Tiësto - Silverworks Island (12/07/2026)

It is Monday, the day after. And I'm feeling OK. I did wake up with a bit of a sore head, as I've had too much to drink, but I'm OK now. For those who haven't read my messages on social media yesterday (and weeks prior too), I was in London yesterday, at a little venue called Silverworks Island (which is next to the Thames), to see DJ Tiësto. And it was magnificent. As you can see on the image above, it was packed to the max, and for good reasons. Everything that could have gone wrong, didn't. It was a splendid day yesterday, and I'll try to write as much down as I can remember. Please remember, I had too much to drink, so I might forget certain moments (apologies in advance)....

If you are unaware of me and my history, here's a short overview: raver since 1994, massive Gabber/Hardcore fan since then, around 1998/1999 the scene collapses, and I have to find a new 'love' to fill in the gap that Gabber/Hardcore has left behind. This becomes Trance music, and it is the same time a Dutch DJ is making waves, someone who goes by the name Tiësto. He has his big breakthrough moment at Innercity 1999, and things go fast for him ever since. I see him the year later, at Innercity 2000, and the room was packed. He didn't even play the main stage, but one of the side rooms in the Amsterdam RAI. That was, as far as I can tell, the last time I saw him. +/- 25 years ago.

I have bought many of his singles over the years, his compilations etc. But never had the chance to see him again. He's always been one of my favourite Trance DJs and producer from back in the day (alongside Ferry Corsten and Armin van Buuren), and I've kept myself in the loop, with everything Tiësto related. At one stage in his life, he decided to make a radical decision, and join the EDM gang, and left Trance as it was. Which was a bit of a disappointment to many, but you have to respect the man for making a change so big. He captured a new audience with his new sound, and have worked with some of the biggest names in the industry (and beyond). But it never became my thing. I still had that craving, the late 90s and early 00s Tiësto sound.

In March of this year, I was doom scrolling on social media, and an advert appeared, stating Tiësto was doing a gig in London. I told my wife that it was roughly 25 years ago, and she secretly purchased 2 tickets. When she told me, my heart skipped a bit. Tiësto, in London, and we were going to go? Unbelievable. And weeks prior to the event, certain news outlets were mentioning that he was doing a more classic Trance set, which made my heart skip even more. Would this be the case, Tiësto going back to his roots? Well, technically NOT his roots, as he started as Da Joker in the Gabber/Hardcore scene, but his Trance roots.

I did listen and watch a lot of his sets, including the one at EDC Las Vegas, and his set at the Pyramids. It created mixed feelings, as I do like it, but it wasn't really 100% what I was hoping for. But hey ho, if the set wasn't going to be great, at least we would have a nice day out in London, right? Next to the Thames, and seeing planes land (airport is super close to the venue).

The day came, and we took a cab from our house to Flitwick station. Jumped on the train, to Farringdon station. From there, a short journey on the Elizabeth line, to Custom House. A bit nervous, as neither one of us had ever been there before. But credit where credit is due, it was well organised. Coming out of the station, the announcer mentioned where to go to, for those going to Silverworks Island.

It was a bit of a hike. But the weather was good, and there was a very pleasant breeze. Walking over a little bridge which went over the Thames, we got to the entrance area. No liquids allowed (only water bottles), and they did check it thoroughly. We had nothing on us, so we were fine. Then the actual security checks. A sniffer dog was there, but again, we had nothing on us. It all went smoothly. It took less than 2 minutes, which was amazing.

But we arrived. The sacred land. Silverworks Island. We had never been there before, but it was massive! First thing I always do, is to check everything. Where are the toilets? Is there any merchandise? Food? So we walked for 10-20 minutes, to see it all, but once done, we went straight to the bar, and got us some drinks. And after that, straight to the main stage.

We arrived a bit after 4 I believe, and we missed the opening act Mille Cotton. But SWIM was there, entertaining us with some very exciting tracks. I felt that this set was more House focussed, and that didn't bother me one bit. Again, the weather was immensely good (roughly 30 degrees Celsius), and the place was super cool. Did I mention that planes flew over every few minutes, and it became this thing of waving to every plane? If you were on those planes and you saw us waving, that would be cool, right?

The place quickly started to fill up. Still plenty of room around us, but it was getting busier and busier. And as welcome as those breezes were, every so often it became lethal: dust flew everywhere. That would be my only criticism for the event. Not something they are responsible for, but the dust covered everything and everyone.

Between sets I went to the bar numerous times, and I got wasted by the second. The two following acts (MASSANO and Peggasi) did a tremendous job, and got us all dancing. I cannot comment on the second stage, as we didn't go there that often. We should have done, but we didn't want to miss out. It's always a pickle, which stage you choose.

It was getting closer to 8pm, and we knew Tiësto was going to come on. The last song of the previous act wasn't a Trance or House song, but Oasis with Wonderwall. I am not a fan of Oasis, but I can imagine that this went well with the mostly British audience. And yes, even I sang the song. Well, at least I tried, as I was too drunk to remember the lyrics. But right on queue, 8pm, Tiësto entered the stage, and he made sure London was welcoming him, and he came in with banger after banger! It was packed to the max at the main stage, for good reason.

I was a tad sceptical, was he going to do a Trance set, or was it going to be an EDM set? Whatever he was going to do, it wouldn't bother me, but I was thinking about those news outlets: were they telling the truth, or porkies?

He came, saw, and conquered. This was I hoped it was going to be. A mixed bag of records, from Trance classics, to some newer stuff. But it was mainly the big hits he played, including a few of his own, remixes he did, and some all time classics. He tailored his set to the British audience, and I've been here long enough to know, that the Brits do love classic Trance a LOT. They crave it more than any other. Maybe even more than the Dutch (or am I presuming too much now?).

I could not stop myself from raising my hands in the air, and letting myself go. This is what I felt like 25 years ago, but now a bit older, wiser, and heavier. My teenage heart was beating hard again and for a split second, I felt like that 17/18 year old kid again. The tracks picked were great, and as said, some were tailored to the audience, but it worked extremely well. His set lasted for 2 hours, and he ended on a high note. A bit of fire and fireworks and confetti to make it all come to life, but he did end at 10pm.

We screamed for him to do one more song, but as the location is near a residential area, 10pm is 10pm. The next steps to take, was for us and thousands of fellow Tiësto fans to go back to the Lizzie line. The same way we came in, but in reverse. A quick peek at the merchandise stand, but they had nothing. I missed it, unfortunately. But hey ho, that's life.

The walk back went smoothly. It was all well organised, and so much staff were on the actual area, and also on the way to the station. It was fantastically organised, and credit to the organisation behind this. Tremendous job. And everyone went to the station, obviously feeling buzzed after seeing Tiësto, and it went great. Got to the station, got on the first tube to Farringdon, and there we only had to wait for 15-20 minutes.

The train that we took, back to Flitwick, was nice, cool, and rather empty. Not like Innercity 2000, where thousands tried to get onto a stop train at the station, and even tried to gain entrance through the sliding windows. It went peacefully, and that was great.

A cab took us home, and before I closed my eyes to go to sleep, I took two paracetamol and a glass of water, hoping it would stop me from waking up with a tremendous headache. I did drink so much Smirnoff, they made a fortune out of me.

Now, Monday morning, I took the day off. I could not WFH or go to the office. I still look a tad drunk, sun kissed, but I'm glad I took it off. It also gave me the time to write this blog.

Silverworks Island. A fantastic location. The stage was immense, the sound was great, the facilities were well organised. Even though we did not eat anything, there was enough for everyone. And everything felt well organised. 10 out of 10 for that.

Tiësto's set was obviously the main one, and I would give it 8 out of 10. A great set, and it filled me with happiness, to see this fellow Dutchman again, after a very long time. Overall, the day was a huge success, and we can look back at a fantastic day. I've been there, and have done it. Would I do it again? Maybe not Tiësto, but we will see who will perform next year (if they do it again).

It was the place to be. And everyone made it special, including those that worked for Silverworks. You've all been amazing, and have made sure this goes in my memory bank as one smashing event. And let's not forget Mother Nature for being kind to us on the day.

If I ever see Tiësto again, it's not going to be 25 years from now. I'll be bloody 67, and he will be surely retired. I cannot rave at 67. And I won't be able to drink as much as I did yesterday. Who knows what the future will bring. But I'm glad Tiësto is back, and his passion for Trance has sparked a new opportunity for him, to maybe reconnect with his previous audience?

Welcome back, Tiësto. I hope London was kind to you!

Here are some pictures taking by me on the day. They are not in a specific order, but they will give you a glimpse of the day... the day Tiësto came to London!