So, Avicii has thrown in the towel.
After a flashing, frantic, decadent half-decade on the road, the EDM superstar otherwise known as Tim Bergling has announced his retirement from touring, in a heartfelt open letter. He is aged 26.
Perhaps the only silver lining, for fans, is that now they have a chance to see one of the DJ’s “historic” final shows. The Swede has tactfully promised to play out the remainder of his 2016 tour, some 23 dates which will keep him on active duty until August.
The countdown begins in Dubai, where Avicii performs on Friday (April 1).
But in so many ways, those fans really could — perhaps should — have seen it coming.
Firstly, it's no great secret that he never much liked touring in the first place. The famous 2013 GQ portrait laid bare Bergling's continued pre-show anxieties, contempt for the VIP party circuit, and an existential sense that he's kind of fooling everybody from behind the decks ("It feels so awkward," he says). When I spoke to him a few weeks ago, a sense of artistic malaise certainly seemed apparent.
On top of these mental strains — which Avicii fought so bravely for the good of his fans — there have been well-documented physical ones, too.
Renowned for his high-partying lifestyle, Bergling has become equally known for cancelling gigs amid health concerns. The list is long: In 2012, Avicii was hospitalised for 11 days with acute pancreatitis. In March 2014 he axed a string of dates — including Dubai and a high-profile Ultra Music Festival slot — to undergo emergency gall bladder surgery. In September 2014 he cleared his calendar until the end of the year, axing another string of headline gigs. Almost exactly a year later, he again cancelled six huge 2015 shows.
All reasons he’s reportedly toned it down in recent months — “resetting a lot of touring and life routines”, he told me — but it seems that wasn’t enough. To get better — mentally, physically — Avicii clearly has to step away from the road altogether.
It won't be a huge financial compromise. As I wrote earlier this week, "Avicii has it all — success, fame, talent, money ..."– a total of $75 million [Dh275 million] to be precise, making him the third richest DJ in the world (if he'd cancelled a few less shows, he might even be on top). Bergling has earned quite enough in the past five years to live on more than comfortably for several millennia.
So why even bother? He’s got more money than most of us could ever comprehend — more, even, than he could realistically spend — and touring is, quite frankly, a drag to the poor guy. Who can really blame Bergling for bowing out when he’s on top?
• Avicii is live at Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday, April 1 from 9pm. Tickets start at Dh395 from www.platinumlist.ae
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Sour%20Grapes
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