Now that the NBA season is over, Shaquille O’Neal can shift his focus to his true love: music. The Hall of Famer spends his summers touring as DJ Diesel, as he’s shifted his focus away from hip-hop, when he was once a platinum selling artist, to EDM and house music, previously explaining that he just loves the energy of those crowds.
Shaq will do it all, from hitting the festival circuit to a Las Vegas residency at Encore Beach Club to performances at MLB stadiums after games. His most recent stop came on Saturday night in Cleveland, where he was at Blue Jays-Guardians and performed on the field for fans after the Guards picked up a 6-3 win to improve to 46-26 on the season.
The vibes are incredibly high for the Guards right now, and that only continued with DJ Diesel hopping on the 1s and 2s and bringing out some special guests from the clubhouse, as Cleveland pitcher Triston McKenzie (and a number of ofther Guardians players) joined Shaq on stage and performed “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson to the delight of the fans.
File this under things I didn’t know I absolutely needed to witness:
Triston McKenzie sings Kelly Clarkson while jamming with Shaq in front of a crowded ballpark.
What is that sentence? pic.twitter.com/WxPPNtYDYT
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) June 22, 2024
Triston McKenzie singing Kelly Clarkson on stage with Shaquille O'Neal performing as DJ Diesel after a #Guardians win at Progressive Field. pic.twitter.com/U4H5vfTGfS
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) June 23, 2024
The 2024 Cleveland Guardians, everyone
I love this baseball team with my entire heart pic.twitter.com/yTLFQCXi6I
— Bryce wants YOU to #VoteGuards (@mlbeuphoria) June 23, 2024
First off, this is a reminder that “Since U Been Gone” is 20 years old and is still an absolute banger. Kelly Clarkson was really in her bag with that one. Secondly, DJ Diesel knows what the people want, which is a Kelly Clarkson interlude before going right back into some EDM. A true showman, through and through, who absolutely knows how to work a crowd — he hyped up the Guards as a World Series contender during his set as well.