When Avicii Walked Out On His First Ibiza Performance.
Watching the Avicii documentary on Netflix recently brought back memories of his first appearance in Ibiza. It was at the Booom Club in 2013, and Avicii had just played his first major gig at Ultra in Miami. It was a memorable performance for more than one reason. The Swedish star received a frosty reception from the crowd after revealing his new album, which contained the hit tracks Wake Me Up and Hey Brother. It was a momentary blip in the upward trajectory of his career, which was now heading to Ibiza.
The island was in a state of flux and change. There had been a major upheaval at Pacha after Danny Whittle departed, and several high-profile DJs defected to his new Club Booom. It was also the year Solomon began his residency at Pacha, and Yann Pissenem was launching the Ushuaia Beach Hotel project with his new partner, Abel Matutes.
It was a turbulent time for the island, grappling with its musical identity. This left a void that allowed Solomon to imprint his fresh sound at Pacha, taking over from David Guetta as the club’s star player. Avicii was stepping out of the Ultra Miami frying pan and into the fire of Ibiza club politics, which was raging then. Danny Whittle was the first to sign Avicii in Ibiza when he booked him to headline the Opening Party of Booom nightclub, which was mired in legal controversy and ownership battles.
Booom was fighting an uphill battle to launch that season and finally got to open its doors on Monday, July 15, 2013, after several failed and delayed attempts. The club announced Avicii as its headline act, a real show of strength, and they also had Seb Ingrosso on the same billing. Whittle was also the first to book Swedish House Mafia at Pacha, so that connection helped to get Avicii to play Booom. Other clubs looked on jealousy as the name of Avicii was associated with the new club located less than half a mile from the front door of Pacha.
However, according to all reports, things did not go as planned for the night, which was chaotic. The doors opened late, and certain people were denied entry, but the real story was unfolding inside the brand-new club where Avicii had arrived to play his first Ibiza gig. For some mysterious and strange reason, Avicii refused to play, which understandably caused an uproar inside the venue. There was even a rumour that Avicii was not permitted to leave the venue as he had not upheld his contracted agreement to play. Avicii or Boom issued no official explanation or reason for failing to play, even though he was inside the club on the night.
My mother fucking money
A similar incident occurred the following year at Ushuaia in August 2015, when the American rapper Snoop Dogg threatened to cancel his performance unless “you fags have my mother fucking money when I get there”. The money turned up when Snoop Dog arrived in a private jet in Ibiza, and he got to perform on the Ushuaia stage, albeit three hours late.
We will never know what really happened at Booom that night. Danny Whittle would be the one man who could tell you the whole story straight from the horse’s mouth. I would guess Club politics and piracy were heavily involved in the incident. We know that Avicii did not play Booom on that fateful night but soon after signed a deal to join Ushuaia Entertainment the following year in 2014, kicking off his famous Ibiza Sunday residency at Ushuaia Beach Hotel on July 20.
Avicii’s historic residency in Ibiza helped Ushuaia Entertainment become the dominant presence in Ibiza clubbing. Boom sunk into the swampland of Ibiza club politics, never to be seen again.
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