Flying Dutchman Tiësto Goes to College
It's not a tour for me to make money. It's to give college kids to get the Tiësto experience.
When it comes to music, universities in America are typically home to rock bands and the occasional rap group. Wanting to play for underage fans who aren't of legal age to see him spin at clubs, superstar Dutch DJ Tiësto is bringing his world-famous brand of dance music to America's underage masses, playing at colleges in smaller cities normally overlooked by most superstar on a 15-date your he's dubbed the Club Life College Invasion tour, which kicked off on September 15 in Madison, Wisconsin. Timed in conjucntion with the tour, which features up-and-coming 19-year-old DJ sensation Porter Robinson in the opening slot, is the release of Tiësto's brand-new new single, "Maximal Crazy," which is already rocketing up the club charts around the world.
Société Perrier talked to Tiësto in Ypislanti, Michigan, a few hours before he was scheduled to play EMU Convocation Center and found out how the globetrotting DJ from Holland's tour came about.
Your college tour kicked off last night. How was last night?
Tiësto: It was amazing and a great way to start off the tour.
A lot of DJs don't really identify colleges for their tours. How did you get the idea for the College Invasion Tour?
Well, we got the idea because not many of those kids can come to my show. We decided to do something special so that they were able to see me live because I'm always playing for the other crowds. These shows are all-ages, and I thought it would be fun to do it.
How difficult was it to organize the tour? I know colleges often have specific rules about events. Did you encounter any resistance?
The only difficult city was Los Angeles. One of the board members of the school is against dance music, but the rest of the country was pretty easy in terms of putting the tour together.
You've been around the world a few times. I imagine some of the cities you will be hitting for the first time. What's that like for a seasoned world traveler?
It is very exciting. It's also an energetic crowd to play for — they're so young and they have so much energy and you can feel it on the dance floor. Like last night was crazy. Yesterday was the first time I was in Madison [Wisconsin]. It's a pretty nice city. I liked the layout — nice lakes and the capital was nice to see. The college was so big — amazing. It's unheard of in Europe to have a college so big! They're like little villages. Totally different. I think the biggest university in my country [Holland] is like a thousand people.
Are you bringing the same show to these colleges?
We're bringing exactly the same show as normal. We want to give the experience. It's not a tour for me to make money. It's to give college kids to get the Tiësto experience and we invested a lot in the production to have the best sound and special effects. I have more than 35 people a night on the road with me, as well as a great warm-up DJ, Porter Robinson.
He's the man of the moment!
Yes, he's blowing up! I don't mind what he plays; he can play whatever he likes. We just went over which songs he's playing and the ones I'm playing.
Have any of your peers expressed interest in doing a similar college tour now?
They did. And I think after this tour you're going to see other DJs doing college tours. I've never done something like this before. It's nice.
X Club Life College Invasion Tour Dates
Sep 15 – Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center Expo Hall
Sep 16 – Ypislanti, MI - EMU Convocation Center
Sep 18 - Syracuse, NY - Oncenter
Sep 19 - Amherst, MA - Mullins Center
Sep 20 - Kingston, RI - Ryan Center
Sep 21 – Norfolk, VA - Scopes Arena
Sep 22 – Winston-Salem, NC - Joel Coliseum
Sep 23 – Charleston, SC – Patriot’s Point
Sep 24– Tallahassee, FL - Floyds
Sep 25 – Athens, GA - Classic Center
Sep 26 - Gainesville, FL - Alachua County Fairgrounds
Sep 27 – Baton Rouge, LA - River Center
Sep 29 – Austin, TX - Cedar Park Center
Oct 2 – San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
Monday Oct 3 – Fresno, CA - Selland Arena
Wednesday Oct 5 – Avila Beach, CA – Avila Beach Resort
Saturday Oct 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Home Depot Stadium
