Emerge releases lineup for new music event on Las Vegas Strip
Details are gradually emerging for the Emerge Music and Impact Conference.
The event for rising artists and featuring themed discussion sessions is set for April 6-8. According to a news release today, the lineup is to include such events as the Fairytale Ball, described as, “an interactive opening-night performance spectacular, co-produced by The Tenth Magazine.
The event is to retell the history of how the underground House/Ballroom scene rose from the Harlem Renaissance, which turned the New York City neighborhood it a cultural hub.
The Fairytale Ball will feature such emerging performers as Michell’e Michaels, Kumari Suraj, Pony Zion, and DJ Mike Q.
Keeping with the whimsy of the Emerge template, the full and final schedule for the three-day festival has not yet been made public. But we can expect showcases to be staged at Brooklyn Bowl, Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace, Harrah’s and Bunkhouse Saloon, among other venues. The event was initially announced during a news conference at Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel.
In a statement issued today, Emerge creator and founder Rehan Choudhry said, “There is nothing else like Emerge, which is what motivated us to build it. As lifelong festival goers, music lovers and appreciators of human complexity, we wanted to create an experience that captures the early collaborative spirit and feeling of discovery that accompanied events that have since gone the way of commercial showcases. We’re building a place where, no matter when or how you show up, you’re stumbling across something new or finding reasons to re-examine your own perspectives.”
At least 10 musical showcases are set, with artists such as Hurray for the Riff Raff, Poppy, Waxahatchee, CupcakKe, and Cuco. Featured artists OK Go will present a the interactive experience, “OK Go Playing the Live Soundtrack to Your Favorite Music Videos.”
An open, rally-style event, Speaking Truth to Power, is folded in to the three-day schedule. The event itself is a celebration of the art of the protest, with a music lineup including Jena Friedman, Rick Smolan, Crystál Xochitl Zamora, and other musical guests. More than 10 showcases of varying themes, exploring protest and resistance, personal identity, the advancement of technology and biology, and mental health are all on the schedule.
Also set to appear is the activist artist Indecline, who has constructed and displayed nude statues of President Trump at significant public events across the country since 2016.
Sessions will be led by famed MTV and VHI music host Matt Pinfield, activist/musician Madame Gandhi, poet Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, and video and and podcast host Dylan Marron.
Emerge was originally scheduled for Nov. 16-18, with a collection of Strip venues booked, but organizers decided to move the bulk of its inaugural events to April soon after the Oct. 1 shootings at Route 91 Harvest. Officials said at the time it was too soon after the tragedy to stage an extensive, music-themed event on the Strip.
Emerge did stage an Oct. 1 victims’ benefit show on Nov. 18 at Brooklyn Bowl, with touring acts White Reaper and Mondo Cozmo headlining a bill that included Las Vegas musicians B. Rose, Mike Xavier and Sabriel.
For a current list of participating talent, visit Emergelv.com/lineup. More talent and showcases — and such details as the “where and when” of it all — are to be announced. Three-day passes are $125 and are onsale 10 a.m. Thursday, also on the event’s website.
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John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.