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The Chainsmokers to perform gig at edge of space

The Chainsmokers are set to become the first music act to perform at the edge of space.

The US duo – Drew Taggart and Alex Pall – have signed up to get into a pressurised capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon and play a gig 20 miles above the Earth.

The chart-topping pair are lined up for one of space tourism company World View’s inaugural flights, planned for 2024, and will record a performance from inside the capsule.

Ryan Hartman, CEO of the Arizona-headquartered firm, tells The Associated Press that he hopes linking with The Chainsmokers will capture the imagination of a new generation.

“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure”

“We think about inspiring new perspectives and how those new perspectives can lead to a radically improved future for our Earth,” said Hartman. “To be able to reach the audience of The Chainsmokers through Alex and Drew’s work contributes to our mission as well. It’s something that I’m personally inspired by and excited about.”

A 2019 Forbes report named The Chainsmokers as the highest-paid act in electronic music, raking in $46 million over the course of the year.

Revealing that his son was a fan of the band, Hartman adds: “I have just seen first-hand and personally how their music reaches a lot of different groups, a lot of different age groups and just how passionate they are about their music and their art. It matches our passion for what we do.”

“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure and experience,” add The Chainsmokers in a statement. “We know the views of both Earth and space are going to be incredible and inspiring and we hope to leverage this flight for creativity on future projects.”

 


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US venue charges for concerts in private gardens

A venue in Evanston, Illinois, is bringing the live concert experience to people’s homes, putting on private, socially distanced gigs for households in their front gardens.

Space, a 330-capacity live music venue and recording studio that has hosted the likes of the Lumineers and Alabama Shakes, announced its To-Go Concerts series last week, with the first 30-minute micro-concerts by Jason Narducy (Bob Mould Band, Split Single, Superchunk, Verböten), set to take place on a number of local residents’ lawns on Saturday (9 May).

The concerts, which include take-away drinks and food from the venue’s sister restaurant, Union Squared, cost US$450 per household and are limited to audiences of ten.

The request line for the first set of concerts are now closed, with Space owner Jake Samuels telling local press that 60 people applied to have a concert on their front lawn.

Staff will be on hand to keep people at a distance and prevent neighbours from wandering over. The team will wear fully sanitised gloves and masks and move on to the next residence if overcrowding becomes an issue.

The concerts, which include take-away drinks and food, cost US$450 per household and are limited to audiences of ten

To-Go Concerts is the latest addition to the venue’s lockdown offering, which has run the free-to-watch All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Show virtual concert series since the venue closed its doors in March. Viewers are encouraged to make a donation of $5 via a virtual tipping tool.

The venue has also set up a GoFundMe page and is selling merchandise. The venue is part of the newly established National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), an alliance of US grassroots venues lobbying congress for sector-specific assistance.

Since 2018, Space has hosted outdoor concert series Out of Space, which has seen performances from the likes of Mavis Staples, Toots and the Maytals, Yo la Tengo and Jeff Tweedy. This year’s edition is set to feature Death Cab For Cutie and Big Boi. A decision will be made on whether the event will go ahead “very soon”. A stay-at-home order is in place in Illinois until the end of May.

Space’s To-Go Concerts initiative is an example of how to generate revenue and keep fans entertained beyond the digital realm, as venues grapple with continuing lockdown restrictions around the world.

Venues remain shuttered in the vast majority of US states, although some in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas are gradually reopening under certain restrictions. Arkansas venue, TempleLive, plans on staging its first socially distanced concert next week, with concertgoers assigned ‘fan pods’ – clusters of seating separated from other fans.

Photo: James Richards IV/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (cropped)

 


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Space to reopen as Hï Ibiza

As predicted by former resident DJ Carl Cox, Ibiza superclub Space, which closed last summer, is to reopen this spring under new management.

The 5,000-cap. club – last year voted the best in the world – will reopen its doors as Hï Ibiza on 28 May, with an opening bash featuring DJs Black Coffee, Luciano, Apollonia, Joris Vorn, Kölsch, Nic Fanciulli, Andrew Oliva and Davide Squillace.

According to new owner Ushuaïa Entertainment, which also runs Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel, Hï Ibiza “aims to unite the highest standards of music and entertainment, bringing world-class music experiences to a club designed with the dancer in mind. The state-of-the-art club will showcase the most exciting names in electronic music throughout the summer, from the biggest stars in the scene to the leading lights of the underground, continuing the island’s legacy as the party capital of the world. […]

“Hï is a welcome to a new era in Ibiza”

“‘Hi’ is a small word that can be the beginning of a meaningful conversation [or] the start of a beautiful friendship that can lead to a bigger world of discovery. ‘Hi’ is a welcome to a new era in Ibiza.”

The new resident DJ will be Dutch house artist Martin Garrix.

Ushuaïa Beach Hotel and rival club Pacha were raided by Spanish police last September as part of an investigation into tax fraud, reportedly seizing several million euros in cash.

 


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