The return of the modern Olympic games to Athens in 2004 was a historic homecoming for the spirit of human endeavour and excellence, in the cradle of western civilisation. And who else would you choose to soundtrack this occasion than Tijs Michiel Verwest, aka trance hyperstar Tiësto. Superstar DJs such as Sasha and Paul Van Dyk had seen their stars rise in the late 1990s, and then burn up on re-entry after the millennium. From Holland emerged Tiësto, a nuclear version of the same: he would soon become more popular than his predecessors combined.
He was on his way already by 2004 (he won DJ Magazine's DJ of the year award three years in a row, 2002–04), but this was the gig that sent Tiësto into orbit. The first and only DJ to perform at an Olympic opening ceremony, he was asked to play a 90-minute set in the Olympic Stadium as 10,000 athletes paraded, extravagant mythical scenes were played out and the torch was lit, to a global TV audience of billions. His compositions for the ceremony made Chariots of Fire look timid and emotionally reserved – exactly what the organisers were after.