Go to the Live Beneath the Waves website
Arjen Lucassen announces 3 shows at the 013 venue in Tilburg in September 2023
After 4 sold out ‘Ayreon – Electric Castle Live & other Tales’ shows at the 013 venue in
The Netherlands in 2019 (attended by 12,000 Ayreon fans from 64 countries) and 3 sold
out ‘Ayreon Universe’ shows in 2017, Ayreon is poised to add yet another exciting
chapter to its live history with “01011001 Live Beneath the Waves.” This upcoming
production is based on the highly acclaimed Ayreon concept album ‘01011001’, originally
released in 2008. The album will be performed in its entirety, plus a few extra songs. It
will be a huge live production, with an amazing stage design, stunning visuals, special
FX and…a unique live surround audio experience!
Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen and keyboardist Joost van den Broek have gathered loads
of the original singers of the 01011001 album and many special guests, alongside a stellar
group of instrumentalists to perform the 01011001 album live to the highest musical standard
possible. Arjen himself will also feature on vocals. It’s shaping up to be the biggest cast of any
live Ayreon show to date. The show is called ‘Live Beneath the Waves’ since most of the story of
the album takes place on the aquatic Planet Y. The show will transport you visually into this
technological underwater world. Visitors can expect a massive, state-of-the-art live production
with a unique decor, visuals, pyrotechnics and special FX. On top of that this show will have live
surround audio, a unique and pioneering technology that will add a whole new immersive
dimension to the music.
While the 2019 ’Electric Castle Live & Other Tales’ show was atmospheric and dynamic, the
01011001 shows will be more mysterious, industrial and bombastic, translating the original
album in the most authentic way possible. Besides playing the entire album from start to finish,
there will be much more to make this show a unique special occasion that Ayreon fans will not
want to miss. Additional info and extra surprises will be announced in the weeks to come.
Arjen: “I must say that the sheer excitement of seeing one of my favourite Ayreon albums
01011001 come alive on stage definitely overrides my not-so-secret terror of playing live! When
I approached the musicians and crew about joining us for this show, it was really heart-warming
to get positive reactions within a matter of minutes! And I’m sure it will be equally heart-warming
to see the warm sea of happy faces in the crowd in the 013 venue. As always we will do our
best to spoil everyone, hope to see you there!”
To give the fans coming from all over the world the full Ayreon experience, the city of Tilburg will
once again be transformed into an Ayreon city with many special Ayreon-themed events. There
will be an Ayreon pop-up store with many exciting elements and special performances, and the
‘Electric Castle Live & Other Tales’ will be played at the Pathé cinema. There will also be an
Ayreon camping site, big Ayreon flags all through the city and restaurants and bars will have
special Ayreon themes and deals. There will also be Ayreon beer, discount coupons for fans at
shops, etc etc…everything possible to make it an unforgettable experience!
“I’m very excited that we’re gonna bring 01011001 live to the stage”, says lead producer Joost
van den Broek, “This live production will raise the bar to a whole new level in all aspects for us.
I’m sure we are going to create the most impressive and epic show so far. The big challenge will
be to seamlessly combine all the elements of this show that we’re creating. Especially by adding
the groundbreaking ‘surround sound’ element to the show, the listener experience will be
uniquely enhanced. The 01011001 album has a very specific sound and vibe, which we’re
aiming to translate to our live performance as authentically and ‘larger-than-life’ as possible. I
can’t wait for next year’s show when everything we’ve worked on will come together in the 013
venue and I’ll have the honor of sharing the stage with this great cast of musicians, playing in
front of the always amazing Ayreon fans!”
Ticket-sales start on the 27th of October at 3 pm CEST.
For more info, please see https://arjenlucassen.com/live