Theoretical Concert Venue:

Ashnikko’s Weedkiller

In this project, we were asked to draft a hypothetical concert venue based off of any album. I chose Ashnikko’s Weedkiller.

Rather than having this concert take place in a conventional venue, I wanted to experiment with what it would look like to have a concert take place in a tunnel. Weedkiller is about the sway between nature and industrialism, where, in spite of modern industrial practices wiping out nature to varying degrees, Ashnikko argues that, in the end, mother nature will reclaim the lost land. Thus, I wanted this venue to exist in a place reminiscent of urban decay. This album is also laden with religious imagery, so I have tried to include touches of religious symbolism where fitting. The rigging is meant to have four stages, of which I have showcased the final one, but I will discuss briefly what each phase would look like. At the start of the concert, she would enter on an escalator, with no particularly interesting rigging. Then, the escalator would split in half and go off to the ends of the stage so as to resemble demon horns. The third phase includes a backlight truss originally parallel to the ceiling angling downwards such that it is perpendicular to the stage, as well as a toplight truss coming down to form a cross. The final stage, the one I have showcased, involves the escalators being hoisted to the top of the tunnel, which, combined with adjusting the heights of other systems, would create a massive tree towering above the audience. Some additional components to my concept that aren’t shown include LED paneling along either side of the audience showing discomfortingly fake looking greenery, as well as a transparent floor, underneath which there would be dead leaves as audiences enter, but would eventually reveal to also have LED tape causing the ground itself to glow.