AlunaGeorge to Headline Digital ‘Minecraft’ Concert

AlunaGeorge will headline a first-of-its-kind “concert” tomorrow, March 23rd, that will be held simultaneously live and in the popular world-building game Minecraft, FACT Magazine reports via Norwegian outlet The Local.

The actual concert will take place at the Hamar Olympic Hall in Hamar, Norway as part of that country’s annual tech festival, the Gathering. Along with AlunaGeorge, it will feature Oslo electronic duo Lemaitre and Norwegian DJ team, Broiler. During the show, a team of volunteer gamers will control avatars modeled after the performers, mimicking their on-stage movements in the game.

Users have even begun posting billboards and fliers in the game advertising the concert, and a trailer features AlunaGeorge’s new single “I’m in Control” and a horde of boxy characters scurrying across the pixelated landscape towards the show. But like a normal gig, space will be limited — not because of ticket availability, but server space.

“I’m sure they’ll be able to accommodate around 2,000 to 3,000 people, so this will have the same sort of feel as seeing a show in small concert venue,” said Erik Heisholt, a Gathering organizer and founder of the tech company Heisholt Inc.

The live Minecraft concert is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Central European time, or 4 p.m. ET.

Minecraft has become a sensation since it arrived in 2011. The “sandbox” game allows users to build structures out of textured cubes and explore as they please, but also offers an array of adventures and activities. The game’s creator, Markus Persson, is also an avid music fan and musician: He records electronica under the name Markus Alexei and in 2014 dropped $46,300 on a rare vinyl copy of the lost Apex Twin album, Caustic Window.