When music fans flood into the Hollywood Palladium Saturday night, they’re not showing up for just any show. They’re entering the Volpeverse, something the electronic musician Ray Volpe compares more to a theme park than a performance.
Yes, Volpe will be playing hits like “Laserbeam” and “Game Over,” but attendees will also get to enjoy a narrative, striking visuals, interactive elements and some surprises.
“This will be an experience. It’s not just a concert,” he said.
Volpe explained that the Volpeverse is not something like short film clips or skits between songs; the Volpeverse keeps the party going with music and uses the story to augment Volpe’s bass-heavy songs.
“It’s very similar to being at Disney or Universal Studios when you’re on a movie park ride,” he said. “You’re climbing up to the climax on top of the roller coaster and then someone from ‘The Incredibles’ pops up and they’re talking to you for half a second. It’s stuff like that that really hooks you in. I try to make it very immersive.”
So why go through the extra effort? The technophile said he’s a “a huge comic book nerd, a huge gaming nerd, a huge tech nerd,” and the chance to create an experience like this allowed him and his co-creators to combine several of his passions at once.
And where better to unveil it than Los Angeles, Volpe’s home for the last five years?
The musician will be headlining for the first time at the Palladium Saturday night, and the show sold out in a week. A second event, a smaller performance Friday night, also sold out.
“I believe it’s just my second show playing there ever. I did support, maybe the third person on the show, for Excision, who’s one of the biggest names in dubstep, here back in December 2021,” he said. “So just a few short years later to be, to be able to headline. … We didn’t expect it to happen this soon. It’s really cool.”
For the lucky fans who already have a ticket and those who are able to score one before Saturday night, Volpe teased “the biggest announcement of my career” at the show’s end, which includes a Marvel-esque post-credits scene as well.
Between the music, the surprises and the rest of the Volpeverse, Volpe aims to create a unique experience for his fans that isn’t “like every other weekend at a show.”
“Some [performers], I think, try to keep raves and shows to just the music, and I understand that,” he explained. “But I try to make it a higher experience for everybody as much as I can because if you’re paying for a ticket, then I want you to remember this forever. I want this to become a core memory for you.”
