Posted April 7, 2013
By VANESSA RAMOS
The EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia gave an energetic farewell performance and played all of its big hits at Ultra Music Festival at Miami’s Bayfront Park on Sunday.
The group members, Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso, performed together for one last time on the sixth and final day of Ultra in front of a crowd of thousands. The event was also broadcast live on Ultra’s website and on YouTube.
Just last year the group announced that it would be splitting up and that the Ultra performance on Sunday would be its last. Since January of this year, Swedish House Mafia’s “One Last Tour” has put on 52 shows, and has even managed to sell-out Madison Square Garden.
Despite the group’s short five-year run and the fact that it had only eight songs, it was able to infiltrate mainstream radio and, along with a handful of other DJs, put EDM (electronic dance music) on the map.
In honor of the 15th anniversary of Ultra, the music festival changed things up and held two three-day weekends instead of having just one weekend. Swedish House Mafia’s performance on the sixth and final day was the climax of the entire festival.
The crowd in front of the main stage assembled early in the evening for Swedish House Mafia’s 9:30 p.m. performance. By the time the group stepped onto the stage, there was a sea of people pushing and shoving their way through the humid Miami air to get a look at the three Swedes. Some festival-goers even scaled tall trees and clung precariously from branches to get a look a closer look. People outside of the park were gate crashing and hopping fences just to be part of the spectacle.
The mind-numbing mob of people bobbed up and down in a sweaty mass as Swedish House Mafia started to build up to its song “Greyhound” from the three-tier LED-wrapped DJ booth. The enormous main stage lit up in an array of colors and lights during the group’s 90-minute set.
Lasers, pyrotechnics, fireworks and LED screens added to the euphoric feeling that seemed to come over the crowd and made the occasion feel epic. People were smiling and waving their hands in the air to the beat and singing along to the songs.
Other songs performed included, “Leave the World Behind,” a remix of Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall,” “Don’t You Worry Child,” “Miami 2 Ibiza,” “One,” and “Save the World.” Each time a song would build up and become louder, the crowd screamed and slapped with excitement.
Sprinkled throughout the sea of people were flags from what seemed like every country. Spain, Sweden, Australia, Colombia and the USA were seen just to name a few. It was a loud, fun, energetic dance party that celebrated EDM and brought fans together from all over the globe. Hundred of fans recorded the show on their smart phones and held up cameras to capture the light show and energy that surrounded them.
Towards the end of the performance Axwell asked the crowd if it could, “Save the world one last time together.” The crowd cheered as vocalist John Martin appeared on stage singing a live rendition of “Save The World” and “Don’t You Worry Child.” The crowd sang along as red and orange fireworks exploded over the stage, bringing the energetic performance to a close.
Despite the intense heat, an overwhelming crowd and the pricey $370 three-day Ultra ticket, Swedish House Mafia’s final performance at Ultra was one to remember. Although no one will know until years from now if this was actually the group’s last performance, the experience was well worth it for EDM fans because it felt like music history in the making.