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Few Electronic Artists Can Play Arenas & Stadiums — How a Strategy Focused On ‘Next Steps’ Made Illenium One Of Them

The producer launches his international 37-date ILLENIUM tour later this month, with the run including stops at amphitheaters, arenas and stadiums across the U.S.

By Rachel Narozniak

Rachel Narozniak

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Clad in a backwards baseball cap and tie-dye hoodie that complement his chill demeanor, Illenium fills the frame of my computer screen.

“Now,” he says, “it’s like super-grind mode.”

Indeed, the producer has spent the last five months painstakingly designing his upcoming tour. The run is not only his biggest yet, but one that firmly places him in the elite echelon of electronic artists who can play arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters, venues that few acts in this genre ultimately reach.

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After opening at the Gorge Amphitheater on May 27, the amphitheater-focused North American leg will make stops at 13 other open-air venues, including three stadiums. Not counting the two festivals included in the tour — Electric Forest in Michigan and Veld Music Festival in Ontario– nearly half of its domestic dates are at outdoor venues.

The decision to lean more heavily into amphitheaters and other open-air spaces comes down to their ability to accommodate Illenium’s large-scale production needs.  

“Amphitheaters usually fit our big goals and dreams; we have a lot of custom pieces that require a large stage,” says Illenium’s manager Sean Flynn. “Whereas a lot of the time when we come up with some crazy production that fits some huge stage and we have to work around a smaller stage, amphitheaters already fit what we want to do.”

Synchronicity between a venue’s capabilities and the specs of this tour is paramount, particularly given its full-band format that echoes the live rock focused sound of the latest album. Like 2019’s  ASCEND tour , the ILLENIUM live show will feature a full band, including a pianist, drummer, guitarist, and, for the first time, a string instrumentalist. (Illenium will also play guitar and some drum pads.) The space required by these musicians, along with supporting acts like hardcore band I Prevail, demanded venues that could hold all these elements.

Although the ASCEND tour took Illenium across the country in 2019 and later sent him to Australia at the start of 2020, he and his team did not announce the tour’s domestic and international dates simultaneously. He says their choice to do so this time around feels “much more impactful.” Fans appear to agree: 27 days out from the first stop, the tour has sold roughly 160,000 tickets.

In October, the tour heads to Europe and come November, to Australia. Some of the stages in these European venues are “much smaller” than those in the United States and Australia — just one of the challenges of international travel. Touring with a full band is costly, and without the six semis, the team will take a more minimalistic approach to hardware. Still, Illenium pledges to bring the “sweaty crazy rock show vibes,” and Flynn is adamant that the international portion is “an investment in the future.”

“We’ve played some European shows before, and getting to the point where we can bring the band has always been in the back of our minds,” Flynn says. “It just feels like a natural progression — and if these shows are successful, it’s only going to help grow everything.”

The crown jewel of the tour, however, is Trilogy: Colorado, to be held on June 17 at Empower Field at Mile High in Illenium’s hometown of Denver. With a 76,125-capacity, the stadium — home of the Denver Broncos — dwarfs Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, where the producer held his first Trilogy show on July 3, 2021 to a sold-out audience, becoming the first artist to play the venue in the process. (Although Allegiant Stadium can hold a maximum of 65,000 people, the size of Illenium’s production reduced the stadium’s capacity to 40,000). The event grossed $3.9 million and sold 33,000 tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

Illenium is used to setting and shattering his own records. In recent years, he’s arisen as one of dance music’s most prominent, active and successful acts, playing — and selling out — some of the country’s largest stadiums and arenas, including Madison Square Garden in September of 2019. While interest in dance music in the United States is healthy, only a few of its acts — Kaskade , Kx5 , S wedish House Mafia , Skrillex with Fred again.. & Four Tet and ODESZA among them — sell out arenas and stadiums, and in some cases only for one-off shows. Illenium became one of these acts through a strategic focus on scaling the size of his events year over year.

“Everything we’ve done throughout Nick’s career has always come down to asking, ‘How do we push things forward?’” Flynn says. “When booking a tour, we’ve always looked to the next highest capacity venue in the area and tried to secure that for the next tour. Or if that didn’t make sense, we’d try to do two nights at the same venue… We’ve always just tried to take whatever that next step was in major markets.”

Fans are of course at the heart of this success. Illenium’s music forges deep bonds with listeners, who have “grown with Nick from when we first started,” says Flynn. The debut Illenium album dropped in 2016, and although he has yet to score a top 40 crossover hit on the Hot 100 (his sole entry to date, “Takeaway” with The Chainsmokers and Lennon Stella, peaked at No. 69), his dance stardom is well-illustrated on Dance/Electronic Songs , where he’s earned seven top 10 hits. Forty-eight of his songs have graced the chart, including ILLENIUM ’s lead single, “Luv Me a Little.”

These wins are why Illenium, who calls himself “super-sensitive to crap online” and says he’s previously deleted his social media apps, became “a little more nervous” in the weeks leading up to the release of his eponymous LP. Although rock elements are not new to his music, ILLENIUM marks his heaviest embrace of them yet. With “symphonic Hans Zimmer-esque stuff” and features from Blink-182 ’s Travis Barker and All Time Low , the album diverges from the synth drop dominance of his previous LPs. In a December 2022 Reddit comment that felt like a disclaimer, Illenium called the LP his “favorite” — but acknowledged, “it’s definitely not gonna be everyone’s favorite.”

“Even though the majority of my fans definitely support whatever I’m going to try, I’m susceptible to the trolls,” he says. “Everyone has emotions and is a human … it’s easy to second guess myself, even though [the album] is already done.”

“It’s not just full-on metal freaking craziness,” he continues. “It’s this middle ground that I think people are gonna be really surprised by and stoked about. I think it’s gonna sound better than any of the other live shows [I’ve done].”

Now 32, Illenium has both the self-possession of an artist who knows how the game works and the openness of one who’s new to it. With a sharp sense of self and what music he finds “fulfilling” to make along with clarity of what he wants out of his career — “an impact that is original and unique” — it seems that stifling his creative interests for fear of what people might say would sting more than any negative comment could. 

He says he’s gained insight and clarity over the last few years, but remains a “very impatient” person who struggles to “take a second and just chill,” making the delineation between his personal and professional often opaque.

“I’m a recovering drug addict,” he says, “and I’m very one-track-minded, like addicted-mode-on for the show. Whatever it is, [I focus on] doing it and maxing out as hard as I possibly can on it. I haven’t really grown out of that.”  

Illenium, who previously struggled with opiate addiction and got clean in 2012 after overdosing on heroin, is partnering with the non-profit End Overdose on the tour to train attendees on how to administer naloxone — used to reverse opiate overdoses — and recognize signs of an overdose.

At this stage in his life and career, he’s also newly thinking about his legacy. Making albums that are essentially copies of each other strikes him as “soulless,” and ILLENIUM — a project that he calls “the core sound of who I am” — has roots in his middle school days, when alt rock, metalcore and pop-punk first forged his own bond with music. Though much has changed for him since, his love for these genres has not. By engaging with these early influences on ILLENIUM , he’s arguably the most himself that he’s ever been on an album.

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‘Insane’ production: What to expect from first concert at Allegiant Stadium

EDM star Illenium promises a massive show at Allegiant Stadium and talks about his new album.

His voice pops like the fireworks that’ll soundtrack the weekend.

Illenium’s talking — with a palpable enthusiasm that can be felt through a phone line — about a concert truism, that a massive new venue demands a massive new stage show.

The EDM star aims to deliver as much come Saturday, when he’ll be the first artist to perform at Allegiant Stadium.

“It’s insane. It’s quadruple the size we’ve ever done,” Illenium says of the production values for the gig. “We’ve got like 75 lasers. We have flame units throughout the whole stadium — crazy pyro shots and stuff like that.

“I don’t want to give away too much, but we kind of have a special location where I’m going to play the first set, which is different than the last two,” he elaborates. “It’s going to be an evolution of the night. It’s almost like I’m opening for myself.”

Illenium’s show this week will be a one-of-a-kind, one-off “trilogy” concert where he’ll perform a set dedicated to each of his first three albums (“Ashes,” “Awake” and “Ascend”). He originally intended to take a version of the concept on the road last year, playing three nights in various cities with a performance dedicated to each record.

Once the pandemic ended any touring plans, though, Illenium focused on doing one blowout concert in Vegas.

“It’s a really unique show, something I’ve never done before with playing as much as I am,” he says. “There’s like four hours allocated, with just a couple breaks. I really get to go on a whole journey through the past with my music. It’s really special to be able to combine that into a brand new venue.”

The future of future bass

Also new-ish is future bass, an electronic dance music subgenre that came to prominence in the latter half of the previous decade, which Illenium is a leading face of. His discography, while wide-ranging, can generally be described as equally anthemic and emotive, warm-sounding and hot-blooded simultaneously, in many instances.

He explores a variety of moods, from heartache to redemption, but there’s a general sense of uplift buoying it all, dark days continually leading to something brighter.

“The whole reason I make music is that it’s healing for me, it’s healing for my community,” he explains. “It’s deeper than just the surface level to entertain.

“I created my first three albums in the trilogy mindset of the birth of a phoenix and growing and ascending,” he continues. “I’m moving on from that stage in my career, but I felt like a big, massive show was needed to give the proper send-off, the proper end to a chapter and on to the next.”

About that next chapter: It arrives July 16, when Illenium drops his fourth album, “Fallen Embers.”

“I kind of look at ‘Ashes,’ ‘Awake’ and ‘Ascend’ as this birth of a phoenix in this separate world,” he says. “Now, with ‘Fallen Embers,’ I’m looking at that same world but in a different timeline.

“The characters are kind of like going to those locations where that phoenix was present, and they’re finding embers that fell through its journey,” he explains. “The songs on the album are embers, and they’re here to heal from past history and trauma.”

An early standout among the singles released from the album thus far is “Paper Thin,” a song that broods and pulsates at once, featuring former Blink-182/current Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge.

“I was working on this demo with a couple of songwriters, and I got into a really cool place,” Illenium explains of the tune’s origins. “And then my management sent it to Tom’s team. I was just like, ‘This is a bucket list, I have no idea if it’s going to work.’ He ended up loving it. He and his engineer re-did the verses and did some guitar work, which was so cool. I was blown away.”

Illenium will turn his focus to performing new cuts like that one soon enough.

But for now, it’s time to celebrate the past as it gives way to the future.

“It’s definitely a trip, running through my set last night, running through my first album — there’s all those songs that I really haven’t played in a long time,” he says. “It’s a way for me to take it in and be grateful. I’ll still play some of these songs here and there, but this is really the moment to let them shine one more time.”

Contact Jason Bracelin at [email protected] or 702-383-0476. Follow @JasonBracelin on Twitter and @jbracelin76 on Instagram

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Illenium Trilogy Los Angeles Review

Illenium’s illustrious Trilogy show made its way to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for two historic sold-out nights. Illenium debuted Trilogy at Allegiant Field in Las Vegas and then broke records at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Now, his Los Angeles stop at SoFi Stadium was the first two-day Trilogy event and it exceeded even my wildest imagination. Illenium even broke an LA record for “most lasers at a dance music concert.” It lived up to the hype!

From the vibes to the surprise guests and amazing venue production, it was an unforgettable two days. Illenium has been known for his signature stadium events and devoted fan base. He made sure to show everyone why he is still at the top of his game at the Trilogy SoFi shows.

The stage for Illenium’s first set was performed on a central island surrounded by the fans on the floor and pit. This set was for the OGs. He played his classic remixes and songs from Ashes and Awake . A highlight of Day 2 was when he brought out SLANDER and Krewella for their song “Lay it Down” and then MAX for one of the fan favorites, “Beautiful Creatures.”

Illenium’s second set was on the main stage, surrounded by fire and lasers. This set featured most of his songs from his third and fourth albums, Ascend and Fallen Embers . Another Day 2 highlight was when Illenium brought out Seven Lions to debut their new song together, “Not Even Love.” For both days this set was the hardest of the weekend, ending with the emotional and heavy “Good Things Fall Apart” vs. “Sad Songs” mashup. During this set, Illenium kicked up the bass, the pyros, and the lasers.

The third and final set was a live instrument set that brought the whole stadium to life. It featured 360-degree lasers, a giant LED wall with amazing visuals, and more pyro than you can imagine. Illenium played songs from his self-titled album Illenium and hits from his full catalog. He brought out Dabin on guitar, Said the Sky on keyboard, Annika Wells with vocals, plus live guitar and violists. The big highlight of Day 1 was when he brought out Avril Lavigne for their song “Eyes Wide Shut” and had the whole crowd going crazy.

Surprise guests were a major part of the Trilogy at SoFi. Day 1 featured MAX, Ian Dior, Alex from All Time Low, Jxdn, Avril Lavigne, Teddy Swims, Sueco, and Chris from Motionless in White. Day 2’s special guests were SLANDER, Krewella, MAX, Tori Kelly, GG Margee, Ian Dior, Seven Lions, Teddy Swims, Sueco, Trippie Redd, Alex, and Chris. It was one surprise after another, a real Hollywood affair!

By the end of the show, Illenium played about five hours of blissful bass music. With a record two straight sold-out nights at SoFi, Illenium showed the EDM world why his name is still at the top of the list. Included are the audio and video streams, and stay locked in for announcements about future dates for Trilogy 2.0!

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It was a chilly Saturday night in San Francisco. After suffering massive show and tour delays due to the global pandemic, many locals have waited for the day ILLENIUM would make his return to the iconic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. With roots connected to the Bay Area, ILLENIUM has crafted quite the relationship with the venue for breaking records and making multiple runs at the venue that some would not believe. Sold out show after sold-out show, Northern California’s overflowing support and love for the melodic bass icon has never wavered.

With the stage set, fans quickly loaded into the area to be treated to hours of melodic bass music. Fresh off the collaboration with Trippie Redd and Sueco, ILLENIUM was able to debut the newly released “Story Of My Life” in front of this faithful San Francisco crowd. The vibes, food, and bars were immaculate and the elements to a great night out were all put in place. A chance to see the dance artists latest album “Fallen Embers” in person definitely lived up to the expectations. ILLENIUM is constantly shifting into one of the best live performers that electronic music has to offer and his latest tour is a product of that.

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Five moments that defined Illenium’s Ascend tour [Event Review]

In 2013, Illenium was a no-name producer filling the opening slot for Above & Beyond’s Halloween stop at Denver’s The Fillmore Auditorium. As the first act after doors, he had less than twenty people in the crowd. Granted, this was a time when Nick Miller was still getting used to calling himself a Rocky Mountain resident and playing free shows just to get his name around town.

It was also a time when the newly-uprooted San Fransisco native had only just released his remix of Oh Wonder’s “ Shark ,” with an early discography which consisted of one-off releases like “So Wrong” and “Make Me Do.” All the while, Miller was working with his close friend Said The Sky on plenty of bedroom collaborations and buddying up to artist collectives like Patheon, Hegemon, and Artist Intelligence Agency to get his music out.

Fast forward five years and Illenium sits at the forefront of the melodic bass movement. Initially incorporating influences from artists like Seven Lions, Zeds Dead, and Sound Remedy, Miller’s self-proclaimed “sad boy” music has pioneered a trend for which other industry creatives are now emulating. It’s a sound stamp that has afforded Illenium a huge record deal with Astralwerks/Capitol Records, two Top 10 Billboard charted hits, 20 million monthly Spotify listeners, along with sold-out headlining shows at Madison Square Garden , STAPLES Center, and Red Rocks .

Most recently, Illenium’s third studio album, Ascend , reached No. 1 on Billboard ‘s Top Dance/Electronic Albums Chart with the LP’s Jon Bellion-assisted record earning RIAA gold. Along with these accolades, Miller comes to the latter end of his Ascend arena tour , which boasts a full live band with Said The Sky on keys, Dabin on strings, and Day on percussion. Conscious Electronic had the pleasure of attending Illenium’s Red Rocks and Dallas stops. While some aspects were very much the same from stop to stop, such as setlist and lighting design, others were incredibly original and off-the-cuff, like the opening acts and Illenium’s evolving visual plotlines.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Ascend tour marks Illenium’s career-high point. Nevermind the stellar technical production or the insane energy of his adoring Illenial fanbase, many of whom traveled far and wide to witness the spectacle. Nevermind the spot-on performances from Illenium and his talented cohort of bandmates, openers, and collaborators. Nevermind the electrifying pyrotechnics, breathtaking laser show, towering LED backdrops, and storyline visuals. Illenium’s Ascend tour not only showcases his intense yearning for collaboration on many fronts, but it also spotlights the burgeoning movement that Miller has built around his sound and message.

As someone who has seen Illenium along his full ascent, which is nearing pop-crossover stardom, what Miller has been able to accomplish in a mere matter of five years is nothing short of astounding. His Ascend tour is a living testament to that fact. Rather than talk about all of the amazing live elements of the tour, we’ve narrowed it down to a few highlights for those who weren’t able to attend this time around.

After all, Illenium is known for drawing out his album tours beyond the initial phase one announcement, as evidenced by his previous Awake tour. Indeed, he’s already announced a slew of added hometown throwdown dates in Northern California. Without further ado, here are the top five moments that defined Illenium’s Ascend tour.

1) Illenium takes aim at the electric guitar.

Illenium Ascend Tour, Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas.

One particular surprise to many fans along the Ascend tour was when Illenium began to play the guitar live. Perched atop his stage risers, it was a new skill not yet seen in his live performance. Fans knew Miller was gifted at the keys and drum pads, as witnessed from his previous years, but the new instrument addition fostered shock, awe, and immense respect amongst Illenium’s crowd. Later, Illenium would return at different points in the set to play along with his band.

2) Ekali comes out to play their unreleased collab live.

Illenium, Ekali, and Chloe Angelides. Ascend Tour, Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas.

Among the select stops in which Ekali directly opened for Illenium, there was one undeniable moment that made for a definite tour highlight: When Illenium brought out Ekali at the climactic point in his headlining set. The two had previously debuted their high-profile collaboration, “ Hard To Say Goodbye ,” while at EDC Las Vegas. The song wasn’t released until late November, which made for the perfect unreleased track to play out for fans along tour. When Illenium introduced Ekali onto the stage, the crowd roared. Phones shot straight up into record mode as vocalist Chloe Angelides also joined in with her serene vocals. With the full band at their side, the moment created an intense air of collaboration and, not to mention, pure feels .

3) Dabin smashes his guitar for an all-out rock/metal vibe.

Dabin smashes the guitar. Illenium Ascend Tour, Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas.

Arguably one of the most memorable moments on the Ascend tour occurred when Dabin came front-and-center to smash one of his electric guitars to smithereens. While it fostered cheers and laughter in some, drawing forth direct parallels to the hard rock and heavy metal bands of yesteryear, for others the move was scoffed at. This vocal minority rose up over social media to voice their concerns and aggravations. So much so that Illenium decided to turn those outraged comments into a meme.

Photo courtesy of Reddit.

At Illenium’s STAPLES show in Los Angeles, the comments were all displayed across the main LED screen while “Throwin Elbows” was playing — the part in the set during which Dabin typically smashes his guitar.

Instead, a slew of these social media comments was flashed across the screen: “What a punk thing to do,” “maybe 30 or 40 years ago,” “comes off as entitled try-hard,” etc.

In any case, the display made for one memorable moment.

4) Said The Sky and Illenium’s best friend chemistry.

Said The Sky, Ascend Tour, Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas.

The fourth standout moment along Illenium’s Ascend tour belongs to the moment when he brought out his long-time best friend and most frequent collaborator, Trevor Christiansen, aka Said The Sky. Keep in mind, this is a guy whose been at Illenium’s side since the days when he was enrolled in UC Boulder’s music-business program. When Miller dropped out due to working on his EP in 2013, Christiansen was there every step of the way. The two used to play back-to-back sets so frequently in Denver that Illenium’s management had to step in and tell him to distance himself creatively from Said The Sky.

Yet, when Illenium brought out his lifetime pal onto the stage, the moment brought back intense nostalgia for the pair’s beginning days in the Denver scene. Smiles were traded, an air of pride filled the air, and the two showed off their amazing chemistry. It’s a moment that will be remembered for years to come, especially given how Said The Sky is leaving the Illenium Live act next year to pursue his own burgeoning solo music career.

5) The amazing live band experience, of course.

The live band experience is really the bread and butter of the Ascend tour because most fans saw how the band was formed so naturally over the course of two years. As four friends living and working in the Denver music industry, how this group of musicians came together was in the true spirit of collaboration. They’ve all played Coachella together, tried out different bandmates together ( remember KJ Sakwa was on drums ?), and traveled the entire country together.

For Said the Sky, Dabin, and Day, Illenium has undoubtedly given them the platform to become household names—at least in the dance music world. Indeed, it’s how Dab The Sky originally came to be and now the pair is being booked as a highly in-demand back-to-back set. It’s a duo that Illenium fans will always make a point to come see, too.

Given how Dabin and Said The Sky are leaving next year to pursue their own careers, seeing them all on stage during the Ascend tour was as bittersweet as it was heartwarming. These are bandmates who clearly know one another, love sharing the spotlight together, and can anticipate each other’s moves at every step.

Writing as both a music critic and friend of Illenium, I could sit here all day and talk about how Miller has gone from a no-nothing producer/DJ to full-on rock band frontman and main stage headliner. However, that is a fact that goes without saying. What Illenium has been able to do is cultivate a movement for lovers, for friends, for sad boys and screaming girls alike. Ascend is just the next step in his artistic evolution, albeit not one that will soon be forgotten.

Catch Illenium this month as he returns to his original stomping grounds, December 12-14. Two of his appearances even feature a throwback set, in which Illenium will dig deep into his early catalog to feature the more dubstep-driven tracks. Tickets Sacramento and San Fransisco are still available on his website .

Illenium Ascend Tour, Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.

ILLENIUM Remaining NA Tour Dates

Featured photo: Ryan Morse. Photography: Ryan Morse,  Rukes . 

Information seeker. Dog lover. PhD drop out. College professor by day, EDM photographer by night.

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How Many Times is Too Many Times to See Illenium? The Limit Does Not Exist

From the first time I saw an Illenium set, that was it. I was hooked for good. It was at EDC LV 2017, and for the first time, I truly found my sound, my home and it was in Illenium and his music specifically. My life hasn’t been the same since.

Fast forward to his third album release, Ascend, followed by a huge tour, there was no way I was missing his milestones. Set out to play 3 days at the iconic Red Rocks venue (two Ascend shows and one throwback set) in Denver, Colorado and the legendary Madison Square Garden in NYC, I knew I’d be there for all of them.

Not only was Illenium playing, and selling out, these incredibly famous venues, he started his tour in my hometown city of Pittsburgh. I couldn’t be more proud of my city representing the start to his tour.

Here are my thoughts from three stops of Illeniums latest tour:

Pittsburgh - September 18, 2019

For the first night of The Ascend Tour, Illenium played at Stage AE. This venue doubles as both an indoor and outdoor venue. Originally it was supposed to be held inside, but it ended up being held outside, which made all the difference in the world. The weather was perfect, the vibe was incredible, and I was so ready for whatever I was about to witness. The most exciting part, was preparing myself for absolutely anything. I’ve seen Illenium perform so many times, it was super exciting to not have any idea at all what he was going to do with his set! He did NOT disappoint.

MSG in NYC - September 21, 2019

Even with already seeing the set, I swear it just made it better. Just to be in the energy of a venue as iconic as Madison Square Garden was so surreal. You could just feel how consumed by humility and love he was for all of the support by his fans. It was a completely different experience!

Red Rocks - O ctober 11-12, 2019

The only other time I’ve been to Red Rocks was for Illenium’s first time headlining the venue in 2018. It just felt right to be back for his Ascend tour as well. I ended up getting tickets in one of the first few rows, which completely changed the vibe! Getting to see the same set in so many different ways in the energy of so many various venues was so rewarding as a fan and as a serious music lover. Not only did I catch his Ascend set, but I also went to his Throwback set, too. That was my first time seeing a throwback set and I was completely floored. Getting to hear songs from his debut album, Ashes, as well as old remixes you can really only hear on SoundCloud was a dream come true. I know how rare and special a set like that is and I will remember that night forever.

My memories from Illenium’s Ascend tour dates are some of my all-time favorites. I wanted to hear from other Illenials about their experiences as well! I took to the Illenial Facebook group page to hear some incredible stories!

“I attended both his Ascend and throwback sets at Red Rocks this year and it was my first ever time seeing him play live after loving his music for so long. I also came from another country just to see him perform. My favorite part was the intro that he played, his intros always make me super emotional” - Jenna Lang (IG: _jenna.lang_)

“Saw him in Toronto about a month after a hard breakup. His music speaks to you on an emotional level and addresses a range of personal issues and struggles a lot of people face. It's incredibly relatable and cathartic. It helps you survive.” - Jordan Stanton

“I’ve been listening to Nick for years, and his music has been a soundtrack of sorts in my life, from happily jamming out with my friends, to pulling me out of some of my darkest corners. You can feel the emotions he has lived through as he performs each set and it’s enough to remind you that tomorrow is a new day and to keep going ” - Gabri Elle (IG: bass.gypsii.)

Photo Credit:  Gabri Elle

“I went to both the Red Rocks sets and the entire weekend was magical! Although this was my 5th and 6th time seeing him live, these sets were special to me because I am 6 months pregnant and I got to share this experience with my unborn daughter!"  - Jennifer Rose

“My boyfriend and I went to see Illenium at Madison Square Garden and again at his stop in University Park, PA. As soon as the intro started playing I was in tears. Nick's music has the ability to turn me into a completely different and amazing person and seeing the Ascend show twice was truly life-changing .” -Lexi Kaplan (IG: lexxikaplann)

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Alyssa Southland said:

I’ve seen Illenium 21 times! :D

1. Electric Forest 2017 2. EZoo 2017 3. Awake Tour NYC Dec 2017 4. EDC Las Vegas 2018 5. Camp Bisco 2018 6. Moonrise 2018 7. EZoo 2018 8. Lost Lands 2018 9. Surprise B2B w/ Ekali at Warsaw 10. Hijinx 2018 11. Ultra 2019 12. EDC Week @ Hakassan 13. EDC Las Vegas 2019 14. Bonnaroo 2019 15. Moonrise 2019 16. Madison Square Garden 17. Lost Lands 2019 18. Ascend Tour Philadelphia 2019 19. Echostage Throwback Set 2019 20. Red Rocks Ascend Tour 2019 21. Red Rocks Throwback Set 2019

Can’t wait til his next set!!

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Illenium’s Awake Tour Lights Up Black Friday in Seattle (Review)

It seemed like all of Seattle was at WaMu Theater on black Friday to see the one and only Illenium. Illenium’s Awake Tour sold out a couple weeks leading up to the show. The line formed outside of WaMu an hour before doors even opened. Desperate fans were outside trying to buy and find last-minute tickets to get into the show. We are so glad we had the opportunity to attend because the show was mind-blowing, to say the least.

Dabin and Said the Sky kicked off the night with live performances. Dabin rocking out on his electric guitar and Said the Sky banging those drums like no other. The crowd lost it when Said the Sky played a remix of Fireflies by Owl City. Every single soul in the crowd was singing the words to the song with cell phone lights flowing through the venue.

Illenium started the feels trip with Crawl Outta Love . Some memorable moments from the show? Other than all the tears and screaming, here are some of our favorite moments. The fireworks during Illenium’s Don’t Let Me Down remix, the crowd going crazy for Fractures , Feel Good, and Sound of Walking Away . Illenium “fake closed” with his remix of Marshmello’s Silence , coming back for his big finish with Beautiful Creatures , confetti flying and CO2 blasting, a more proper way to finish the show.

Overall, if you have the chance to catch Illenium on his Awake tour, do it. Live EDM truly is better.

What did you think about the show? Let us know in the comments below!

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Illenium announces triumphant return to the Gorge for Memorial Day weekend

Illenium returns to Gorge for Memorial Day weekend in 2023 with stacked lineup

Illenium to take hold of the Gorge for 2-day Memorial Day extravaganza

Das Energi returns to the Great Saltair in August 

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ILLENIUM Setlist at E11even, Miami, FL, USA

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• Apr 19 2024 Zouk Tokyo, Japan Add time Add time
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• Apr 26 2024 E11even This Setlist Miami, FL, USA  –  Find tickets Add time Tickets Add time
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Illenium – ‘illenium’ album review.

Posted May 20, 2023 by musicmattersmedia

Photo Credit: Lindsey Byrnes

The fifth full-length album by electronic music producer and DJ Nicholas Daniel Miller – known professionally as Illenium – opens with “Starfall,” an all-synth electronic instrumental. This is hardly the curtain-raiser a listener might expect if they choose to look ahead to the sixteen-song track listing, to see that upcoming cuts include collaborations with rock artists like Avril Lavinge and All Time Low. Yet, this self-titled release is overall definitely consistent if nothing else.

And there is quite a bit “else,” although many of the other collaborators who appear on ILLENIUM are a bit closer to the producer’s synth-pop wheelhouse, this would include Teddy Swims, who provides lead vocals for the heartfelt “All that Really Matters,” as well as up-and-coming New York City artist MAX, who sings on “Worst Day,” another very modern-sounding offering with an echo-y bass (in accordance with current trends). However, it’s the music on the album which generally tends to speak the loudest, particularly on “I Want You 2 (Stay),” a classic ’90s style dance track featuring only minimum vocals (including a vocal sample from “Stay” by Rihanna), but exactly the right amount necessary.

Illenium’s collaborations with rock artists on the album are all ambitious although end results are somewhat mixed. The aforementioned Avril Lavinge appears on “Eyes Wide Shut,” a track that also includes blink-182 drummer Travis Barker (but seriously – what records isn’t that guy on these days?). Being (arguably) the most prolific guests here, their appearance comes off a bit more like a walk-on than a measurable contribution, and the track is accordingly just average.

By contrast, “Shivering” featuring the Canadian hard rock band Spirtbox boasts at least a bit more character, combining a street-level type hook, scream-growl metal vocals as well as being umbrellaed by the grandiose production which is present through the whole album. The album winds down with “Nothing Ever After,” a collaboration with yet another rock band, Scranton, Pennsylvania heavy metallers Motionless in White, although the track sounds a bit similar to Linkin Park and that category of early 2000s rockers. Indeed, there’s not much of ILLENIUM which won’t sound at least somewhat familiar, although in most cases the electronic producer and his small army of musical cronies find at least some fresh angle in everything they do. For example, “From the Ashes” uses a theme that has been employed endlessly (i.e. “rising from the ashes”) but strong vocals from Skylar Grey give the track distinction.

“Luv Me a Little” is a solid closer, featuring vocals by Nina Nesbitt, a fitting summation of the strong use of female singers throughout the album. But will listeners love the whole of I LLENIUM just a little or a lot? The appearances of the alternative rockers are fleeting so fans of that genre probably won’t be drawn in any great numbers, and metalheads can choose from enough releases which don’t alternate with dance-pop. However, Illenium proves himself to be quite an ambitious and versatile artist and definitely possesses the ability to take apparently mismatched ingredients and get them to blend seamlessly, in the end creating an album tailor-made for a modern pop-listening audience.

Written by: Richard John Cummins

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Friday 26 April 2024

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29 NE 11th Street 33132 Miami, FL, US 305 829 2911 11miami.com/

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• Record at THE STUDIO by Rolling Stone India at Creatorland Mumbai

Illenium Talks India Return, Rock Influences and New Music

Denver artist Nick Miller, who last visited in 2020, kicks off a three-city tour this week as part of Sunburn Arena

American DJ-producer Illenium aka Nick Miller.

Among the foremost names in future bass and electronic music, American producer Illenium aka Nick Miller has been taking his music to new places over time. His globe-spanning tour, which started last year, saw him scale up like never before with massive production and a band on stage with him.

Illenium will bring that energy to his upcoming India tour , as part of Sunburn Arena this week. The “Good Things Fall Apart” artist is slated to perform in Mumbai at Bayview Lawns on February 23rd, followed by Bengaluru at Manpho Convention Centre on February 24th and in Gurugram at DLF Cyber City on February 25th.

Illenium returns to India for the first time in four years, with his previous performance taking place as headliner at music festival Vh1 Supersonic in Pune in 2020. He says over an email interview, “Last time I was in India was only for a short while, so I am excited to actually get to spend some time in the country and experience all it has to offer!”

Although it was a short trip last time around, Illenium says it was memorable to finally come down to India for his fans. “They give me so much support online and I was so grateful to share my music live with them,” he adds. This time, Illenium says he’s looking forward to arriving a day early in India and having some time to check out more the country.

Best known for topsy-turvy, bass-heavy songs like “Feel Good” (a collaboration with DJ-producer Gryffin and singer Daya) and “Takeaway” (with The Chainsmokers) and “Nightlight” (with singer Annika Wells), Illenium released a self-titled album in 2023 that served as a thematic prequel to the stories and concepts guiding his visual and sonic aesthetic on the first three albums – Ashes, Awake and Ascend .

On the collaborations front, it built on the producer’s love for rock and metal. Where the 2021 album Fallen Embers had included collaborators like Blink-182’s Tom Delonge (“Paper Thin”) and metalcore act I Prevail (“Feel Something”), the self-titled 2023 album brought in Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker, Spiritbox and All Time Low. He says about the latter two, “I am a huge fan of both those artists! It was such an honor being able to collaborate with them (along with all the other artists on the album). I grew up listening to that type of music so it was a ton of fun working with both of them.”

Among the lead singles of the album was “Eyes Wide Shut” with Lavigne and Barker – one that placed familiar pop-punk hooks and lyrics over Illenium’s electronic style. He looks back at the album and says he’s very proud of how things were received. “I wanted to create something that would translate well to a live band playing it on stage and I think it succeeded at that. I was able to work with some of my favorite artists on it and I’m still stoked with how well it turned out,” Illenium says.

The wish list of collaborators, however, still remains as open as ever for him. “I think my top three artists I’d love to work with right now are Bring Me The Horizon, Halsey, or Ellie Goulding,” the producer adds.

Sonically, the artist says his newer production material has been inspired by “more electronic focused stuff being released by artists right now.” With one kind of story told with the Trilogy albums and his self-titled prequel, Illenium says the themes will be “similar” but packaged “very different.”  

Get  tickets for Illenium’s India Tour here .

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Neil Young Stuns at 2024 Tour Launch, Unveils Lost ‘Cortez the Killer’ Verse

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

In typical Neil Young fashion, virtually nothing was revealed about his 2024 U.S. tour before it kicked off Wednesday night at San Diego’s Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, other than the fact he’d be backed by Crazy Horse , and that Micah Nelson would be taking over guitar duties from Nils Lofgren. Would he pull a Greendale and debut an entire rock opera nobody had ever heard? Would he focus the set around the three new studio albums he cut with Crazy Horse between 2019 and 2022? Might he repeat the concept of his 2023 solo tour by spotlighting obscure Eighties and Nineties album tracks and skipping most of his hits?

They jammed for six minutes before Young sang the opening lines, igniting the crowd into a frenzy, but the big moment came near the end, when he began singing completely unfamiliar words. As he teased earlier this month , it was the legendary lost segment of the song that failed to record during the 1975 Zuma sessions because the console briefly lost power. Young recently found the lyric manuscript, and worked out where they originally fit in the song.

“I floated on the water,” Young sang. “I ate that ocean wave/Two weeks after the slaughter/I was living in a cave/They came too late to get me/But there’s no one here to set me free/From this rocky grave/To that snowed-out ocean wave.”

It was a remarkable moment to witness. After 49 years and over 540 live performances, the world finally got to hear the song as Young originally wrote it.

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Young was talking about “Scattered (Let’s Think About Livin’),” from 1996’s Broken Arrow, which was the newest song they played all evening. The rest of the set was music recorded when Briggs was alive, largely between 1969 and 1979, beginning with “Don’t Cry No Tears.” He followed it up with a triple shot of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere : “Down by the River,” “The Losing End,” and the title track. And it was a particularly mesmerizing “Down by the River” that stretched out for 16 blissful minutes.

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After the Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere mini-set, the quartet (Crazy Horse 4.0?) kicked into one of the greatest renditions of “Powderfinger” I’ve ever heard, thanks to improvisational guitar work prior to each verse by Young and Nelson. What came next was a 16-minute “Love and Only Love,” the band walking offstage, and then Young strapping on an harmonica rack for solo acoustic renditions of “Comes a Time,” “Heart of Gold,” and “Human Highway” that had the entire amphitheater singing along.

The band returned to wrap up the night with “Don’t Be Denied,” an autobiographical tale that carries a lot more emotional weight when Young sings it at age 78 as opposed to 28, and a thrashed-out “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black).”

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He might duplicate this exact set when the tour continues the following night at the same venue. He might not repeat a single song. He may even perform a complete classic album, which is something he started doing late last year. The joy of seeing Neil Young is that you never have any idea what’s going to happen once the lights dim.

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Review: Neil Young & Crazy Horse strike heart of gold at tour-opening San Diego concert

The concert began with an epic, 15-minute version of ‘Cortez The Killer’ that featured extra lyrics recently unearthed by Young. Guitarist-singer Micah Nelson, Willie’s son, very ably assumed the role in Crazy Horse of Nils Lofgren, now on tour with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

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When Neil Young sang “rock and roll will never die” near the conclusion of his tour-opening LOVE EARTH concert with Crazy Horse Wednesday in San Diego, you believed him.

Those words, from his 1978 song, “My My Hey Hey (Into the Black),” sounded like a defiant vow in the face of possible obsolescence 46 years ago. Now, they are a statement of fact from a proud maverick who sounds more committed than ever, even — or, rather, especially — at a time when rock is increasingly becoming a niche genre pushed aside by formulaic pop, hip-hop and dance-music.

At 78, Young remains a staunch keeper of the flame whose passion for music burns as bright as ever. If anyone thinks this veteran singer, songwriter and guitarist is ready to kick back in his old age, he and his band immediately and convincingly refuted such notions with their powerful, nearly two-hour performance at SDSU’s Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre. (They are set to perform a second sold-out show at the same venue Thursday night.)

Young and his three-man band opened with “Cortez the Killer,” an epic number from their 1975 album, “Zuma.” But this was no sentimental journey down nostalgia lane, nor was it a tentative, shake-off-the-dust run through.

Their carefully calibrated version of “Cortez” built to a series of powerful climaxes Monday and lasted 15 minutes — nearly twice as long as the original on “Zuma.” The song began with an opening guitar jam that lasted 7 minutes before Young’s reedy vocals commenced. For good measure, near the conclusion of “Cortez,” he sang — for the first time anywhere in concert — a missing verse he recently came upon that had been cut from the 1975 recording.

The unearthed lyrics provided additional depth and a palpable sense of despair to Young’s tour de force song about Hernán Cortez, the bloody Spanish conqueror of Mexico’s Aztec Empire: I floated on the water / I ate that ocean wave / Two weeks after the slaughter / I was living in a cave / They came too late to get me / But there’s no one here to set me free / From this rocky grave / To that snowed-out ocean wave.

The next selection was the buoyant “Cinnamon Girl,” a choice cut from 1969’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” the first album Young and Crazy Horse made together. It clocked in at a crisp three minutes.

The rest of the concert included several other extended jams, with “Down by the River” and “Love and Only Love” both clocking in at a glorious 16 minutes (but not lasting one second too long). Conversely, Young’s tender solo acoustic versions of “Comes a Time,” “Heart of Gold” and “Human Highway” were each delivered with admirable concision.

The manner in which he alternated between longer and shorter selections served as a master class on how to pace a concert to build momentum and achieve maximum dynamic tension and release.

The final encore was an eight-minute rendition of “My My Hey Hey (Into the Black),” whose line There’s more to the picture than meets the eye could be a synopsis of Young’s career and his dogged determination to do things his way, every time, no matter what the trends of the day may be.

At SDSU, Young and his longtime Crazy Horse compadres — bassist/singer Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, both 80 — were focused and in sync from start to finish. They were joined by guitarist/singer Micah Nelson, 33, who on Monday had played a key role accompanying his father, Willie Nelson, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.

Micah Nelson was performing in place of Crazy Horse charter member Nils Lofgren, who is now on tour in The E Street Band with his other longtime employer, Bruce Springsteen. Those are big shoes to fill, but Nelson was so in sync with Young you’d think they had been musical partners for decades.

The stage was bedecked with the giant, faux Fender guitar amplifiers, speaker cabinets and road cases Young and Crazy Horse used on their 1978 Rust Never Sleeps tour. There were no video screens on the stage, the better for the audience — which included basketball great Bill Walton and Las Vegas Raiders NFL team owner Mark Davis — to focus completely on the music at hand.

The SDSU concert — the start of Young and Crazy Horse’s first major tour together in a decade — came a year after Young’s mesmerizing solo concert here at The Shell. Monday’s performance was even more mesmerizing, in large part because of the musical empathy between the four musicians.

When they locked into a groove, which was often, they seemed to be of one mind. And it’s difficult to think of any other rock band of any vintage that can gain as much traction from so many slow-paced songs.

With few exceptions, Young’s biting guitar solos contained a minimum of notes, but he made each one count, repeatedly going into a zone where feeling and intensity trump quantity. Or, to invoke the title of Young’s 1988 album: “This Note’s For You.”

Apart from a heartfelt spoken tribute to the late David Briggs — the producer of many of Young’s albums with (and without) Crazy Horse — Young’s comments to the audience were along the lines of: “Thank you” and “How ya doin’?”

Otherwise, he let his music speak for him, and it spoke volumes.

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Theater | Matthew J. Palm: With Mrs. Doubtfire comes…

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Subscriber only, theater | with ‘mrs. doubtfire’ comes unexpected heart and humor, dearie | review.

Confession time: I have never seen “ Mrs. Doubtfire ,” the hit comedy film in which Robin Williams’ divorced dad character dresses up like an elderly Scottish nanny and tricks his ex-wife (played by Sally Field) into hiring him, just so he can spend more time with his children.

That Cliff’s Notes description of the plot never inspired me to check out the film, which was released in 1993. (I know, where have I been?)

A staged musical version of the movie debuted on Broadway in 2021, and it’s now touring the country. As seen at a stop in Tampa this month, maybe I’ve been missing out all these years. Or maybe a Broadway musical is just a great way to mix so much humor with so much heart.

Unexpectedly, the touring production of “Mrs. Doubtfire” charmed me, from Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick’s tuneful songs to Rob McClure’s nicely layered performance as a father who knows he has messed up but wants to be there for his kids.

McClure also starred on Broadway in the role, and I’m sure there will be movie buffs who will find him perhaps a pale imitation of Williams. But, knowing what I know of Williams’ work in general, it seemed to me that McClure smartly pays tribute to Williams while making the role his own.

Or rather, the two roles.

McClure starts out as Daniel Hillard, who loses custody of his children in a not truly nasty but also not exactly cordial divorce with Miranda, who has long felt unheard by her responsibility-challenged spouse.

When Daniel finds out Miranda is hiring a nanny for the three kids he longs to see, he on-the-spot creates the fictitious Mrs. Doubtfire and applies for the position. Thanks to help from his brother and brother’s husband, who are professional costumers and makeup artists, Daniel is transformed into the grandmotherly Mrs. D, gets the job and becomes part of the family.

Some of those transformations happen right onstage, and there is a measure of fun in watching McClure jump in and out of the spot-on and cleverly designed padded costume (by Catherine Zuber) and gray-haired wig (by David Brian Brown) in a succession of quick changes.

Critically, McClure is likable both as screwup Daniel and as no-nonsense Mrs. Doubtfire. In fact, just about everyone radiates warmth. As Miranda, Maggie Lakis is understandably a little more frayed around the edges but her chilliness is understandable and Lakis comes up a winner in an emotional and big-voiced “Let Go,” an Act 2 highlight.

Leo Roberts takes on the movie’s Pierce Brosnan role of Miranda’s new, seemingly perfectly hunky boyfriend, and he has the baritone and biceps to fit the bill. Even he is rootable in the smart way Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell have constructed the musical’s book.

Young Orlando actor comes home in ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ tour

Not everything works. A running gag about shouting when lying gets old fast. In fact, director Jerry Zaks lets several characters — and not the children, I might add — shout too much. (Loud is not synonymous with funny, after all.)

But then there are unexpected delights in the show’s big numbers, the kind of silliness that makes a musical comedy a musical comedy: A daffy fashion parade of random celebrities, a flamboyant tango number, a posse of chefs emerging from YouTube to tap dance while teaching how to spatchcock a chicken. (That’s not relevant to the plot; I just wanted to get “tap dance” and “spatchcock” in the same sentence; when will that ever happen again?)

Yes, Internet cooking tutorials are part of the story, which clearly has been updated (and all for the best) since the film’s release. Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Siri all get name-dropped at one point or another. I’ve written about Orlando’s Axel Bernard Rimmele , who plays one of the three children in the cast; unfortunately, his alternate was onstage at my performance. But all three children I saw were talented and naturally funny, without going for sitcom “too cute” or precociousness.

Their comic but appealingly sincere number “What the Hell” besides being well-performed also wisely lets the youngsters share their point of view with the audience, including children who may be experiencing the same feelings.

It’s actually unfair to call all three children. Responsible eldest daughter Lydia, who “feels older than Dad,” is played by a young woman — who also has a local connection. Plant City native Giselle Gutierrez, a sophomore at the University of Central Florida, beautifully succeeds in making her teen character seem legitimately angry and not stagey angry. She brings a lovely realness of emotion in her singing, as well, and a voice that fits both her character and the songs.

As with many musicals, the second act lacks the nonstop zing of the first, as the plot has to be dealt with, but even the ending you see coming from a mile away can’t diminish the show’s obvious but not heavy-handed messages: Families come in many varieties, change can result in something better, and always look for love to lead the way.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at [email protected]. Find more arts news at  OrlandoSentinel.com/entertainment .

‘Mrs. Doubtfire’

• Length: 2:35, including intermission
• Where: Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando
• When: April 23-28
• Cost: $45 and up
• Info: drphillipscenter.org

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CNY Pizza Tour, stop #16: This suburban spot might be CNY’s biggest pizzeria

• Updated: Apr. 23, 2024, 10:30 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 10:00 a.m.

Jon Sturgis, the floor manager at The Wildcat in Camillus, delivers our tomato and basil pizza. The Wildcat is the 16th stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | [email protected]) (Charlie Miller | [email protected])

• Charlie Miller | [email protected]

(It’s a debate every Central New Yorker has had at some point: Who’s got the best pizza? This year, we’ll do our best to find out. I’m on a quest to find the best pizza shops in the Syracuse area. Throughout 2024, I’ll visit 50-plus pizzerias. At each, I’ll sample their most popular pizza, or whatever they recommend. As I go, I’ll score each one, and tell readers a little bit about the shop itself.)

More from the CNY PIzza Tour

• CNY Pizza Tour, stop #15: At Pies Guys, order this rogue chef’s off-the-menu pizza
• CNY Pizza Tour, stop #14: Is there a nicer guy in the pizza business than Robbie T?
• CNY Pizza Tour, stop #13: What the heck is a Bang Bang chicken pizza? That’s Amore
• CNY Pizza Tour, stop #12: At Angotti’s, sometimes the best pizza is the most simple of all
• CNY Pizza Tour, stop #11: Why Syracuse’s most famous pizzeria probably caused your Freshman 15

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