Steve Aoki and Mayor Garcetti host 'LAoki' in downtown Los Angeles

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- DJ Steve Aoki took over downtown Los Angeles for a sold-out, one-of-a-kind concert Saturday night.

"This is the most epic monumental show of my life, I mean, the heart of the city on the streets of downtown L.A.," Aoki said. "This is where my career broke, this is where all the major things in my life has happened."

Broadway was shut down from 4th to 6th streets and the two city blocks were filled with 8,000 fans.

Aoki teamed up with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to promote his new album, "Neon Future II," and the city he loves. Dubbed "LAoki", tickets were only available to fans who signed up for information about the mayor's Volunteer Corps.

"I think it's pretty cool that he's doing it for the city, helping the city out and working with the mayor and putting on a show for the city for free," Walnut resident Alex Weinberger said.

The concert, which was part of the city's "Bringing Back Broadway" effort, ran from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. It wasn't just those with tickets who got to enjoy the free show, all those living along Broadway also got a front-row seat.

"I have a view of the whole shot, so it's great to have this right outside my window. Broadway is really great to live on, it's a really great part of town," said downtown L.A. resident David Specht.

Aoki says he wanted to do something outside the box and at the same time give back to the city that has given him so much.

"I think one of the best parts about this show is that everyone that got a ticket also signed up to volunteer to rebuild and help build out L.A., so it's a lot of community spirit going on," Aoki said.

Fans say they loved the setting especially since it introduced them to a part of the city many have never visited.

"I think it's really cool, like it's out on the street for everyone to come out and see L.A., to see what the city gives and how beautiful it is," said West Covina resident Melissa Caculitan.

"LAoki" may be Aoki's last show in Los Angeles for a while. In a video posted Thursday on Facebook, the 37-year-old DJ said that he's canceling five performances in Europe to undergo surgery to repair his vocal cords.

"For the past 20 years, all the screaming at my shows have severely messed up my vocal chords," he said. "I've prolonged this surgery for quite some time, and the doc said it's now or never."

In the video, Aoki showed images of his damaged vocal cords.

"If I don't save my voice, I won't have one soon," he said in the footage. "I don't have a choice. It has to be done. I'm really trying to cancel the least amount of shows as possible."

Aoki is a prolific presence on the electronic dance music scene and has collaborated with the likes of will.i.am, LMFAO, Iggy Azalea and Lil Jon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.