music 40 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 10-16, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com With its rugged coastline, natural beauty and mild climate, Monterey can really seem like a different world. Like many before him, that inspiration struck Ro Sahebi, founder and executive producer of the upcoming event Worlds Away. Along with public relations point-person Greg Cortez and festival director Nelson Diaz, Sahebi agreed that the idyllic city would be the perfect place to birth a new electronic dance music festival-experience. The high profile event takes place on Oct. 12 at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, with Grammy award-winning icons Tiësto and The Chainsmokers headlining. Tiësto is a house music legend considered the “godfather” of EDM. The Chainsmokers, with their electropop flair, are EDM royalty. The announcement of the one-day festival during the summer sent a buzz throughout the community and, according to event organizers, the first tier of VIP packages sold out weeks before the event. Sahebi and Diaz wanted to pay homage to the grounds often considered to be the birthplace of the modern festival movement. Recalling the Monterey International Pop Festival, which took place June 16-18, 1967, Sahebi says the location became “a no-brainer,” beating out other considerations in the United Kingdom and South Beach, Florida. “That original music festival was considered most likely the catalyst for the modern festival format,” Sahebi says. “We wanted to create something that was next-generation.” “Next-generation” is the key term in Sahebi’s statement. In addition to world-renowned artists coming to Monterey, the festival promises a technological component, where attendees will be able to have experiences through augmented reality using their smartphones. Diaz says the event’s technology sponsor, Augmento, has allowed the producers to have fun with the fairgrounds and its history. “Everyone remembers the famous Jimi Hendrix burning the guitar at the fairgrounds,” Diaz says. “There will be a point at the fairgrounds with AR and with the activations that Augmento will be doing where you’ll be able to see a hologram interpolation of that.” A smartphone app will be available for download for attendees to collect planets for points, along with other interactive activities. The producers say the app will be festival-goers’ gateway to a full next-generation experience. “Most festivals are focused on getting bigger and bigger, not so much on the quality of the experience,” Sahebi points out. As spectacular as a hologram of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar may seem, several components had to fall into place for Worlds Away to happen. Fortunately for the Pendulum team, which produces music events internationally, they did. After learning of the cancellation of the Rebels & Renegades festival originally set for the same date, and considering Monterey’s proximity to Silicon Valley—ample for bringing technological partnerships onboard for the event—stars aligned for the team to create the event. This, along with Pendulum’s connections to the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, allowed Sahebi and Diaz to book the two major headliners. Sahebi admits that booking such acts was not easy, and the team had to “call in some favors” with agencies, especially for a first-year festival. But even with world-renowned names, bringing a new event into existence comes with several risk factors. The advice they got from other festival promoters was not to be discouraged by ticket sales during the first year. “That has not been the case,” exclaims Sahebi, suggesting that early sales had exceeded expectations. “This is just the beginning. I consider it a preview year,” he adds. According to the team, the festival has already been invited to come back for a second year. “We’re trying to build a movement. We want to grow out of the word ‘festival’ into ‘an experience,’” Sahebi says. Part of that experience, for the money-is-no-object crowd, is a “don’t ask” VIP ticket. No details are forthcoming, unless you are serious. “We want to create that experience here in Monterey and make this a destination for this time of year,” he adds. Worlds Away starts at 10am Saturday, Oct. 12. Monterey County Fair & Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey. $175-$300/general admission; $450- $1,500/VIP; $6,000-$20,000/suites. worldsaway.io. Beyond Orbit The new Worlds Away music festival promises a cutting-edge experience to go with the beats. By Sloan Campi “We’re trying to build a movement.” Above: Worlds Away organizers Ro Sahebi and Nelson Diaz. Below: Tiësto, one of the event’s headliners, is a Grammy winner who has been at or near the top of the international Top 100 DJs list every year since 2000. Daniel Dreifuss Worlds Away The lineup includes international and rising stars of the electronic dance music scene, performing a variety of house, bass, pop, trance, techno and nu-disco sets. 10:30am Informal 11:30am Piero Spada 1:15pm Ayokay 2:15pm Lost Kings 3:15pm Sam Feldt 4:30pm R3HAB 6pm Tiësto 7:50pm Lauv 9:30pm The Chainsmokers Lineup subject to change Ramona Rosales
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