night. True performer.

The words AWESOME, EPIC, AMAZING, just do not seem to cover it. I have been a fan of Tiesto for over 10 years, and to see him live after all this time, I was not disappointed. Tiesto is AMAZING! I am so glad I got to see him after all this time. My feet, knees, and thighs all hurt and I couldn't be happier.

I really hope to see him again really soon!!

Tiesto, thank you so much for this most AWESOME show! I hope to see you live again soon!!

One of your biggest fans,

Tracie L. McNamara

Getting to the venue was a nightmare, thousands of people, they were using small boats versus the Governors island boats, we waited online forever. The venue was well organized and once you arrived there it was all good. Tieste was fun to watch along with the other artist, the stage was great and you can see and hear no matter how close or how far you were, everyone behaved well and people had lots of fun without pushing hard each other.

This is my third time on Dj Tiesto concert and definitely is different all the 3 times have been. The crow was awesome, the music, effects and sounds was great. The security was well present at the place overall it was a great experience..
Loooking foward for another event in the sands...