Seeing Tiesto, who was called the greatest DJ of all time by Mixmag in 2011, can cost upward of $100, which is a lot for a college student. But for Tiesto’s College Invasion tour, which is coming to Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater on Dec. 5, tickets are a mere $35.
The point of the tour is to provide affordable tickets in hopes of bringing in a new wave of fans, according to Adam Richman, a UA alumnus and CEO and founder of N9NE Fest, the production company behind local events like DayGlow and the self-titled N9NE Fest.
“Normally Tiesto wouldn’t even come to Tucson, nor could we afford to bring him to Tucson,” Richman said. “[Tiesto] wants to play at colleges and he knows once you see him once, you’ll be a fan for life.”
Judging by ticket sales so far, Tiesto’s strategy seems to be working. Richman added that after pricing the first 500 tickets at only $25, they sold out in three hours. He said the show is projected to sell out and that people from all over Arizona are coming to the event.
Richman will be on the UA Mall this week selling whatever tickets are left, and tickets can also be purchased online at TiestoTucson.com.
Those concerned about getting to the venue, which is about 20 minutes away from campus, can buy a bus pass for $10. The bus leaves from Tucson High School starting at 6 p.m. and runs until 1 a.m., but since the seating is general admission, Richman suggests getting there early in the night. While there are 6,000 tickets to sell, the floor seating only has standing room for 1,000, the chairs behind it room for another 1,000, and the last 4,000 come behind all the rest.
Regardless of where you’re sitting, though, Richman said no one will have a problem seeing the spectacle.
“Let’s put it this way — for the general shows we’ve done, we do 32 panels a screen,” Richman said. “For Tiesto, we’re doing 190 panels, per his request.”
The sound will be top notch too, as Richman said N9NE Fest rents top shelf equipment from Europe. As if all that wasn’t enough, there will also be fireworks.
For those looking to squeeze even more out of the experience, Richman pointed out that Casino Del Sol has plenty to offer attendees who are looking for something to do before the show.
“It’s a resort, so you can come before the show, go grab a great dinner, gamble a little bit and then go see the show,” he said. “You can make a night of it. There’s no school the next day, hotel rooms are available — it’s going to be an awesome experience from that perspective alone, let alone Tiesto.”
