A&E

Swedish House Mafia is drawn back to Las Vegas for a Wynn residency

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Swedish House Mafia
Alexander Wessely / Courtesy

It looked like it was going to happen in 2019. When Wynn Nightlife began to unveil its roster of resident DJs early that year, two of the first names revealed were Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso—two-thirds of the EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia, which had reunited a year earlier to play Ultra Miami and launch its Save the World tour.

It seemed like only a matter of time before Axel “Axwell” Hedfors would complete the circle with his own Wynn residency, and there was heavy hinting on social media. While we waited, Angello and Ingrosso teamed for duo sets at XS Nightclub as part of the Strip megaclub’s yearlong 10th-anniversary celebration.

The pandemic paused Swedish House Mafia’s extended comeback plans and hopes for a full Vegas reunion, but the group soldiered ahead, signing with Republic Records and making plans to release studio album Paradise Again. They told their story in a Billboard cover feature in July 2021, then captivated longtime fans and made some new ones this year while teaming with The Weeknd to fill Kanye West’s vacated Coachella headlining slot in April, the same week SHM’s album dropped.

Now the trio is literally coming to Paradise, signing up for a two-year Las Vegas Strip residency at Wynn that begins on August 20 at XS. The next date is September 3, the night after SHM’s tour lands at T-Mobile Arena.

“They’re all powerhouses in their own right, so having them together is obviously something any nightclub operator would always love to have,” says Ryan Jones, assistant vice president at Wynn Nightlife.

Individually, each artist has had great success with gigs at various Vegas clubs, including those at Wynn. But bringing all three together feels bigger.

“I think there’s just a nostalgic feeling to Swedish House Mafia. They had so many hits and made so much great music for a long period of time,” Jones says. “And the second part is just availability. They haven’t played together in a nightclub [in a long time], and it’s not something that’s ever happened here in Vegas.”

XS—which also just announced a September 17 performance by Calvin Harris, his first appearance there in more than a decade—will be adding special production elements to each SHM show “to make sure the band is highlighted as much as possible,” Jones says.

Further heightening anticipation for the opening residency show is the fact that The Weeknd, who collaborated on Paradise Again anthem “Moth to a Flame,” will bring his After Hours Til Dawn Tour to Allegiant Stadium the very same night. Might we see a resurrection of that Coachella performance onstage at XS?

“They have a great relationship,” Jones says. “Is there a possibility of something happening that weekend? There’s a possibility of something like that any weekend at XS and Encore Beach Club. People pop up all the time. If he wants to come over, he’s more than welcome.”

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA August 20, 11 p.m., $35-$60+. XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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