Alison Wonderland’s Reaches Out To Fans Through WONDERVERSE Concert Experience

By Ryan Hayes

Alison Wonderland’s Wonderverse was a successful experiment in interactivity. Its aim was to connect die hard fans around the world, and in a time of isolation give them something to rally around—a reason to come together and celebrate their love for dance music.

It’s difficult to compare Wonderverse to other digital experiences; the Digital Mirage festivals were free and featured a bevy or artists, Tomorrowland’s visuals stand in a league of their own, and individual artists have been pumping out weekly streams for months on end. From a visual standpoint Wonderverse conjured a fun world of whimsy. While relatively simplistic, and a tad cheesy, the visuals were the vehicle allowing the show to deliver key interactive moments.

Whether you were voting to transport AW to mushroom/forest realms or smashing a button repeatedly to send her blue orbs of spirit energy to help he reach her final form, you felt connected to the show throughout the entire event. Even more directly fans were able to send AW answers to questions she posed during her set, which she would then react to live. Attendees could also opt to switch on their cams and videos of them partying popped up in both the virtual word and the studio AW was streaming from in L.A.   

From a musical standpoint the set was not as fast paced as regular AW fare, likely because she was splitting her attention to interact with the crowd. However, unlike most digital events—it was a real live performance. AW’s genuine energy permeated her entire set, and it was clear she was legitimately enjoying herself for the duration of the event. The ID’s she dropped ranged from Flume energy, in the style of her latest single ‘Bad Things,’ to heavy DnB inspiration; she purposely drew attention to one heavily DnB slanted ID she called ‘Eyes Closed.’

The event wasn’t perfect, you could feel the digital growing pains, but it brought fans together in a unique way during a period of prolonged isolation. It provided thousands with a direct link to AW who ended the event with a rapid-fire Q&A session. As a platform WAVE is on to something with their live interactive performances, but the true success of Wonderverse stood squarely on the shoulders of AW’s personality. Her charisma and passion made the event a success, and a rewarding experience for diehard fans.