Tiesto has cancelled his DJ set at the Super Bowl due to a “personal family emergency”.
The 55-year-old beatmaker – who hails from the Netherlands – had been due to entertain the crowds during the big game at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday (11.02.24) but he’s now pulled out of the show and made plans to head home, admitting it was a “tough decision” but he had to put his loved ones first.
Tiesto – real name Tijs Verwest – said in a statement: “Me and my team have been preparing something truly special for months, but a personal family emergency is forcing me to return home Sunday morning.
“It was a tough decision to miss the game, but family always comes first. Thank you to the @NFL for the collaboration and looking forward to working with them to deliver something incredible together in the future.”
Variety reports a representative for the NFL has confirmed there is a plan in place to replace Tiesto at the Super Bowl, but details have yet to be announced.
The cancellation comes after the DJ admitted he was feeling the pressure of playing to such a huge audience, but was feeling excited about the big game.
He told Variety: “Two hundred million people watching? Yeah, that’s a bit of pressure. But I’m more excited than anything else. A lot of people who have never heard of Tiesto will know about me …
“I’m lucky that a lot of sports teams and stadiums already use my music during game. It’s not that far off for me to get a set together. In between quarters is not that long, so I have to mix really fast, four or five songs in that period, and keep the stadium on their toes.”