The DJ talks about his new Fontainebleau show, the growth of dance music, and the popular singer he's reuniting with

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David Guetta is heading back to Vegas.

After first teasing a new residency at Fontainebleau Las Vegas last year, the DJ and producer has officially announced dates for his exclusive run, which will also include a few shows at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Both set of shows will take place inside LIV, the popular nightclub owned by David Grutman’s Groot Hospitality.

Guetta’s Fontainebleau residency kicks off with a performance at LIV Miami Beach on March 21, followed by 13 performances at LIV Las Vegas and LIV Beach spread out from March through November. Tickets and hotel packages are now available online.

The residency marks Guetta’s big return to Vegas, where he has played on and off for the better part of two decades, and it will be the only place to see the Grammy-winning DJ in North America this year. Fontainebleau will be constructing a new stage and expanding the footprint of LIV and LIV Beach for the DJ’s new show.

Guetta tells Rolling Stone he’s excited to play in Sin City, where he’s watch the music scene evolve and grow over the years.

“I’ve been going to Vegas for 16 or 17 years, and it’s funny, because the first time I went there, I hated it,” Guetta admits. “There was no musical culture. But I’ve really witnessed the power of Vegas,” he says. “They decided that they wanted to push that culture and they went from zero — where really I had the worst experience — to having a real crowd that understands music and understands DJs.”

Rolling Stone caught up with Guetta to chat about his new Las Vegas show, the recent growth of dance music, and the frequent collaborator he’s excited to reunite with.

It’s exciting to take on a new challenge, and when I saw the Fontainebleau, I was very impressed. The resort has only been open since last season, but very early on, they came with really fresh bookings, like Dom Dolla or John Summit, and it’s one of the reasons that made me want to go there, because I felt like, ‘Okay, it’s a new place, a new club, with new names; it’s cool.”

Plus I’m playing a pool party in Vegas where things get crazy. There’s no place on the planet where at 3 p.m. I can see 10,000 people partying like there’s no tomorrow, and dressed in bathing suits. It’s really unique and a lot of fun.

In the beginning, I felt like the people didn’t understand DJ culture. I felt like I was playing for a very pop crowd that didn’t appreciate [my music] and I didn’t feel very free to play what I wanted to play. But with each year, it became better and better. And I’m not sure how, but I remember a few years ago, industry people were saying that entertainment had become the biggest income [driver] of Vegas, even before gambling. And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.’ I’ve seen the development of dance music and it’s become so big and so fun.

It’s true, but it really feels like a construction, you know? It was really impressive to see people in Vegas go, ‘Okay, we’re going to get this DJ market and we’re going to invest the money to make it happen.’ And they did. And for me, it was a little bit strange at the beginning, because people that used to organize illegal raves became promoters and stopped doing drugs and became festival organizers or club owners. I never thought they could do it, and they did, and honestly, it was very impressive.

And this is why the challenge of going to Fontainebleau is also very exciting, because I love building an event like this, where every week the set changes, and you have word of mouth and all the locals are coming and bringing the vibe [along] with the promoters and tourists.

It’s interesting because we had a long run where dance music was everywhere, and then I think there was a moment that the trend went a lot to hip-hop. Let’s just say we kind of went back to focusing on the real DJ fans and maybe not so much the mainstream [crowd]. And now I feel like it’s shifting again. In all the party places like Mykonos, Dubai, St-Tropez, Ibiza, Vegas, the DJs are playing house music, and underground dance music has became so massive. Just look in Vegas, and what happened with Anyma at the Sphere — I think it was very interesting.

Of course I would. I’m good friends with Anyma. I was very, very happy for him. I think it was a turning point, honestly, in our culture.

My experience is that when there’s economic crisis, dance music always does well, because people need to forget their problems and let go, and they don’t want something that makes them feel even lower. I think dance music is bringing everyone together, and it’s non-judgmental, and you can just let your problems out in the club and let go of everything, and I think people need that right now for sure.

When there’s economic crisis, dance music always does well, because people need to forget their problems and let go

Probably one of my biggest hits was when I produced “I Got a Feeling” for the Black Eyed Peas. And I’ve learned so much from that, because it was the financial crisis in 2008 and right out of it we came with “I Got a Feeling” [in 2009]. And it felt so anachronic, because it was so simple and nice and feel good when everyone was so down, but then it was one of the biggest records of my career. In the same way, when Covid came, I did “I’m Good” with Bebe Rexha. I think when things are bad you don’t want to speak about how everything is dark. It’s actually the other way around.

I just love what I’m doing. And it’s sometimes a little bit hard on my family, because they say exactly what you’re saying: ‘Do you need to do this anymore?’ (laughs). But I love what I do and it makes me so happy. So it’s funny, because when I met my wife, I told her, ‘Oh, when I’m 50, I’m going to retire.’ And then I said, ’55,’ and it’s not happening. But why would I stop something that makes me happy?

I just made two records with Sia. We are back to working together. And you know, I had a full cycle of interpolations and sampling, but now I’m back to composition, and we have two records with Sia — one that is very pop and one that is more like dance music. So I’m very excited about both of them.

The more beautiful pop music one is hers, and the more dance music track is mine.

This is the best compliment, because this is really what I’m trying to do always. I’m trying to capture what’s cool and up-and-coming and I love going to underground parties but I’m trying to capture that vibe with real music and real songs that are timeless; they can be played on the piano, and it would still be a great song. A lot of the dance music is more production-based, which is cool, but it doesn’t necessarily stay for years, because then it’s another trend and another sound, you know? So I’m trying to combine both, and then when I do my shows, I can play some new stuff and play some some classics, and they still feel amazing.