ILLENIUM electrifies Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on his first of four night residency

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Approaching Bill Graham, I saw all the fans lined up with ILLENIUM jerseys and sparkling outfits, excitedly ready for night one. Making my way over to the box office, I couldn’t help but notice all the friendly security personnel helping to manage the flow of fans entering the auditorium.

Musician and DJ ILLENIUM started his set at 10:30 p.m., with bright warm lights filling the pit and unreal visuals filling the enormous screen surrounding him. He got right into it, playing an intro and transitions into “Gold (Stupid Love),” a song in collaboration with Excision and Shallows. When the beat dropped, flames shot up from the stage with animations of a phoenix.

34-year-old Nicholas Miller, professionally known as ILLENIUM, dedicated this show to his throwbacks. He played many songs from his 2016 debut studio album, Ashes, along with other songs he’s mixed around that same time, including “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers.

ILLENIUM’s set was nothing short of amazing, with pyrotechnics, lasers, smoke machines, and a gigantic screen surrounding him, switching visuals to fit the vibe of each song. At every beat drop, a combination of visual effects would fill Bill Graham and make each song extremely electrifying.

Nearing the end of the show, Miller went all out with the effects. He combined lasers that filled the auditorium with a downpour of sparks that flooded the stage. Miller finished up “Fractures,” featuring Nevve, and the lights went bright as he exited the stage. The crowd screamed “ONE MORE SONG, ONE MORE SONG,” and Miller delivered as he said, “Alright, I got time.” He took the stage once again and officially ended his show by playing his collaboration song with Jon Bellion “Good Things Fall Apart vs. Sad Songs,” featuring Annika Wells. On the final beat drop, confetti was launched into every corner of the venue.

DJ NURKO took the stage at 9 p.m., starting his 75-minute set. NURKO is famously known for his track “Sideways,” which has garnered 43 million streams on Spotify.

DJ Hoang had a set more dedicated to Asian pop culture and artists. He included “APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars, “Gnarly” by KATSEYE, and anime intros as well. He had animations and visuals of Labubus, characters from different anime, and his childhood.