Carnivàle Icône is coming to the Raising Cane’s River Center for the first time on April 11. Performers include Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon and Nelly with performances by Bayou Cirque Productions.
Carnivàle Icône is a circus-themed event that features big name artists surrounded by additional performers such as acrobats, stilt walkers, fire breathers and contortionists.
The event is being put on by Rock n’ Concepts, a talent-buying and entertainment-producing company. Ian Vaughn, the owner of Rock n’ Concepts, is hoping to bring a new musical experience to Baton Rouge and other cities.
Vaughn describes the event as Cirque De Soleil meets Mardi Gras with live entertainment and multiple iconic featured artists.
“We wanted to find iconic artists that are still producing music today and that still have a level of relevancy and are still selling tickets and put them all on one bill together,” Vaughn said.
Snoop Dogg, Nelly and Lil Jon will each have a set to perform and these sets will include carnival-themed entertainment. In addition to being intertwined within the acts, live entertainment from Bayou Cirque Productions will take place in between each act. Vaughn wants to create a performance that is captivating from start to finish.
“It keeps full engagement from start to finish to keep it fun and festive. It creates an experience very different from what you’d expect,” Vaughn said. “Each one of these artists, their shows are phenomenal by themselves. It’s hit after hit with a lot of energy. Rather than having highs and lows, we’re going to try to keep it at a high the entire time.”
This is the first year that Carnivàle is hosting performances of this type, and Baton Rouge is the first stop on the tour. Carnivàle will become an annual event and will feature new artists each year. The term “Icône” in the 2019 tour reflects the iconic musicians featured on this year’s tour. Future tours may see terms such as “Classique” and “Soirée.”
“We’re going to keep it fun and festive, but not necessarily sticking to one set or rules of genres,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to do a rock billing one year, and then pull out the classic stuff one year and just keep evolving.”
After the show at the Raising Cane’s River Center, there will be an official after-party at the Varsity Theatre. EDM artists Steve Aoki and Riot Ten will be performing. Vaughn hopes to draw a large LSU crowd to the after-party and expand the EDM movement in Baton Rouge.
The 18+ show begins at 7 p.m. and will be immediately followed by the after-party. Tickets for Carnivàle Icône can be purchased at www.raisingcanesrivercenter.com and tickets for the after-party can be purchased at www.varsitytheatre.com.