Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the better part of 20 years, I’m sure you’ve heard of Tiesto. EDM fan or not, most people are familiar with the legendary DJ and his countless contributions to the music industry. In fact, he’s often ranked in the top 10 highest paid DJs each year. So how did we get lucky enough to witness this superstar in a random park in LA!? I just so happened to be in the crowd for this event, so I’ll give you all the tea on Tiesto’s latest side quest.
WHY LA HISTORIC PARK?
It seems odd that Tiesto would be playing a show in a park at this point in his career, right? For someone who usually gets paid millions to play a club show or headline huge festivals. When I figured out it was Insomniac behind this pop up however, things started to make a little more sense. As a matter of fact, Insomniac has been hosting several of these pop-up festivals at LA Historic all summer long. Each of the events has a slightly different name and line up, but the overall vibe is the same. This specific event was dubbed, Park Rave Madness. Talent aside from Tiesto included Dombresky, Anabel Englund, and Adam Auburn.
The venue itself I think is an excellent choice. It’s conveniently located just outside of Downtown LA, near several Metro stops. I personally Ubered and it was a breeze getting in and out which I always appreciate. Once inside the park, the grounds are clean and sprawling. There is plenty of space to move and groove. I was shocked by how much of a festival feel the event had. But as an Insomniac production, should I really be surprised? They’re of course the industry leader in electronic event production and their special touch doesn’t go unnoticed, even at small pop ups.
THE CROWD
As someone who started going to raves back in 2014, sometimes it feels like I’ve seen it all. As my back starts to hurt a little more each year going to events, I really appreciate when the crowd swings older. I noticed when looking around, everyone in the crowd seemed to be late 20s and up. Who doesn’t enjoy a more mature audience? It seemed like everyone in attendance was there for the right reasons. To take in the music and have a great time, and maybe re-live the glory days of EDM circa 2014.
Tiesto’s Performance
All of the openers brought their A game to Park Rave Madness. When it was finally time for Tiesto to take the stage, the crowd was properly warmed up. As I mentioned, I’ve been in the festival circuit for nearly a decade. So, I was very excited for the nostalgic melodic EDM style Tiesto brings. You rarely see it anymore. The current trend in EDM is more instrumental leaning, with maybe some light repetitive vocals. Tiesto is known for creating songs you can dance and sing to at the top of your lungs.
And he did just that! He gave the exact performance you would expect, in the best way. He mixed in some of his fan favorites with some unfamiliar drops. I was very much enjoying the set. But then he did something no one expected. Something I have never seen before at an EDM show. He brought out a live choir to sing with him!?
As seen in the video above, Tiesto brought out Tonality to perform his newest song “Lay Low”. As you can see from the tons of phones in the air capturing the moment, the moment caught the crowd by surprise. The stunning vocals mixed with the light production really made things feel over the top. Only in LA can you experience a show of this magnitude in a park!
Thank you to Tiesto and Insomniac for hosting another memorable rave for us! Be sure to follow Insomniac on socials to stay tuned for any of their future pop ups events. If they’re anything like this one was, I can promise you won’t want to miss it!
