Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

DJ Tiësto takes it to The Bank in Las Vegas

Short notice given of famed turntablist’s early morning performance

DJ Tiesto at the Bank

Denise Truscello/WireImage

DJ Tiesto spins in the early hours of Oct. 9, 2009, at The Bank in the Bellagio.

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DJ Paul Drench attends The Bank Oct. 8, 2009, at Bellagio Las Vegas.

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Juicy J attends The Bank at Bellagio Las Vegas on Oct. 8, 2009.

The announcement came just before 4 p.m. on Thursday: Famed Dutch DJ Tiësto would play The Bank that night.

While clubs often announce headliners just a day or two in before an appearance, and unannounced stars and guest spots happen all the time, the last-minute revelation was a total surprise -– and it left techno-lovers scrambling.

The Las Vegas club set hasn’t had such short-notice to get ready and to a venue to see a show since N9NE Group announced an appearance by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas just five hours before Rain opened its doors on Aug. 21.

Tiësto, whose real name is Tijs Verwest, took to the DJ booth at the Bellagio hotpspot at approximately 1:10 this morning.

The 40-year-old DJ-producer used the occasion to introduce the crowd to his new release, “Kaleidoscope.”

He described the record to the Las Vegas Sun in May, back as he was still working on it.

“I want to make an album that people all over the world know that album, like my ‘Thriller,’ ” he said.

“I (am currently trying) to produce songs instead of dance tracks,” he explained, adding, “They’re still dance tracks but they’re song-written dance tracks.”

“It’s a blend-mix of … all the influences I’ve had in the last couple of years,” he said. “It’s indie, it’s rock, it’s dance, it’s electro, it’s house. All the influences are there.”

The Grammy-nominated DJ-producer’s last Las Vegas gig was at The Bank on May 25. He performed the night before, too, and took to the turntables at Jet on May 24.

Though local nightclubs are very different compared to those found in European cities, Tiësto calls Las Vegas “little Ibiza,” since it bares several similarities to the notorious Spanish party town.

“For me, I like that a lot because it’s something different,” he said. “There’s lots of hot girls everywhere and guys are all pimps with lots of money.”

Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Beyond the Sun

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