‘It’s a big puzzle:’ How the 2026-27 Blues’ warm-up mix was made

Picture this: You are taking your seat inside Enterprise Center this season. You sit with your St. Louis Blues gear on and concessions in hand as your favorite players take the ice for warm-ups. Music echoes throughout the arena, building excitement among fans and getting the players engaged as well.

In past years, as the designated locker room DJ, Blues forward Jake Neighbours has had a heavy hand in crafting the warm-up mix with pieces passed down from former players. This season, however, the Blues are taking a more deliberate and collaborative approach to the playlist, bringing together input from the roster and in-arena DJ Jason Lopez, aka DJ Deks (@DJDeks). 

After returning from their respective offseasons, each Blues player had two decisions to make: what their warm-up song and shootout song will be for the 2026-27 season. Once he received the players’ picks, DJ Deks condensed them into a 16-minute mix.

“We usually play super hype stuff, but you only have a quick second of that, so it’s helpful to know what they’re looking to get that gives them their energy to go out there and get game-ready,” he said.

DJ Deks said that players sometimes create playlists to suggest their own music, which prompts him to make additions or subtractions to the warm-up mix. He added that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a popular choice for players in previous years, however, the mix generally stays within high-energy genres such as EDM and hip-hop.

Tailoring these music selections is a collaborative process and one that is adjusted throughout the year. DJ Deks said that Neighbours is a “music guy” and someone he communicates with regularly when organizing the season mix.  

“He knows country, rock, EDM, hip hop. And he likes all of it and appreciates all of it, so all the songs kind of come through him and then come to us and then we just go back and forth… Jake is usually the guy,” he said.

This season’s rendition includes artists like John Summit, AC/DC, Imagine Dragons, Eminem, Drake, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more. 

“It’s a big puzzle of genres and energy because some songs give different people energy,” DJ Deks said. “So trying to put that all together and have one finished product, it’s like a big mega mix – the story that I’m trying to tell for them through music.”