The Swedish House Mafia demolished two stadiums in their long-awaited return to the West Coast after nine years [Review] : Dancing astronaut

The last decade of the Swedish House’s history has been defined by a journey of ups and downs. Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso first called it quits in 2013, with a final West Coast outing at Los Angeles State Historic Park, followed by an emotional farewell at Bayfront Park in Miami. shortly after. Then came a period of five long years that found Angello working solo while Axwell and Ingrosso took their show together on the road. In 2018, a memorable reunion took place in the same place where it all ended, on the main stage of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, but since then, COVID and other operational delays have extended the mafioso’s break even further. . But now, after nine grueling years, thousands of fans have been able to experience the Swedish House Mafia live, often for the first time. With a new album, Heaven again under their belts, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello have appropriately begun their monumental comeback to where things once ended, now nine years in the rearview mirror – Miami, Florida. Although the high ticket prices at the start caused some skepticism, it wasn’t long before pictures of the shows hit the internet, and ravers near and far realized that the glorious return of the Swedish House Mafia was not just a reunion concert, but rather an unmissable event that will mark the history of dance music.

With the first half of their North American dates for the Heaven again tour behind them, the trio decided it was time to shake up the tracklist a bit for their long-awaited return to the West Coast. dancing astronaut was on hand to experience two stops at both T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. The mood leading up to both shows was charged, and long before the Swedes took the stage each night, the energy was palpable. By this point in the tour, the Swedish House Mafia had simply reconfirmed what revelers of the last decade already knew: arenas and stadiums are where they belong, and they can masterfully command a space unlike many others.

Opening in Las Vegas with the recognizably dark undertones of “Can U Feel It,” the crowd knew they were in for a show that night. In terms of a tour gig, the Swedish House Mafia performed in front of what must have been one of the most engaged crowds in recent memory. The crowd seemed to be familiar with the words of the two Heaven again the slopes and the esteemed catalog features of the Swedes, all with the same collective comfort of the back of the hand. The gratitude was returned to the audience that evening as Axwell took the microphone multiple times to express his gratitude to those who may have been in attendance.

As the first half of the Las Vegas performance followed a similar framework to previous legs of the tour, the trio treated the loyal crowd to a whole new identity, sending attendees into frenzied mayhem. A completely new sound for the band, the track revealed yet another ace up the sleeves of the revered producers. Whoever said old dogs couldn’t learn new tricks obviously didn’t know what Axwell, Ingrosso and Angello were capable of.

Axwell unearthed his 10-year-old “In My Mind” mix, featuring the original break of the rarely played track. While the bygone version of “In My Mind” may have been the highlight of the series, it was just plain hard to cope with the iconic finishing crescendo of “Don’t You Worry Child” paired with “For You ” and “Save”. The world.”

The next stop on Swedish House Mafia’s tour would be none other than Los Angeles, evoking a range of emotions from their farewell performance in 2013. The night was to be the biggest of their North American run. And on the day of their performance, the Swedish House Mafia announced on Instagram that Banc of California Stadium was officially sold out, with more than 22,000 people expected. A sold-out sale seemed like the most fitting way to pick things up where they left off at LA State Historic Park nearly a decade before.

But all in one day, the journey of ups and downs raged on, culminating in dramatic and grand effect. Amid a heat wave, the show was thrown into question as a thunderstorm rolled through downtown Los Angeles. After initially moving the set times by two hours in hopes of predating the storm, the rain caused an additional 30 minutes delay to properly cover gear. While management and the venue urged the Mafia to cancel their show, the boys decided the show should go on. Risking millions of dollars in gear, almost cinematically, a rain-soaked, black-clad Swedish mafia put on the show of a lifetime in a torrential downpour. The rain added a nice effect to the show as lasers twinkled in the sky on beloved hits like ‘Calling’, ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’, ‘Antidote’ and of course many more. With fireworks shooting into the night sky over nearly a third of the songs and pyrotechnics burning at least 100 feet in the middle of the stadium floor, the Swedish House Mafia impressed thousands of Californians.

It was cinematic; even poetic. The inimitable mix of rain, lasers and pristine electronic hits that still hold up a decade later was a sight to behold. Minor technical issues, and perhaps a trace of hyperbolic fan bias aside, it felt like a moment in American dance music history – the night the Swedish House Mafia returned to Los Angeles.

Featured Image: Michael Drummond

Tags: axwell, california stadium bench, paradise again, sebastian ingrosso, steve angello, swedish house mafia, t-mobile arena

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