Tiësto announced on Feb. 8 that he will not be able to serve as the in-game DJ at the 2024 Super Bowl, citing a “personal family emergency” that requires him to be at home that day.
The Dutch musician announced that he will be unable to perform at the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers’ game just days before the two teams go head-to-head at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“Me and my team have been preparing something truly special for months, but a personal family emergency is forcing me to return home Sunday morning,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Feb. 8. “It was a tough decision to miss the game, but family always comes first.”
The 55-year-old continued, “Thank you to the @NFL for the collaboration and looking forward to working with them to deliver something incredible together in the future!”
As the Super Bowl’s first-ever in-game DJ, Tiësto was scheduled to play during players warm up and breaks in the game. When his role in the sporting event was unveiled in January, the Grammy winner expressed his excitement in the gig, sharing in a statement that “it’s even more incredible that it’s in my favorite place—Las Vegas.”
He has since been replaced by Kaskade, who wrote on X shortly after news of Tiësto’s cancellation, “As a kid who grew up in Chicago watching the @NFL Super Bowl every year with my family this chance to actually be part of it is absolutely mind blowing.”
“To be able to be the first Electronic Musician to be part of the full game experience of the Super Bowl held in Las Vegas seems like coming home,” he continued, “and I’m beyond excited to represent my community.”
As for the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Usher will be headlining the highly-anticipated performance.
“It definitely has been a challenge to squeeze 30 years into 13 minutes,” the singer told reporters at a Feb. 8 press conference. “What songs do people know me for, what songs have been a celebration of all of the journey?”
Usher also dropped hints about surprise appearances from past collaborators. “I think I made it easy for myself when I decided to have featured artists on songs that became hit records,” the 45-year-old teased. “I have definitely gone through a lot of ideas of who I would have go through this moment with me.”
Other artists slated to appear at the Super Bowl include Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day, who will be performing the National Anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” respectively.
To relive Super Bowl performances from past years, keep reading.