How 2 randos opened for Shaq at Outside Lands

Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal — aka DJ Diesel — was running late to his Outside Lands set. He had a decent excuse (“Sorry I’m late, I was chilling with Steph Curry and Draymond Green,” he told the crowd when he finally showed up), but the NBA legend’s tardiness was creating a backstage panic as hoards of festivalgoers made their way to the Twin Peaks Stage. Even more people were coming to the set than expected because the SOMA Tent was shut down. What were festival organizers supposed to do with thousands of rowdy fans?

Apparently, ask two randos to take the stage.

Ryan Laehy and Christian Franco, friends and recent college graduates, happened to be those lucky randos. Laehy and Franco, who spoke to SFGATE on Thursday, had scored VIP passes for the festival, but never in their wildest dreams did they think they’d be performing for a small city’s worth of people.

While backstage before Shaq’s set, Laehy and Franco overheard a touring manager say O’Neal was running late and that they’d need someone to keep the crowd entertained. Without a clear backup option, the touring manager got creative.

“Eventually, he comes up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey bro, do you have a USB? … All right, you’re playing Twin Peaks right now,’” Laehy said in an interview with College Weekly. 

With barely over a minute to prepare, Laehy and Franco took the stage to raucous, but puzzled, cheers. Blessed with an opportunity that seemed out of a Hollywood script, the duo said they pulled from experiences DJing in their garage so as not to become overwhelmed by the moment.

“Let’s go back-to-back and treat it like we’ve done before.” Laehy recalled telling Franco. “And basically from there we just plugged in my USB, pressed play and got the crowd going. And I guess the rest is history.” 

The duo ended up staying on stage for about 15 minutes before Shaq finally showed up and took over. Laehy and Franco’s set featured a heavy dose of EDM bangers, which isn’t surprising given they started DJing together while undergraduates at the University of Arizona. So wild was the experience that Laehy and Franco didn’t even realize they were being broadcast on the big screen for the entire festival to see.

The friends’ literal 15 minutes of fame did not go unnoticed. They kept getting recognized for the rest of their time at the festival. 

“At one point Ryan goes into the crowd just to enjoy himself and there were people like, ‘Oh, you’re the DJ, what are you doing here?’” said Franco. 

After the show, Shaq thanked Laehy and Franco for stepping up, albeit in a backhanded manner.

“Not really what I play but thanks for holding it down,” DJ Diesel replied on Laehy’s Instagram post about the set.

Neither Franco or Laehy are DJ novices, but they’re far from full-time professionals. Franco is part of DJ group MOVEE ON and has performed in clubs and at parties, but nothing on the scale of the Twin Peaks stage. Laehy said he had never DJed outside of house parties until last Friday.

Years earlier, Franco had to learn the hard way when it came to always having a USB stick containing music with him. He’d experienced a similar situation while at a party hosted by former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski when he was asked to perform impromptu but did not have his music with him. He’s carried a USB with him ever since, but hadn’t had a chance to use it until Outside Lands.

The two friends hope their Outside Lands exposure can supercharge their DJ careers. A connection to one of the most recognizable sports celebrities in the world can’t hurt. Laehy and Franco have just a few thousand Instagram followers combined. Shaq, in comparison, has 32 million.

“Everyone dreams of getting that opportunity where you go viral a little bit, so we want to use this as our launch pad,” said Franco.