Quickly, city by city, the electronic dance music scene has been catching on. And soon, the craze will be coming to our very own campus; the growing scene has even expanded to Reno, our biggest little city in the world. Global electronic producer Tiësto is coming to the University of Nevada, Reno, March 7 at the Lawlor Events Center along with other electronic artists Tommy Trash, Quintono, Alvaro and Erik Lobe. After the postponement of his Club Life College Invasion Tour last year due to a back injury, Tiësto returned in November announcing a brand new set of dates for the tour. Reno was lucky enough to be added the list of dates on this college tour. This tour is unique and the first of its kind; catering specifically to colleges across the United States and Canada. Other stops on the tour included San Diego State University, Syracuse University, University of Arizona and many others.

Now that Tiësto is making a stop on his tour at UNR, advertising and promotion for the concert can be seen all over campus and nearby downtown Reno. Posters are everywhere on campus, multiple contests are being held to win tickets, and hotels are offering reduced room rates for the night of the show. It seems as if the whole town of Reno is anticipating the arrival of such a big electronic artist.

Danielle Gann-Lind, event manager at the Lawlor Events Center, expresses her excitement for the show. “Lawlor Events Center is very excited for Tiësto to be performing at UNR and at Lawlor,” she said. “We think it will be a wonderful opportunity for the Truckee Meadows and Lawlor to host a world-renown artist like Tiësto.”

The success of this show is predicted to be great. Gann-Lind exclaims that this show “will be an excellent draw for our community and our campus!” And with the reality of a sold out show so near, many preparations are in order to host such an event. Gann-Lind explains, “Our office is doing everything we can to prepare for Tiësto’s visit. We have been in constant communication with his technical team to ensure we can meet all the needs of a large and demanding show.” She explained further that there are slightly different requirements to host Tiësto because of the more intense lighting, stage and sound necessities. There are extra security measures being put in place for this show.

Hosting large concerts is nothing new for the Lawlor Event Center. Slightly Stoopid, 311 and SOJA played a successful show at the center September 2012. But having an artist like Tiësto come to Lawlor is something brand new. “Lawlor is proud for Tiësto to be the first electronic-genre show we have done,” Gand-Lind said. A new, different genre means new, different necessities that Lawlor must plan for. The staff of Lawlor is sure that this will happen. “There are logistical demands for every show, and we are confident that Lawlor will rise to the occasion and show Tiësto some great Truckee Meadows hospitality!” Gand-Lind exclaimed.

Recently a video directed toward the Reno area was released by Tiësto. This short video features Tiësto himself giving a shout out to UNR and the upcoming show. In the video, Tiësto is wearing a Nevada shirt and says to viewers he can’t wait for the show and he “hopes to see everyone there!”

However, not only is Lawlor getting ready for Tiësto’s arrival, but students are preparing as well. Although this is an all-ages event, the demographic of the attendees is focused on UNR’s students. Sophomore UNR student, Liliana Cervantes expressed her excitement for the upcoming show. “Tiësto is going to be an awesome concert here at Nevada! I have been busy making bracelets and getting my outfit ready for the show!” The norm at electronic shows is to wear brightly-colored, neon outfits and attendees usually stick with the idea “the crazier the better.” Furry animal hoods, neon clothing, and glow-in-the-dark items are not out of the ordinary at shows in this music genre. Attendees also typically wear bright, plastic beaded bracelets with slogans or sayings on them. Cervantes revealed that her outfit would consist of a “blue neon tutu, a neon green shirt and a pink sports bra.”

This highly anticipated show has created a feeling of excitement on and around campus. Dena Vongchanh, freshman UNR student, exclaimed, “My boyfriend bought me tickets as a surprise, so I am beyond stoked to see Tiësto!” Positive vibes and great energy surround this show and the people who are ready to see Tiësto perform. Gand-Lind noted that “We have seen a tremendous amount of excitement and energy surrounding this show.” And this will be proved to be true Thursday!