The Sphere — the groundbreaking, immersive new venue in in Las Vegas that hosted eye-popping residencies by U2, Dead & Co., Phish and soon the Eagles — has announced its first-ever EDM show, which will take place on New Year’s Eve: Afterlife-Interscope recording artist Anyma, who will present his ambitious “The End of Genesys” audio-visual show at the venue. Currently, there will be just one performance at the venue.
The event, presented by Live Nation, is based around Anyma (real name: Matteo Milleri)’s “Genesys” and “Genesys II” albums, the latter of which features collaborations with Grimes, Sevdaliza and others — the announcement promises “the inclusion of special guests,” so the participation of those two artists seems likely. Anyma has also released remixes of Fred Again’s Future-featuring hit “Turn on the Lights Again” and Lana Del Rey’s “Say Yes to Heaven.” With Carmine Conte (aka MRAK), he is one half of the Berlin-based electronic duo Tale of Us; he is also co-founder of Afterlife Records and has 2.1 million followers on Instagram.
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The announcement continues, “Sphere’s next-generation technologies — including the world’s highest-resolution LED display and its advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by Holoplot — will be combined with Anyma and Afterlife’s signature production. Fans can expect a sensory-expanding mix of innovative visuals and sounds that defy the boundaries of what’s possible.” The general onsale will begin Tuesday, July 23 at 9 a.m. PT.
An obvious question would be why the Sphere, which has drawn rave reviews for the dazzling visuals that have accompanied its concerts, is presenting its first dance-music concert with a popular although relatively niche artist, rather than a David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Diplo, Tiesto or Swedish House Mafia, or even festival perennials like Rufus du Sol or Odesza. While sources pointed to Anyma’s headlining sets at the Afterlife festivals and prominent performances at Coachella and others, it’s worth nothing that many — although certainly not all — of the world’s top DJs have exclusive residency deals with Las Vegas nightclubs that may prevent them from headlining such a festival. It is also possible the Sphere may want to test its first dance-music event with a non-superstar artist.
Anyma is represented by CAA and managed by Aurelia Ortiz of Encode Talent and Evan Baker of Eau-Forte.