He’s made it to the top of EDM, but how did superstar DJ Avicii get there?
venue was bitten by the EDM bug which has taken the country by storm. You certainly don’t have to be a Yankee to know the history that’s been made in the confines of New York’s historical Radio City Music Hall. Most of us grew up hearing (and appreciating) our grandparents listen to the music of the musical icons who frequently basked in the spotlights of the famed Radio City Music Hall’s stage. There was, of course, Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, Ray Charles, and well - you get it - the list of legends whose songs have filled its hallowed confine could go on for days.
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With the massive insurgence of electronic music into the US, its seems logical then that Avicii, aka Swedish born Tim Bergling, this year’s number 3 ranking jock in our Top 100 DJs poll, became the first DJ to grace this same stage and follow in those lofty footsteps. With the Swedish House Mafia selling out Madison Square Garden in less than an hour, and Deadmau5 stealing the show at this year’s Grammy Award ceremony, EDM is clearly becoming more mainstream than ever before. So the idea of DJs selling out iconic venues and stadiums has become par for the course for most at this stage in the game.
What is surprising, or more so awe-inspiring, however, is the rapid succession of achievements and accolades that have catapulted the recently turned 23-year-old Avicii into the limelight over
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ast month, yet another iconic US concert
such a short period of time. This kind of rapid ascent is a rare occurrence (or at least was), especially given his young age, and in his own words he “wasn’t expecting things to ever happen like this so fast, it’s been crazy.” We can only imagine.
It was only in March of 2009 that Avicii played his first gig on US soil during Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference. While he shared the bill with a number of big acts who also enjoy a widespread recognition today, such as Wally Lopez and Bingo Players, there were also around fifteen other DJs of varying degree of recognition. Avicii’s first visit to the US was far from what many would imagine it to have been. Headlining Radio City Music Hall, or rocking the main stage of Lollapalooza, wasn’t even something the then 19-year-old kid could begin to fathom himself being in a position to do. Similarly, his ascent to being counted amongst the top three most popular DJs in the world was clearly not something he could have predicted that evening when he played his first US DJ set in a scarcely occupied lounge, it’s entrance reached through the back door of a dingy hot dog joint. Yes, Avicii played in a lounge that wasn’t accessible without walking through a weeny wagon somewhere far off the strip. You couldn’t get further away from Radio City Music Hall, yet three years later it’s definitely him that DJ Mag USA spy atop the giant set of a human head on stage.
Back in 2009, the US was still unready to fully embrace EDM with open arms and Tim was, after all, not even old enough to get into most night clubs at the time anyhow. Yet, despite a rather lacklustre debut in the US, Tim still recalls his “big debut” with a smile on his face when shown a copy of the flyer by DJ Mag USA who are lucky enough to catch him for a few moments in the green room backstage after his triumphant moment, still reeling in the wake of his colossal man-handling of Radio City’s gargantuan soundsystem.
“Seeing that crowd from up there was just amazing,” he tells us with a proud smile, still glimmering in the afterglow of having hovered above the famed venue admiring what may be one of the most breathtaking views a performer of any type can ever hope to witness in their career. From DJ Mag USA’s view in the 6th row, it certainly looks like the man is enjoying every moment, illuminated in the glow of perfectly orchestrated LEDs and visuals shining upon the 20-foot-tall human head in which he and his DJ booth are set.
Predictably, the hall’s staff of ushers and ticket checkers are unprepared for the mass of teenagers and twenty-somethings who invaded the legendary room as if it were their own little rave playground. When asked what he thinks of the night’s festivities, an elderly-looking usher who seems more focused on the time answers very firmly: “I don’t get it. Kids these days, they don’t even use the seats properly.