One lineup we keep seeing pop up around the internets at the moment is the Las Vegas based Life is Beautiful, which will see OutKast play their final scheduled performance, Foo Fighters return to the festival stage and Kanye West treat Kanye West to headlining a festival once again. And let’s not forget the Australians who are poking their heads into the event, including Artist of the Month The Preatures! But as you’ll discover this isn’t an event just about the music…
While we regretfully can’t make it over to the event – which is now in its second year – we caught up with Head of Music and Live Performances for the event, Craig Nyman who filled us in on what makes the event so unique, why Las Vegas is its perfect home and we also find out how food, art and learning play their part in the event.
What attracted you about the Life is Beautiful Festival that got you involved?
Rehan Choudhry, the founder, and I had been friends for a while, attended many concerts and festivals together and we talked about putting on some events of our own but a festival we hadn’t really discussed so when the opportunity came up I jumped. I loved the concept and what Life is Beautiful stands for.
You’ve spent a long time working in Las Vegas, how do you think the city lends itself to these sorts of events and what do you think Las Vegas is able to provide Life is Beautiful that perhaps wouldn’t be possible elsewhere?
Las Vegas in the entertainment capital of the world and each year there are more and more events making their way to Las Vegas, from concerts to sporting events/championships and new venue spaces to festivals, it’s a mecca for these type of things. Las Vegas is attractive to these types of events for many reasons but if you think about the infrastructure we have here, there is an abundance of hotel rooms, our airport is one of the easiest to fly into with flights originating from all over the world, it’s an an easy city to get around, the growth and development of the city continues (Las Vegas is fairly young compared to other major cities) and it’s a desirable destination for people to come out for weekend jaunts, conventions, family gatherings, weddings, etc.
Life is Beautiful is a fascinating event in the way that is melds together live music with food and speakers… how did it come to incorporate all these elements?
That credit goes to Rehan who believed in the ability to put four festivals into one. If you look at it as taking the rock stars of each industry, that’s what we’ve been able to do at the festival. It’s a big undertaking but seeing the success in 2013, we knew immediately that this was the way of the future and that all four pillars crossover into one another. It’s wonderful to see a music fan discover art or make their way into one of the speaking sessions or seeing a world renowned chef serving you delicious food while you take in an amazing music performance. The art program for Life is Beautiful is just amazing and really ties all the pillars together. Art is so impactful and important, I brings people together just like music, food and learning.
What makes Life is Beautiful worth the trip?
For me, it’s that perfect storm where we have a massive music lineup, amazing chefs and restaurants, incredible artists and some of the most brilliant minds coming to speak, all in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas.
Who are you most excited to see at the festival this year?
Oh man it’s too tough for me to pick just one but I’m going to say members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra with The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. This is the can’t miss performance of the weekend. It’s a tribute to The Beatles with the philharmonic performing solo before being joined by over 50 cast members from the LOVE show. I get chills just thinking about this. I mean it’s an orchestra and performing arts production joining forces to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles coming to the United States. It’s incredible to think about and I can’t wait to see this happen on Sunday at the Downtown Stage.
Outkast hasn’t played Vegas since 2002, Foo Fighters since 2008, The Weeknd hasn’t performed at a festival in 2 1/2 years, Arctic Monkeys are quickly rising to being one of the top rock bands, Lionel Richie has only played two other US festivals, Skrillex is going to be having full production in Vegas finally, Alt-J are back with their new album, so is TV on The Radio, Panic! At The Disco will play their largest show in Vegas ever (they’re from Vegas). Up and coming groups like St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Galantis, Echosmith, Asgeir, Milky Chance, G-Eazy, Priory, Bear Hands. I could go on and on. It’s going to be three amazing days of music!
What were the biggest challenges in getting the event up in its first year and how has that improved for year two?
I wouldn’t call them challenges but how we were going to make a festival work by shutting down 15 city blocks since we hadn’t done this before. It was great in year one and definitely made it a smoother process leading up to year two.
With over 60,000 patrons in the first year, what was the general feedback from them like? Have you taken feedback on board for 2014?
We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback and that attendees had a wonderful experience for two days. People loved the integration of food, music, art and learning and we heard from many people that discovery was their favorite part of the festival, always stumbling upon something new and unexpected. While it was beyond flattering, we also wanted to make sure we enhanced the experience in 2014.
What did you learn from running the 2013 event that you’re looking to improve up for the 2014 event?
Merging the pillars together more. We’ve been working to make some adjustments to enhance the overall experience; for instance last year we had one culinary village and this year each of the four stages have culinary villages. Art is more present than last year throughout the festival. Learning is going to be taking place inside the same venue that features a whole bunch of art. Our secret garden was a big hit last year and we noticed that fans wanted more places to chill out and relax…
Do you have any dream headliners you hope might play the event in future years?
Already working on those for 2015!
What makes the perfect festival?
The attendees. There is no greater feeling than seeing a festival attendee with a smile on their face knowing they are having a great time. That’s why we do what we do.
Looking at the festivals around the world that have come before you, are there any you would put in that “perfect” category?
I believe every festival in their own right has those moments. As an attendee to many festivals, I always walk away with those memorable moments. A festival is what you make of your time at it which to me makes it perfect.
Any Australian bands that you are in to at the moment?
I’m excited about a few we have on our lineup this year, M4SONIC, Kimbra and The Preatures!
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Life is Beautiful hits Downtown Las Vegas on the 24th, 25th and 26th of October. For tickets and more details, head to: http://www.lifeisbeautiful.com/
