BY GEORGE VARGA
george.varga@sduniontribune.com
Will the Super Bowl, the National Football League’s biggest game of the year, be improved with a big, heavily amplified beat to make the game go boom-chicka-boom, boom-chicka-boom at regular intervals?
The answer will come Feb. 11 when DJ Tiësto, who has been hailed as “the godfather of EDM” — short for Electronic Dance Music — performs as what the NFL is billing as the Super Bowl’s first-ever in-game DJ.
The Dutch disc jockey, mixer and electronic music producer will do a DJ set as the players in the game warm up on the field. He will also spin music — or, more precisely, push knobs on his audio mixing console — during what the NFL is describing as “featured breaks” during the game. He is not the first DJ to perform during the pre-game warm-ups — other DJs have done so at the past five Super Bowls — but will be the first to perform during the game itself.
“Each year, we look to elevate the in-stadium experience for our fans, and with our first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, it seems only fitting to embrace the legacy of iconic DJs in this city by having Tiësto bring his signature style to our biggest event,” said Tim Tubito, director of event presentation and content at the NFL.
“As one of the most influential DJ/producers who helped define the culture of Las Vegas and electronic music around the world, Tiësto is the perfect artist to help us create an unforgettable gameday experience for our fans, players and viewers everywhere.”
It remains to be seen how Tiësto (real name: Tijs Michiel Verwest) fares with the Super Bowl audience at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — and with the tens of millions of TV and online viewers tuning in for the game.
Once regarded as the king of trance music, an exceptionally unsubtle genre, he subsequently broadened his range to include electro-pop and house music. His most recent scheduled San Diego performance was in June 2023 at the Horizon Festival at downtown’s Waterfront Park.
“I’m excited to be a part of the Super Bowl LVIII!” Tiësto, 55, said in a statement. “And it’s even more incredible that it’s in my favorite place — Las Vegas. Thank you to the NFL for having me. I cannot wait to party with you all at the big game!”
Las Vegas and big sporting events are not new for Tiësto. He DJ-ed at the opening ceremonies of the 2011 Olympics in Athens and, in 2012, shared the title of “resident DJ” with Calvin Harris at the Sin City nightclub Hakkasan, which is located at the MGM Grand.
Tiësto’s estimated $38 million income in 2016 made him that year’s second-highest-earning electronic music artist, according to Forbes magazine’s annual tally. He had topped it in 2012, even though he only earned a comparatively meager $12 million that year.
Will Tiësto collaborate with Usher, this year’s Super Bowl halftime performer, or pre-game performers Reba McIntire, Andra Day and Post Malone?
Only time will tell, but our bet is he won’t.
