Oliver Heldens paid an emotional tribute to Avicii during his opening set on Tomorrowland’s Mainstage yesterday, playing the Swedish D/producer’s 2011 track, ‘Levels’. 

In a touching moment later posted to Instagram, the Dutch DJ could be seen tearing up as the track’s iconic melody blasts out.

Avicii died by suicide in April 2018, aged 28. His death shook the dance music world, triggering much-needed conversations around mental health within the industry. His family went on to establish the Tim Bergling Foundation, which provides support for mental health and causes close to Avicii’s heart.

Taking to Instagram to pay his respects, Heldens wrote, “Got a bit emotional yesterday playing Avicii ‘Levels’ at Tomorrowland. I had the honour to open the festival with a special 2.5-hour daybreak set and personally when I think of Tomorrowland, I also think of Avicii, so I had to include him in this set. 

“Maybe it’s also the lack of sleep and the heat, but the moment that the iconic ‘Levels’ melody first hit, I just couldn’t hold back the tears. It’s been more than six years now that we lost Tim, but I know he’ll live on in so many of our hearts. Rest in Peace Tim, and much love to all of you.”

Heldens went on to reminisce about how Avicii helped his own career when he was just starting out. 

“Just realised it’s more than 10 years ago that Avicii gave me the opportunity to play in front of a massive crowd for the first time when he invited me as his support act in February 2014 at his shows in Belgium and NL, and I’ll forever be grateful for those experiences!” he said in a comment on the post.

“I had just turned 19 back then and I remember it gave me so much confidence after playing my kind of style back then for such big audiences, ’cause at that time I had no idea yet if it was going to work well. Crazy how many things happened since then! Thanks again Tim.”

Fellow Dutchman Hardwell also paid tribute to Avicii during his EDM classics set on Tomorrowland’s Freedom stage yesterday, taking to the mic to dedicate the W&W remix of ‘Levels’ to the late, great Swede.

In June, a video of Avicii’s last-ever Swedish performance, recorded in 2016, was made available to watch online.

Oliver Heldens and Becky Hill recently joined DJ Mag to share the story behind their chart-topping track, ‘Gecko (Overdrive)’, which turned 10 this year.

DJ Mag is reporting live from Tomorrowland all weekend to celebrate 20 years of the World’s No. 1 festival. Follow #DJMagTomorrowland on Instagram for backstage interviews, photos and more.