In February 2016, Paul van Dyk fell 10 meters off the stage at A State Of Trance 750, sustaining a concussion and cracked vertebra in his back. The recovery took a speedy three months, during which time van Dyk underwent physical therapy and surgery for his injury.
Armin van Buuren, founder of Armada Records and A State Of Trance, said that the moment was one of the toughest of his career, having to see van Dyk fall off his stage and worry for his safety while moving quickly to shut down the stage. However, during a very open discussion at Amsterdam Dance Event this year, van Dyk paints a different picture of the aftermath.
“Up to this point, none of these guys involved picked up the phone to call me and ask me how I am,” he said.
He says that he has no memory of the incident itself, and was present at the talk to promote safety at events.
“That’s one of the reasons why I am here,” he said. “I want everyone involved in some way in production and booking to shine a light on the safety of their events.”
By the tone described by Mixmag, it seems unlikely that van Dyk would play another ASOT event without an apology from the organizers.
“If you come to my house and slip and break an arm, I will call you and see how you are doing,” he said. “But with these guys, no way, it goes to tell you about the characters of the people involved.”
via Mixmag | Photo via Marc van der Aa for Insomniac