Nas To Celebrate ‘Illmatic’ Anniversary With Live Orchestra In Las Vegas
Nas is continuing his celebration of Illmatic‘s 30th anniversary with a string of orchestra-backed live performances in Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend.
The event, dubbed Nas With the Las Vegas Philharmonic, will include three shows and take place at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on Thursday, August 29, Saturday, August 31, and Sunday, September 1.
The legendary lyricist gave a statement to Billboard about hitting the stage in Sin City, describing the upcoming performances as groundbreaking and unique to any he’s done thus far. “Las Vegas has always served as a creative outlet for my music, and these performances will take that to the next level,” Nas told the outlet.
“I am excited to partner with the Las Vegas Philharmonic to bring this first-of-its-kind performance to Encore Theater and to showcase my music to my fans in Las Vegas in a whole new way.” According to Bobby Reynolds, AEG Presents Las Vegas SVP, the pairing of Nas and the Las Vegas Philharmonic is a perfect match and will be amplified by the ambiance at the famed venue.
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Nas to Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas for this historic collaboration with the Las Vegas Philharmonic to celebrate one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made,” Reynolds said in a statement.
“Marrying Nas’ legendary catalog with the unparalleled sound of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Is guaranteed to be an unforgettable and must-see experience for all Nas fans, and there is no venue more perfect in Las Vegas for this collaboration or a better place to be this Labor Day Weekend for entertainment than Encore Theater.”
Illmatic, Nas’ debut album, was released on April 19, 1994. The album is widely regarded as one of the most significant and impactful bodies of work that Hip-Hop has produced, and was inducted into the Library of Congress in 2021, one of only a handful of rap albums to earn that distinction.
Last month, the 50-year-old emcee reflected on Illmatic‘s release in a post on social media commemorating the 30th anniversary of its release. “I had a dream I could get my favorite producers to produce on my debut album. I knew exactly what I wanted and how it should be,” Nas wrote at the time. “On April 19th we smashed sh*t.”
TIckets for Nas With the Las Vegas Philharmonic go on sale Friday (May 24) at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster. Prices start at $69.95, plus applicable fees.
More from VIBE.com
