We attended Gabry Ponte’s press conference where he announced his next major event at San Siro, marking the first time a DJ will headline at San Siro. An impressive 30,000 tickets were sold out within 72 hours.

After performing on the world’s biggest stages, including Tomorrowland (check out our report on the latest edition!), Gabry Ponte will become the first DJ in history to make the San Siro stadium dance. This special milestone celebrates his 25-year career. For the occasion, he has promised an unforgettable show, featuring spectacular staging, special effects, and surprises yet to be revealed.

During the conference, Gabry Ponte shared exclusive details about the event that will transform San Siro into Italy’s largest dance floor, revealing his immense enthusiasm for this unique show.

Gioacchino: How does it feel to be the first DJ to perform in such an iconic venue for your country, a place known for unforgettable football battles as well as epic music performances?

Gabry Ponte: When I started this job, I never imagined, not even for a moment, that I’d be doing a concert at the Forum. DJs have historically been confined to clubs, so the idea of staging an event at San Siro stadium is mind-blowing. We’re all really pumped and can’t wait for it. It’s both a responsibility and a challenge; I don’t know how it’ll go, I’m not even sure we’ll fill San Siro. But I’m sure we’ll have an amazing time and throw an epic party, and for me, that’s enough.

Gioacchino: Considering your recent performances, such as at Tomorrowland Brazil, how much will those experiences influence your San Siro show on June 28? Should we expect something visually stunning in line with the latest trends in the music market?

Gabry Ponte: We’ll definitely try, yes. Even with the arena shows, I think we managed to raise the bar for show quality beyond what I was used to doing in Italy. But I often face practical reality checks; I send ideas in the group chats with my team members who work with me on live events. Sometimes I’ll send things like, “Could we do something like this?” And I get a lot of (laughs) “Are you crazy?” because they’re great to look at but hard to execute. But we’re working on it.

Gioacchino: As you mentioned, in the past, DJs were somewhat on the sidelines, but now they are more often the driving force and main attraction. So, the DJ is now the first “scenic element.”

Gabry Ponte: Yes, let’s say that the DJ’s role has changed a lot since the ’90s when I started. Back then, a DJ was almost just a step ahead of a jukebox. The difference back then was that a DJ mixed music, selected records, and created a wave to make people dance. But in the ‘90s, the first generation of DJ-producers emerged—like us—who started making their own music. So, as more DJ-producers like us started making music and chart-topping hits, there was a need to represent that music on stage.

While a singer is used to performing live, going on stage, a DJ never really needed to do that. So, over time, the concept of the DJ as a performer developed, different from a singer’s role since the DJ is more static, behind the console, and can’t move around the stage or into the crowd. But that’s where all the staging, visuals, special effects, lasers, and coordinated light shows came in, giving these shows their own kind of dignity.

Gioacchino: You represent the past, present, and future of EDM and dance music in general, inspiring generation after generation. What kind of audience are you expecting at the biggest live set of your career?

Gabry Ponte: I see that over the years, especially in electronic dance music, there’s a short lifecycle with constant renewal. But after all these years, I’ve seen that the kids who came to dance when it all started, who were in their twenties back then, still come to the shows and even bring their kids. So, they still come to concerts, which is amazing because it means that this music, this genre, not only raised us but continues to do so across generations. I already noticed this in the arenas where I saw everyone from children to people my age and even older. It was like a big family party—so beautiful.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBjqsCNsTAn/

The response for this event has been tremendous. The Parterre and PIT areas of San Siro are sold out, as well as a large portion of the first tier. Thirty thousand tickets were sold within 72 hours of the presale opening, remarkable numbers proving that the call for electronic music in our country is stronger than ever.

Click here to buy tickets for “GABRY PONTE – SAN SIRO DANCE”
[powered by RTL 102.5 and Gekai On Stage]