The Save the World Reunion Tour is a 2019 reunion tour by Swedish supergroup Swedish House Mafia. Named after their 2011 single, the tour was a follow-up to the group's reunion at Ultra Miami in 2018.[1][2]

Save the World Reunion Tour
World tour by Swedish House Mafia
Start date2 May 2019
End date20 September 2019
Legs5
No. of shows16
Swedish House Mafia concert chronology

After months of speculation, the tour was teased by Axwell Λ Ingrosso during a show in New York on May 27, 2018,[3][4] and was confirmed by Steve Angello later in June in an interview with Sydsvenskan.[5] In August 2018, Axwell Λ Ingrosso announced that they'd be going on hiatus to focus on the reunion tour.[6] The tour kicks off at Stockholm's Tele2 Arena on May 2, 2019.[7][8][9] On the first night of the tour, Swedish House Mafia premiered a new orchestral version of their 2010 hit "One". The song was composed by Jacob Mühlrad and would be one of the main songs of the tour.[10][11] The "One Symphony" will be released on New Years Day 2022.

Buildup

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In October 2018, a timer appeared on Swedish House Mafia's official website which was set to end on October 22.[12][13] That day the group held a press conference which they revealed that a worldwide tour would occur the following year and their first stop would be Stockholm's Tele2 Arena. The one night event was upgraded to three the following week due to high demand.[7][8][14] In November, billboards located in Mexico City teased a show in the city, at the end of a second timer, the group announced they would play at Foro Sol on May 18.[15] At the end of the month, following another successive timer and billboards appearing in respective cities, Swedish House Mafia announced they would play Tinderbox, Stavernfestivalen, Frequency Festival, and Creamfields as part of their tour,[16] whilst February 2019 saw Ultra Europe, Ultra Korea, and Lollapalooza added to the list.[17] On April 10, 2019, it was announced that Swedish House Mafia would close the world's biggest EDM festival, Tomorrowland, during the summer of that year,[18] with the group also announcing a one-day residency, the preceding Friday, at Ibiza's Ushuaïa night club as part of their tour.[19][20][21] Two days before the opening show, pilots of Scandinavian Airlines when on strike over pay. This affected a higher estimated of 35,000 of the 120,000 attending the Tele2 Arena over the three days.[22][23] Despite this, 43,000 people attended the Tele2 Arena and watched their first show in since Ultra Miami 2018.

Two new IDs were played, supporting the promise of new music.[24][25][26][27][28] The first was their set opener, "It Gets Better".[29] In July 2021, a "radically revised version" of the track became the trio's first release since reuniting, and the first single off their album, Paradise Again.[30] The second, with the working title "Underneath it All", remains unreleased.[31][32][33] Until the group members Axwell released 2 songs "It Gets Better (2019 Version)" in November 2021 and "Underneath it All" in July 2022 via Dropbox[34][35]

Tour dates

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Date[36] City Country Venue Special guests Spectators
Europe
2 May 2019 Stockholm Sweden Tele2 Arena Vargas & Lagola,
Jarami[37]
115,000[38]
3 May 2019
4 May 2019
North America
18 May 2019 Mexico City Mexico Foro Sol Pauza,
Leon Leiden[39]
50,000
Asia
9 June 2019 Cancelled[40][41][42] Seoul South Korea Ultra Korea None
Europe
29 June 2019 Odense Denmark Tinderbox None 40,000
6 July 2019 Gdynia Poland Open'er Festival 50,000
12 July 2019 Stavern Norway Stavernfestivalen 40,000
14 July 2019 Split Croatia Ultra Europe 60,000
20 July 2019 Cancelled[43] Helsinki Finland Weekend Festival
26 July 2019 Ibiza Spain Ushuaïa ?
16 August 2019 St. Pölten Austria Frequency Festival ?
23 August 2019 Zürich Switzerland Open Air ?
25 August 2019 Daresbury United Kingdom Creamfields 80,000
7 September 2019 Berlin Germany Lollapalooza ?
Asia
20 September 2019 Singapore Singapore Grand Prix None 45,000

Setlist

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Swedish House Mafia's set as of their first show, at Stockholm's Tele2 Arena on May 2, 2019.[26][44]

  1. ID ("It Gets Better")
  2. "We Come, We Rave, We Love" / "Out of My Mind"
  3. "Jack U" / "555" / "Greyhound"
  4. "Dream Bigger"
  5. "Dark River" / "Sweet Disposition"
  6. "Laktos" / "Calling (Lose My Mind)"
  7. "For Sale" / "On My Way"
  8. "Leave the World Behind" / "Cobra"
  9. "Rushin'" / "Raise Your Hands" / "Flash" / "In the Air" (Axwell Remix)
  10. "Be" / "Show Me Love" / "Knas"
  11. "Teasing Mr Charlie" / "How Do You Feel Right Now"
  12. ID ("Underneath It All")
  13. "Miami 2 Ibiza" (Intro Edit) / "How Do You Feel Right Now"
  14. "Resurrection" (Axwell Mix) / "Something New"
  15. "This Time"
  16. "Antidote" / "Antidote" (Salvatore Ganacci Remix)
  17. "Payback" / "Dreamer" / "Love Inc" / "In My Mind" (Axwell Mix)
  18. "Barricade"
  19. "More Than You Know"
  20. "Remember"
  21. "Heart is King" / "Reload" / "Tell Me Why"
  22. "The Island Pt. 1" (Steve Angello, AN21, & Max Vangeli Remix)
  23. "One" / "One Symphony"
  24. "Can't Hold Us Down"
  25. "Stairway to Heaven" / "Don't You Worry Child" / "Sun Is Shining"
  26. "Save the World" (NC Edit) / "Save the World"

The same setlist was also used during the show at Foro Sol, Mexico City, and remained similar throughout the tour.[45]

Alternate Setlists
  • A new reworked version of "For Sale" was premiered at Open'er Festival on July 6.[46]
  • Swedish House Mafia debuted a new track featuring A$AP Rocky, titled "Frankenstein", during their Ultra Europe performance. The song was then released on Paradise Again.[47]

Critical reception

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In an article about the first two shows at the Tele2 Arena, British EDM and Clubbing magazine Mixmag described the "long-awaited" reunion as a "historic comeback show" and that "Swedish House Mafia's climactic return to dance music" "[brought] nostalgia" to the "tens of thousands of people" who watched a show with good balance of promised new music and "many of the classics". The reunion was met with "deafening cheers" from the fans.[48]

The show at Foro Sol was described by fellow EDM magazine Groove Cartel, as "another great show of the monumental tour",[45] and EDM.com describing it as a "jaw-dropping production".[49]

Following their performance at Open'er Festival, Swedish House Mafia received criticism for their tour; with EDM magazine Your EDM saying the tour relied too much on nostalgia for ticket sales as supposed to anything new. The magazine however praised the show saying the "epic" performance was "as sweet as ever".[50]

The highly anticipated Creamfields performance was sold out to an 80,000 strong crowd. However the show was overshadowed by another "mystery date"—typical of the tour. The date was scheduled for 6 September, the day before Lollapalooza, where they are to perform. The leading hypothesis is that the date is the day where new music is to be released in accordance with Pop culture's "NewMusicFriday".[51][52][53] However the date turned out to be a give away for 33 life time passes to all future Swedish House Mafia shows.[54]

The tour ended with Swedish House Mafia opening the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix to a crowd of 45,000 people. The show was typical of their open air performances throughout the tour with a show dominated by pyrotechnics and lasers. The show, being their first in Asia since One Last Tour, was full of their usual hits with Axwell describing the crowd as "the best in Asia".[55]

Controversies

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Cancellation rumours

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Following the cancellation of their set at Ultra Korea, it was reported that most of the rest of the tour could be cancelled. The reasoning for this was due to a new deal that Swedish House Mafia had signed with Live Nation Entertainment; one of the clauses of new deal would allegedly prevent the group from playing any future shows which did not benefit Live Nation. However the new deal would supposedly enable Swedish House Mafia to undergo a full stadium tour later in the year, allowing for their own production and advertisement.[56][57][58][59] However Steve Angello was quick to suggest that these reports were all fake.[60][61]

Merchandise

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The official tour merchandise sales came into question when new merchandise was released following Open'er Festival. The new items were criticised for their closer resemblance to that of an 80's metal band rather than anything electronic. This lead many to claim that the merchandise was simply a way of generating money rather that to act as a memento to the tour.[62][63]

Stage damage

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The finale of the group's Creamfields performance contained a large pyrotechnics display. Following the end of the festival it was claimed by a member of the festival's social media group that the display caused around £4,000,000 in damage to the Arc Stage. However, the true cause of the damage is yet to be determined.[64][65][66]

Tomorrowland

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Although not a scheduled tour date there were many rumours that Swedish House Mafia would close Tomorrowland 2019, especially after Steve Angello claimed in the Autumn of the previous year that the group would play at the festival "by any means necessary".[67][68] As the festival drew closer no official announcement was made but the evidence suggesting a surprise performance grew even stronger with the group's signature "three dots" appearing on the Tomorrowland lineup.[69][70] However the "three dots" were announced last minute to be for 3 Are Legend (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Steve Aoki) leading many fans to believe that Swedish House Mafia cancelled last minute as they did with Ultra Korea and Weekend Festival. Despite this Axwell and Steve Angello both claim that the group never was booked for the festival.[71][72] Despite this, British trance DJ Gareth Emery claimed that the group were to play the show in a statement about his Tomorrowland set, with him suggesting a disagreement over stage design was the reason for their supposed cancellation.[73][74]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Swedish House Mafia officially reunite at Ultra Music Festival". mixmag.net.
  2. ^ "Swedish House Mafia Reunite at Ultra 2018". Billboard. 26 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Axwell & Ingrosso Tease Swedish House Mafia New York Show in 2019 | Billboard". Billboard. May 29, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-05-29.
  4. ^ "Axwell Λ Ingrosso seem to confirm a Swedish House Mafia 2019 tour to a crowd in NYC [WATCH] : Dancing Astronaut". May 29, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-05-29.
  5. ^ "Steve Angello confirms a Swedish House Mafia tour "is happening"". mixmag.net.
  6. ^ "Axwell ^ Ingrosso are going on hiatus to focus on Swedish House Mafia in 2019". August 22, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Swedish House Mafia Hold Official Press Conference, Announce New Music And New Tour Information [Translated]". October 22, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Swedish House Mafia are making a comeback". BBC News. October 22, 2018.
  9. ^ "Swedish House Mafia announce first tour date of 2019, confirm new music is coming". DJMag.com. October 22, 2018.
  10. ^ "Swedish House Mafia to premiere orchestral rework of classic hit, 'One'". DJMag.com. April 23, 2019.
  11. ^ "A new remix of Swedish House Mafia One will be premiered during Tele2 Arena show". April 22, 2019.
  12. ^ "Swedish House Mafia tease big announcement with a countdown timer on website". DJMag.com. October 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "BREAKING: Swedish House Mafia Website Starts Countdown Timer - Here's What We Know". Your EDM. October 17, 2018.
  14. ^ "How to get tickets for Swedish House Mafia's reunion show". Evening Standard. October 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Swedish House Mafia confirm Mexico City performance in May 2019". Dancing Astronaut. November 8, 2018.
  16. ^ Mafia, Swedish House (November 28, 2018). "We missed you guys".
  17. ^ Cameron, John. "Swedish House Mafia Confirmed for Lollapalooza Berlin, Hint at L.A. Show". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists.
  18. ^ Gable, Jake (April 10, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Swedish House Mafia WILL headline Tomorrowland this summer".
  19. ^ "Swedish House Mafia performs at Ushuaïa Ibiza". Ibiza Spotlight.
  20. ^ "Swedish House Mafia return to Ushuaïa Ibiza this summer". mixmag.net.
  21. ^ [1] [dead link]
  22. ^ "Swedish House Mafia reunion shows in turmoil due to Swedish pilot strike". DJMag.com. May 1, 2019.
  23. ^ Staff, EDM com (30 April 2019). "SAS Pilot Strike May Keep Thousands from Seeing Swedish House Mafia". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists.
  24. ^ Meadow, Matthew (May 2, 2019). "See Swedish House Mafia's First Set Since Their Reunion At Ultra 2018 [FULL SET]".
  25. ^ "Swedish House Mafia's reunion officially commences in Stockholm, relive the full performance". Dancing Astronaut. May 2, 2019.
  26. ^ a b "Swedish House Mafia Played Multiple New Tracks In Stockholm". May 3, 2019.
  27. ^ "Watch Swedish House Mafia's First Show of 2019 at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm | EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists". edm.com. 3 May 2019.
  28. ^ "[Watch] Swedish House Mafia's Full Stockholm Day 1 Set + Photos". May 3, 2019.
  29. ^ "Swedish House Mafia's New Intro Track Finally Has A Title". Your EDM. July 11, 2019.
  30. ^ "Swedish House Mafia Returns: In Stockholm With the Dance Music Legends". Billboard. July 15, 2019.
  31. ^ "Swedish House Mafia debut new track, 'Underneath It All' at reunion gig: Watch". DJMag.com. May 7, 2019.
  32. ^ "New Swedish House Mafia is on its way—watch the trio drop new ID in Stockholm". Dancing Astronaut. May 6, 2019.
  33. ^ "Watch Swedish House Mafia debut their new song 'Underneath It All'". mixmag.net.
  34. ^ Bakhtaoui, Mohammed (4 November 2021). "Axwell Shares the 2019 Version of Swedish House Mafia's 'It Gets Better'". EDMTunes.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Axwell leaks Swedish House Mafia 'Underneath It All' via Dropbox". The Groove Cartel. July 24, 2022.
  36. ^ "Swedish House Mafia's 2019 Tour Schedule: See the Dates". www.billboard.com. 10 January 2019.
  37. ^ "Swedish House Mafia confirms special guests for Stockholm event". April 26, 2019.
  38. ^ "The Swedish House Mafia Stockholm reunion in photos". May 8, 2019.
  39. ^ "These are the artists that will open Swedish House Mafia concert in Mexico City". May 17, 2019.
  40. ^ "Swedish House Mafia Cancel Ultra Korea Set on the Day of the Event | EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists". edm.com. 9 June 2019.
  41. ^ "Swedish House Mafia forced to cancel UMF Korea hours before performance". Dancing Astronaut. June 9, 2019.
  42. ^ "Swedish House Mafia forced to cancel Ultra Korea show". June 10, 2019.
  43. ^ "BREAKING: Swedish House Mafia Cancel Yet Another Festival Appearance". Your EDM. July 19, 2019.
  44. ^ "[LIVE] Watch Swedish House Mafia historic reunion show in Stockholm". May 2, 2019.
  45. ^ a b Cartel·NewsParties·May 19, Groove; Read, 2019·1 Min (May 19, 2019). "Watch Swedish House Mafia concert in Mexico City".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ "Listen the new 2019 version of Buy Now - For Sale (Angello and Ingrosso) dropped yesterday by SHM". July 7, 2019.
  47. ^ also, See (July 15, 2019). "Swedish House Mafia 'Frankenstein' ft. A$AP Rocky Ultra Europe" – via thegroovecartel.com.
  48. ^ "Review: Swedish House Mafia reunion show live in Stockholm". Mixmag.
  49. ^ Stone, Katie (22 May 2019). "Watch the Epic Mexico City Performance By Swedish House Mafia". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists.
  50. ^ "WATCH: Someone Filmed Swedish House Mafia's Entire New Set & It's Insane". July 7, 2019.
  51. ^ "Watch Swedish House Mafia at Creamfields UK 2019 [Full set]". August 26, 2019 – via thegroovecartel.com.
  52. ^ "Are Swedish House Mafia Releasing New Music Next Week?". August 26, 2019.
  53. ^ Yopko, Nick (26 August 2019). "Swedish House Mafia Tease Something Coming Next Week". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists.
  54. ^ Thompson, Ian (September 6, 2019). "Swedish House Mafia Reveal Creamfields Tease is Lifetime Pass".
  55. ^ "F1 Singapore: Swedish House Mafia make triumphant return with first reunion show in Asia". The Straits Times. September 21, 2019.
  56. ^ Germany, DJ MAG. "Exklusiv: Swedish House Mafia wird mehrere Festival-Auftritte absagen". www.djmag.de.
  57. ^ "REPORT: Swedish House Mafia May Cancel Multiple Festival Sets Over New Deal". June 11, 2019.
  58. ^ Mullins, Ellie (June 11, 2019). "Rumours circulate over possible Swedish House Mafia cancellations".
  59. ^ "Swedish House Mafia may reportedly cancel upcoming festival appearances after inking a deal with Live Nation". Dancing Astronaut. June 12, 2019.
  60. ^ "Steve Angello Responds To Report That Swedish House Mafia Is Cancelling Sets". Your EDM. June 13, 2019.
  61. ^ Tai, Farra (June 14, 2019). "Steve Angello Responds to SHM Rumors". Edmtunes.
  62. ^ "Swedish House Mafia Finally Release Something New, But Fans Are Trashing It HARD". Your EDM. July 8, 2019.
  63. ^ "Swedish House Mafia Release New Merch Line and Fans Are Not Into It". July 6, 2019.
  64. ^ "REPORT: Swedish House Mafia's Custom Pyro Allegedly Inflicts $4.4 Million of Damage To Festival". August 28, 2019.
  65. ^ "Swedish House Mafia pyro at Creamfields caused £4M in damage. But is it true?". August 30, 2019.
  66. ^ "Swedish House Mafia's pyrotechnics at Creamfields caused millions in damages". mixmag.net.
  67. ^ "Swedish House Mafia are working on new music, Steve Angello confirms". DJMag.com. August 16, 2018.
  68. ^ "Swedish House Mafia to perform in Mexico in 2019, Steve Angello confirms". DJMag.com. October 16, 2018.
  69. ^ Sunkel, Cameron (18 June 2019). "Evidence of Swedish House Mafia at Tomorrowland 2019 Continues to Stack Up". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists.
  70. ^ "Tomorrowland secret headliner teaser prompts Swedish House Mafia rumours". DJMag.com. June 19, 2019.
  71. ^ "REPORT: Steve Angello Insists Swedish House Mafia Was Never Booked for Tomorrowland". Your EDM. July 28, 2019.
  72. ^ "Axwell Addresses Recent Swedish House Mafia Cancellations - "We Had A Reason"". July 27, 2019.
  73. ^ Tomasso, Sol Di (August 1, 2019). "Swedish House Mafia Canceled Tomorrowland, Gareth Emery Confirms".
  74. ^ "One of Tomorrowland's Headliners Says Swedish House Mafia Were 100% Booked for the Fest". Your EDM. August 1, 2019.