Clubbing with DJ Tiesto at the coliseum

MANILA, Philippines—In a 1969 TV interview, The Door’s frontman Jim Morrison predicted the future of music might rely heavily on electronics and machines. He envisioned “one person, probably speaking or singing, with a lot of machines, tapes and electronics setups.”

Probably just a coincidence but in the same year Tijs Michiel Verwes, or who would become DJ Tiesto, was born in Breda, Netherlands.

The Dutch musician’s name would eventually become associated with electronic dance music (EDM).

On his fourth visit to the Philippines, DJ Tiesto performed for nearly three hours starting midnight of Thursday (October 3) to early Friday morning (October 4) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Though only half-filled, the Big Dome was transformed into a club as EDM ruled the night with the most elaborate play of lights.

Australian DJ Tigerlily opened the set at 10 p.m., spinning for two hours.

Though there were still some more concerned on taking videos and photos of the performers than enjoying the show, it was an ecstatic rave party full of fashion models, ex-fashion models, teenagers with bodyguards and more perfumed, fashionably dressed lovers of EDMs.

The older crowd were those who have followed DJ Tiesto since he propelled into the international scene in 2000 upon the release of his debut album, “In My Memory.”

Tiesto was the first DJ to have reached number one in the Top 100 DJs list by DJ Magazine for three consecutive years. Among the awards he received were; “Best International DJ Award in 2008” at the DJ Awards, “No. 1 DJ of 2008” and “the Best DJ of All Time” by Mixmag magazine, the 40th Greatest Dutch Citizen of All Time and Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Dutch Royalty in 2003 and International Dance4Life Ambassador in 2006.

One of Tiesto’s “YouTube-worthy” performances was at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, earning him the honor of being the first DJ to play live on stage at an Olympic event.

Among his hits were “Beautiful World,” “Sweet Things,” “Elements of Life,” “I Will Be Here,” “Silence,” “Work Hard Play Hard” and “We Own the Night”.

On a more personal level, I’m amazed how he could transform classical music like Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” into a well-blended trance-electronica hit.

The first time DJ Tiesto performed in Manila was on March 31, 2006, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. Some said it’s a two-day affair because the show lasted until the wee hours of April 1, 2006, as all rave parties would have ended.

Popular local DJ-producer Manolet Dario was there to open the PICC show, he told INQUIRER.net after the Araneta show.

Tiesto went back the second time on April 19, 2008, to perform at the World Trade Center, also in Pasay City. There could have been any more appropriate venue than this one.

In the same year, his “Elements of Life” went on to conquer the Dutch album chart and made it to the Billboard Top Electronic Albums in the US and was awarded Best Electronic Dance Album.

The Filipinos loved him so much he went back for the third time to perform at the controversial Embassy Superclub at the Fort, Taguig City on April 25, 2009.  Those who missed the party could simply look for the YouTube videos and see how a more intimate club scene could spell the difference.

Co-produced by World Wide Womb, Ovation Productions, Driven Manila and Republiq, “DJ Tiesto Live In Manila” didn’t fill the Big Dome to the rafters unlike the previous week’s concert of The Killers.

Perhaps it’s time the producers should realize that fans of EDMs are more at home in a club or a big hall without boxed seats, not in a coliseum or in the case of Tiesto’s first visit—for Chrissakes—in a convention center.

After all, the name of his ongoing world tour is “Club Life”. Be that as it may, Tiesto gave his Filipino fans what they came for, non-stop trance-electronica music till the wee hours.

And no one’s too young or too old to enjoy Tiesto, as what DJ Manolet Dario said: “He simply gets better over the years.”