Electronic dance music artist ILLENIUM sets stage ablaze
By: Katja Timm
On a perfectly temperate early-October night, Virginia Credit Union Live was starting to fill with girls sporting space buns in their hair, glitter on their faces and many were wearing a black jersey with “ILLENIUM” printed on the back.
Illenium is the stage name for Denver-based musician, DJ and record producer Nicholas Miller. Illenium produces EDM, or electronic dance music, which usually involves a DJ mixing songs with melodic music tracks with percussive beats.
Previously, I had never been to an EDM show, and I was not sure what to expect. The three opening acts for the show, William Black, Dabin and Adventure Club were much of the same; a DJ with a laptop mixing music and projecting trippy and ambient visuals behind them. I thought Illenium's stage presence would be the same, but they provided so much more - the artist Illenium himself entered the stage playing guitar accompanied by one of the opening acts Dabin, followed by a drummer, a keyboardist, and singer Annika Wells.
They started with the “I Care” intro, which is an interlude from the beginning of their Ascend album, which led into their song “Fractures.” The crowd was ecstatic, cheering and waving their hands in response to Illenium’s magnetic stage presence. With lasers and sparks shooting from the stage. Every few songs, flames would illuminate the edge of the stage, and at one point a fire blazed from the stage floor for a few minutes. It was so hot near the front, the crowd let out a sigh of relief every time a breeze came by.
Illenium played mostly songs from the Ascend album, and some household favorites, like their remix of Halsey’s “Without Me,” and a cover of Flume’s “Say It.” Near the end of the set, they played “Takeaway,” a collaboration with artists Lennon Stella and The Chainsmokers. Streamers blasted from the rafters after a couple of songs to keep the crowd energized.
As the show was drawing to a close, Dabin held his electric guitar in the air, and in sync with the beat drop, he smashed his guitar on the stage, as the crowd erupted in cheers.
They ended with one of their latest singles, “Good Things Fall Apart.” Confetti exploded onto the crowd, and “Thank You Richmond” was projected onto the stage screen next to Illenium’s emblem as the band left the stage.
In combination with Illenium's live band, their intricate stage props and pyrotechnics, and their ability to please the crowd and keep the fans engaged, their performance was at a high level of quality and versatility. Even someone like me, who is not well versed in the EDM community, would enjoy seeing such an energetic show with such passionate fans.