LAS VEGAS — It seems Kaskade came upon he was DJing on the Tremendous Bowl not too lengthy earlier than the remainder of us did.
In actual fact, his first time seeing the elevated DJ platform within the stands behind the tip zone the place he would spin all through the sport on Sunday (Feb. 11) was that day, minutes earlier than he carried out a pre-game live performance that soundtracked the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs warming up on the sphere.
“This can be my first second. We’ll expertise it collectively,” Kaskade (actual title: Ryan Raddon) informed Billboard with a smile as we shadowed him all day Sunday all through Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for his gig because the Tremendous Bowl’s first in-game DJ — a job that was solely formally introduced by the NFL on Thursday after Tiësto needed to again out resulting from a “private household emergency” earlier that day. Kaskade’s major staff had arrived days earlier in Vegas whereas the DJ performed a long-scheduled gig at Montreal’s Igloofest on Friday night time to make it possible for every thing was prepared for him, and after wrapping his first set on Sunday, he was glad to report of the beforehand mysterious DJ sales space: “All of it works. I’m like, ‘OK, it’s plugged in, there’s energy, we’re good.’”
Kaskade mentioned the trickiest half concerning the last-minute gig was weaving some pump-up track requests from the 2 Tremendous Bowl groups into his setlist for his or her pre-game warm-ups, together with a pair of Billboard Scorching 100 No. 1s by Drake (“God’s Plan” and “Jimmy Cooks” with 21 Savage) and DJ Snake’s “Flip Down for What” that includes Lil Jon, who can be one among Usher’s shock halftime present visitors later that day. Probably the most time-consuming a part of incorporating the brand new songs? Ensuring all of the lyrics had been protected for the Tremendous Bowl’s household viewers, Kaskade says.
The gamers clearly appreciated the tailor-made playlist, with the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco performing an impromptu end-zone dance to “God’s Plan” throughout warm-ups. (“A few of them had been feeling it,” Kaskade laughed afterward.)
Together with the pre-game particular requests, Kaskade additionally labored in some extra esoteric selections, like Odd Mob and OMNOM’s “Dropping Management.” And when it got here time for his two DJ moments through the sport — one between the primary and second quarters and one between the third and fourth — Kaskade caught to what he is aware of finest: taking part in the vibey “Escape,” his 2023 Kx5 track with longtime collaborator deadmau5 (“Hello. I simply performed Escape to 100 million folks,” Kaskade posted to X after), in addition to his party-starter “Enjoyable,” a 2019 team-up with Brohug and Mr. Tape that includes Madge. He additionally received an opportunity to get pleasure from a little bit of the nail-biter sport (which the Chiefs received in extra time), taking a seat proper in entrance of his platform alongside his spouse and daughters and the remainder of his staff throughout breaks.
For a more in-depth take a look at a day within the lifetime of a Tremendous Bowl DJ, observe together with Billboard as we embed with Crew Kaskade on the huge sport.
-
‘Can We Do This?’
“The primary query is: Can we do that?” Kaskade remembers considering after they first received phrase of the Tremendous Bowl gig. “Do we’ve got sufficient time to drag this off? I used to be type of simply, like, backing it up. As a result of I had a busy week. I used to be in Montreal on Friday and Las Vegas on Saturday, so I’m right here — if I wasn’t [already scheduled in Vegas], this most likely wouldn’t have occurred. I wouldn’t have been the man.”
-
‘This Is What I Do’
Certain, it was last-minute, however Kaskade all the time knew he was succesful. “I do need to say, as a result of lots of people on-line had been like, ‘How are you going to do that?’ I imply, I’ve performed over 5,000 exhibits in my profession, proper? And I’ve performed most likely 2,000 or 3,000 huge exhibits, from Coachella to SoFi Stadium, so this isn’t utterly new. That is what I do.”
He additionally had expertise taking part in at sporting occasions, like an LA Rams sport this previous fall and post-game White Sox concert events in his hometown of Chicago. “These moments already type of ready me for one thing like this. That is means larger, however I’m like, ‘OK, that is in my wheelhouse. I can do that.’”
-
‘How Do You Have My Quantity?’
Kaskade had an thought of what a giant deal the Tremendous Bowl reserving was when his telephone began blowing up late final week. “That is those who I haven’t heard from in 10 years from highschool texting, being like, ‘Dude, no means!’ And I’m like, ‘How do you may have my quantity? I modified telephone numbers like 3 times since then!’ I imply, simply lots of people. Everybody. Very good, you already know, congratulating me, however I believe it’s a type of issues that simply reaches so extensive.”
He additionally wasn’t used to listening to his title on the morning information exhibits. “The following day, I’m actually getting within the bathe to go catch the airplane to Montreal, and I soar out of the bathe, TV’s on, and it’s like, ‘Oh, Kaskade’s filling in!’ They usually lower to me with this footage in San Francisco. And I’m like, ‘That is very surreal.’ Like, I’m blow-drying my hair, and I flip round, like, wow. I imply, there’s nothing near this affect. Once I get Grammy nominations, I believe lots of people exterior of my regular circles are like, ‘Oh, that’s superior!’ They usually acknowledge the Grammys is a factor. However the Tremendous Bowl is, like, it’s like 100 occasions that.”
-
‘That’s What I’m Speaking About’
Whereas seeing the gamers dancing to his set throughout warm-ups was cool, Kaskade was actually pumped about one other viewers in the home. “It’s so superior after they lower to some little child and he’s simply feeling it, like some 12-year-old or one thing. That’s what I’m speaking about proper there.”
-
‘Extra Individuals, Extra Individuals, Extra Individuals’
Everyone knows how large the at-home viewers is for the Tremendous Bowl, however the 65,000-person crowd in Allegiant Stadium felt fairly large too. When Billboard chatted with Kaskade proper after his pre-game live performance, he mentioned it was “every thing you’d anticipate. It’s loopy. All people’s simply pouring in proper now, so each track, I lookup and there’s extra folks, extra folks, extra folks.”
-
‘I’m a One-Man Band’
Persevering with with the gig’s up-for-anything vibe, Kaskade came upon from the NFL through the pre-game live performance that his set might run a little bit longer than deliberate if he was up for it. “They’re like, ‘Hey, we might offer you a little bit extra time.’ I used to be like, ‘Uh, I’ll take it!’ I went perhaps 4 or 5 minutes longer. So I’m like, ‘OK, what else do I’ve on right here?’ That’s the nice factor. I’m a one-man band. I’m fluid. I can add stuff or take stuff out.”
-
‘We Gave Them a Celebration’
After Billboard talked about how his units appeared to noticeably improve the power within the already-electric Allegiant Stadium, Kaskade admits: “We gave them a celebration.”
To get a style of that occasion, take a look at movies from Billboard‘s day with Kaskade beneath.
Supply hyperlink