Las Vegas Weekly

Tiesto stops in Las Vegas for surprise show

The Dutch DJ calls Las Vegas “little Ibiza”

Dutch DJ legend Tiesto paid a surprise visit to The Bank on Thursday night, where he took for the turntables for a late night set.

Photo: Denise Truscello / WireImage

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 before their appearances, and unannounced stars show up for guest spots all the time, yesterday’s 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 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 hotspot at approximately 1:10 a.m. this morning.

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

Photo: Denise Truscello

Photo: WireImage

Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia joined Tiesto at The Bank on October 8, 2009.

He described the record to the Weekly in May, when 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.

As Tiesto summed it up, “There’s lots of hot girls everywhere and guys are all pimps with lots of money.”