The Save the World Reunion Tour is a 2019 reunion tour by Swedish supergroup
Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...
. Named after their
2011 single, the tour was a follow up to the group's reunion at
Ultra Miami in 2018.
After months of speculation, the tour was teased by
Axwell Λ Ingrosso
Axwell & Ingrosso (stylised as Axwell Λ Ingrosso) is a Swedish DJ duo consisting of Swedish House Mafia members Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso. They made their debut performance at the 2014 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City in Jun ...
during a show in
New York on May 27, 2018, and was confirmed by
Steve Angello
Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...
later in June in an interview with
Sydsvenskan. In August 2018,
Axwell Λ Ingrosso
Axwell & Ingrosso (stylised as Axwell Λ Ingrosso) is a Swedish DJ duo consisting of Swedish House Mafia members Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso. They made their debut performance at the 2014 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City in Jun ...
announced that they'd be going on hiatus to focus on the reunion tour. The tour kicks off at
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
's
Tele2 Arena
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football m ...
on May 2, 2019.
On the first night of the tour, Swedish House Mafia premiered a new orchestral version of their 2010 hit "
One". The song was composed by
Jacob Mühlrad and would be one of the main songs of the tour. The "One Symphony" will be released on New Years Day 2022.
Buildup
In October 2018, a timer appeared on Swedish House Mafia's official website which was set to end on October 22. That day the group held a press conference which they revealed that a worldwide tour would occur the following year and their first stop would be
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
's
Tele2 Arena
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football m ...
. The one night event was upgraded to three the following week due to high demand.
In November, billboards located in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
teased a show in the city, at the end of a second timer, the group announced they would play at
Foro Sol
Foro Sol is a sports and entertainment venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City. It is located near the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE.
The venue was originally built fo ...
on May 18. At the end of the month, following another successive timer and billboards appearing in respective cities, Swedish House Mafia announced they would play
Tinderbox
A tinderbox, or patch box, is a container made of wood or metal containing flint, firesteel, and tinder (typically charcloth, but possibly a small quantity of dry, finely divided fibrous matter such as hemp), used together to help kindle a fire ...
,
Stavernfestivalen,
Frequency Festival
The FM4 Frequency Festival, also Frequency Festival or just Frequency, formerly Vienna City Festival, is a music festival. Until 2008, it took place near Salzburg Austria, usually every August. In 2009, the Festival moved to St. Pölten. It is p ...
, and
Creamfields
Creamfields is an electronic dance music festival series founded and organised by British club promoter Cream, with its UK edition taking place on August Bank Holiday weekend, with a number of international editions held across various territ ...
as part of their tour, whilst February 2019 saw
Ultra Europe
Ultra Europe is a multi-venue outdoor electronic music festival that is a part of Ultra Music Festival's worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Ultra Europe made its debut as a two-day festival during 12–13 July 2013, a ...
,
Ultra Korea
''Ultra Korea'' is an outdoor electronic music festival that is a part of Ultra Music Festival's worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Following Ultra Brasil's third edition in 2011, Ultra Korea made its debut as a two- ...
, and
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
added to the list. On April 10, 2019, it was announced that Swedish House Mafia would close the world's biggest EDM festival,
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
, during the summer of that year, with the group also announcing a one-day residency, the preceding Friday, at
Ibiza
Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...
's
Ushuaïa night club as part of their tour. Two days before the opening show, pilots of
Scandinavian Airlines when on strike over pay. This affected a higher estimated of 35,000 of the 120,000 attending the
Tele2 Arena
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football m ...
over the three days. Despite this, 43,000 people attended the
Tele2 Arena
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football m ...
and watched their first show in since
Ultra Miami 2018.
Two new IDs were played, supporting the promise of new music.
The first was their set opener, "
It Gets Better
It or IT may refer to:
* It (pronoun), in English
* Information technology
Arts and media Film and television
* ''It'' (1927 film), a film starring Clara Bow
* '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'', a 1958 science fiction film
* ''It!'' (1967 ...
". In July 2021, a "radically revised version" of the track became the trio's first release since reuniting, and the first single off their album, ''
Paradise Again''. The second, with the working title "Underneath it All", remains unreleased. Until the group members
Axwell
Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angell ...
released 2 songs "It Gets Better (2019 Version)" in November 2021 and "Underneath it All" in July 2022 via
Dropbox
Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by the American company Dropbox, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, U.S. that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and Client (computing), client software. Dropb ...
Tour dates
Setlist
Swedish House Mafia's set as of their first show, at
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
's
Tele2 Arena
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football m ...
on May 2, 2019.
# ID ("
It Gets Better
It or IT may refer to:
* It (pronoun), in English
* Information technology
Arts and media Film and television
* ''It'' (1927 film), a film starring Clara Bow
* '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'', a 1958 science fiction film
* ''It!'' (1967 ...
")
# "We Come, We Rave, We Love" / "Out of My Mind"
# "Jack U" / "555" / "
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
"
# "Dream Bigger"
# "Dark River" / "
Sweet Disposition
"Sweet Disposition" is a song by Australian indie rock band The Temper Trap. Described by critics as an "indie anthem", the song was written by Dougy Mandagi and Lorenzo Silitto. Upon the song's release, it peaked at 14 in Australia and reached ...
"
# "Laktos" / "
Calling (Lose My Mind)
"Calling (Lose My Mind)" is a single by Swedish house producers Sebastian Ingrosso (of Swedish House Mafia) and Alesso featuring American recording artist Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. It was released in Sweden on 13 March 2012 and in the UK ...
"
# "For Sale" / "
On My Way"
# "
Leave the World Behind" / "Cobra"
# "Rushin'" / "Raise Your Hands" / "Flash" / "In the Air" (Axwell Remix)
#"Be" / "
Show Me Love" / "Knas"
# "Teasing Mr Charlie" / "How Do You Feel Right Now"
# ID ("Underneath It All")
# "
Miami 2 Ibiza
"Miami 2 Ibiza" is a song by Swedish house music group Swedish House Mafia and English rapper Tinie Tempah. It was released as the second and final single from the group's debut studio album and compilation, '' Until One'' (2010) by Virgin Record ...
" (Intro Edit) / "How Do You Feel Right Now"
# "Resurrection" (
Axwell
Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angell ...
Mix) / "
Something New"
# "
This Time"
# "
Antidote
An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...
" / "
Antidote
An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...
" (
Salvatore Ganacci
Emir Kobilić, known professionally as Salvatore Ganacci (), is a Bosnian-Swedish DJ and record producer. His performances at Tomorrowland in 2018 and 2019 became internet sensations, as did the music video for his song "Horse".
Early life
E ...
Remix)
# "Payback" / "Dreamer" / "Love Inc" / "In My Mind" (
Axwell
Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angell ...
Mix)
# "Barricade"
# "
More Than You Know"
# "Remember"
# "Heart is King" / "
Reload" / "
Tell Me Why"
# "
The Island Pt. 1" (
Steve Angello
Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...
,
AN21
AN21 (Antoine Gabriel Michel Haydamous Josefsson, born Stockholm, Sweden ), is a Greek-Swedish DJ and record producer. He is the younger brother of Steve Angello, a producer and member of Swedish House Mafia. In ''DJ Magazine''s polls of the ...
, &
Max Vangeli
Maksim "Max" Vangeli (born 4 August 1985) is a Moldovan DJ and record producer based in San Francisco, United States.
Vangeli is best known for his house music productions and collaboration with Swedish DJ and record producer Antoine Josefsson, ...
Remix)
# "
One" / "One Symphony"
# "Can't Hold Us Down"
# "
Stairway to Heaven" / "
Don't You Worry Child
"Don't You Worry Child" is the sixth single released by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia. It is the last single from their second compilation album, '' Until Now'', featuring vocals from Swedish singer John Martin. In the Uni ...
" / "
Sun Is Shining"
# "
Save the World Save the World may refer to:
Music
* ''Save the World'' (Geordie album), 1976
* ''Save the World'' (Yolanda Adams album), 1993
* "Save the World" (George Harrison song), 1981
* "Save the World" (Swedish House Mafia song), 2011
*"Save the World", a ...
" (NC Edit) / "
Save the World Save the World may refer to:
Music
* ''Save the World'' (Geordie album), 1976
* ''Save the World'' (Yolanda Adams album), 1993
* "Save the World" (George Harrison song), 1981
* "Save the World" (Swedish House Mafia song), 2011
*"Save the World", a ...
"
The same setlist was also used during the show at
Foro Sol
Foro Sol is a sports and entertainment venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City. It is located near the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE.
The venue was originally built fo ...
,
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, and remained similar throughout the tour.
;Alternate Setlists
*A new reworked version of "For Sale" was premiered at
Open'er Festival
The Open'er Festival is a music festival which takes place on the north coast of Poland, in Gdynia. It is one of the biggest annual music festivals in Poland. The first edition of the festival was organized in Warsaw in 2002 as ''Open Air Festi ...
on July 6.
*Swedish House Mafia debuted a new track featuring
A$AP Rocky, titled "Frankenstein", during their
Ultra Europe
Ultra Europe is a multi-venue outdoor electronic music festival that is a part of Ultra Music Festival's worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Ultra Europe made its debut as a two-day festival during 12–13 July 2013, a ...
performance. The song was then released on ''Paradise Again''.
Critical Reception
In an article about the first two shows at the
Tele2 Arena
The Stockholmsarenan, known as the Tele2 Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov, just south of Stockholm City Centre, Sweden. It is used mostly for concerts and football m ...
, British EDM and Clubbing magazine ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...
'' described the "long-awaited" reunion as a "historic comeback show" and that "Swedish House Mafia's climactic return to dance music" "
roughtnostalgia" to the "tens of thousands of people" who watched a show with good balance of promised new music and "many of the classics". The reunion was met with "deafening cheers" from the fans.
The show at
Foro Sol
Foro Sol is a sports and entertainment venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City. It is located near the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE.
The venue was originally built fo ...
was described by fellow EDM magazine ''Groove Cartel'', as "another great show of the monumental tour",
and ''EDM.com'' describing it as a "jaw-dropping production".
Following their performance at
Open'er Festival
The Open'er Festival is a music festival which takes place on the north coast of Poland, in Gdynia. It is one of the biggest annual music festivals in Poland. The first edition of the festival was organized in Warsaw in 2002 as ''Open Air Festi ...
, Swedish House Mafia received criticism for their tour; with EDM magazine ''Your EDM'' saying the tour relied too much on nostalgia for ticket sales as supposed to anything new. The magazine however praised the show saying the "epic" performance was "as sweet as ever".
The highly anticipated
Creamfields
Creamfields is an electronic dance music festival series founded and organised by British club promoter Cream, with its UK edition taking place on August Bank Holiday weekend, with a number of international editions held across various territ ...
performance was sold out to an 80,000 strong crowd. However the show was overshadowed by another "mystery date"—typical of the tour. The date was scheduled for 6 September, the day before
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
, where they are to perform. The leading hypothesis is that the date is the day where new music is to be released in accordance with
Pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
's "NewMusicFriday". However the date turned out to be a give away for 33 life time passes to all future Swedish House Mafia shows.
The tour ended with Swedish House Mafia opening the 2019
Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் கிராண்ட் பிரிக்ஸ் is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The event takes place on the Marina Bay Street Cir ...
to a crowd of 45,000 people. The show was typical of their open air performances throughout the tour with a show dominated by pyrotechnics and lasers. The show, being their first in Asia since
One Last Tour
One Last Tour was a worldwide farewell tour by Swedish electronic dance trio Swedish House Mafia following the announcement of their break-up in June 2012. The tour took place through November 2012 to March 2013.
Itinerary
On September 24, 20 ...
, was full of their usual hits with
Axwell
Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angell ...
describing the crowd as "the best in Asia".
Controversies
Cancellation rumours
Following the cancellation of their set at
Ultra Korea
''Ultra Korea'' is an outdoor electronic music festival that is a part of Ultra Music Festival's worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Following Ultra Brasil's third edition in 2011, Ultra Korea made its debut as a two- ...
, it was reported that most of the rest of the tour could be cancelled. The reasoning for this was due to a new deal that
Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...
had signed with
Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
; one of the clauses of new deal would allegedly prevent the group from playing any future shows which did not benefit Live Nation. However the new deal would supposedly enable Swedish House Mafia to undergo a full stadium tour later in the year, allowing for their own production and advertisement. However
Steve Angello
Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...
was quick to suggest that these reports we all fake.
Merchandise
The official tour merchandise sales came into question when new merchandise was released following
Open'er Festival
The Open'er Festival is a music festival which takes place on the north coast of Poland, in Gdynia. It is one of the biggest annual music festivals in Poland. The first edition of the festival was organized in Warsaw in 2002 as ''Open Air Festi ...
. The new items were criticised for their closer resemblance to that of an 80's
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
band rather than anything electronic. This lead many to claim that the merchandise was simply a way of generating money rather that to act as a memento to the tour.
Stage damage
The finale of the group's
Creamfields
Creamfields is an electronic dance music festival series founded and organised by British club promoter Cream, with its UK edition taking place on August Bank Holiday weekend, with a number of international editions held across various territ ...
performance contained a large pyrotechnics display. Following the end of the festival it was claimed by a member of the festival's social media group that the display caused around £4,000,000 in damage to the Arc Stage. However the true cause of the damage is yet to be determined.
Tomorrowland
Although not a scheduled tour date there were many rumours that
Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...
would close
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
2019, especially after
Steve Angello
Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...
claimed in the Autumn of the previous year that the group would play at the festival "by any means necessary". As the festival drew closer no official announcement was made but the evidence suggesting a surprise performance grew even stronger with the group's signature "three dots" appearing on the Tomorrowland lineup. However the "three dots" were announced last minute to be for
3 Are Legend (
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are a Belgian–Greek DJ duo composed of brothers Dimitri Thivaios and Michael Thivaios. They were ranked No. 1 on ''DJ Mag''s Top 100 DJs list in 2015 and 2019, and were ranked No. 2 in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020 ...
and
Steve Aoki
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive. ) leading many fans to believe that Swedish House Mafia cancelled last minute as they did with
Ultra Korea
''Ultra Korea'' is an outdoor electronic music festival that is a part of Ultra Music Festival's worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Following Ultra Brasil's third edition in 2011, Ultra Korea made its debut as a two- ...
and
Weekend Festival. Despite this
Axwell
Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angell ...
and
Steve Angello
Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...
both claim that the group never was booked for the festival. Despite this, British trance DJ
Gareth Emery
Gareth Thomas Rhys Emery (born 18 July 1980) is a British trance producer and DJ. He is best known for his three studio albums: '' Northern Lights'', ''Drive'' and '' 100 Reasons to Live'', and winning the prestigious A State of Trance Tune o ...
claimed that the group were to play the show in a statement about his Tomorrowland set, with him suggesting a disagreement over stage design was the reason for their supposed cancellation.
Notes
References
{{Swedish House Mafia
2019 concert tours