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Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon landed a performance slot along music megastars at this summer Lollapalooza festival — despite what professionals reportedly described as middling skills as a DJ.
Solomon, who regularly performs as DJ D-Sol, will appear during the festival’s run from July 28-31 at Chicago’s Grant Park. Attendees will plunk down anywhere from $350 to more than $4,000 to see Solomon alongside well-known acts such as Dua Lipa and Machine Gun Kelly.
The Lollapalooza gig is arguably Solomon’s biggest to date – and raised questions about whether the part-time DJ has the chops to land such a choice spot on his own musical merits.
“As a subscriber to the Giant Vampire Squid view of Goldman Sachs I find Lollapalooza’s booking of him an ironic [elitist] gesture in poor taste,” said Matt Black, a member of the English EDM duo Coldcut told The Financial Times, which polled the world’s top 50 DJs to weigh in. “There are many good hungry DJs around who could use that spot.”
Joel Clements, identified as a four-time DMC World DJ Champion, gave a similar view of Solomon’s appearance in an interview with the FT.
“I think the real question is why is he getting booked?” said Clements. “I can’t help but think that for every set Solomon plays, an opportunity is being denied for someone else.”
Clements added that Lollapalooza’s booking of Solomon “feels like a PR campaign to make [Goldman] more palatable to a younger generation.”
The FT also attempted to gauge Solomon’s actual ability as a DJ by submitting his mixes to experts for a listening test – without any branding or indication that the Goldman boss had crafted them.
One of the reviews was less than flattering.
“To my mind, being brutal about it, this cheeseball needs to do a few more bar gigs to learn how to build a set better and gain a deeper knowledge of dance music — not just plump for obvious, commercial, accessible tracks,” Carl Loben, editor-in-chief of DJ Mag, told the FT.
Two others were a bit nicer – with Colluded Talent management exec Andy Raeside, who said one of Solomon’s mixes had “lots of energy and has a nice groove” with “transitions and timings [that] are pretty spot on.”
Former Mixmag magazine editor Duncan Dick described Solomon’s mixes as “cheerfully competent and inoffensive.”
Goldman Sachs reps did not immediately return a request for comment.
Solomon’s side hustle seems to have gathered some steam in recent months. He had a headlining gig at a star-studded Sports Illustrated Super Bowl party last February that billionaire Jeff Bezos purportedly attended.
He’s also played sets at New York City venues such as the Hammerstein Ballroom and clubs like Up & Down and Libation.
In a podcast appearance last December, Solomon said DJing “helps him relax.”
“I have this analytical side of my mind that helps me with my biz professional career,” Solomon told “The Sound of Success with Nic Harcourt”. “But I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to stimulate the artistic creative side of my brain and it makes me feel good.”
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