Toyota’s Music Den has been on tour during the festival season and arrives this weekend for Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival in downtown Las Vegas (September 22-24). The Music Den serves almost as a mini-festival within a festival, curating more intimate musical experiences for the fans by bringing the performers up close and personal within a smaller setting. At this year’s LIB the Den line up includes Viceroy, David Shaw and Zack Feinberg of The Revivalists, RAC, Kamaiyah, Day Wave, Local Natives, Broods, Ella Vos, Classixx, Mondo Cozmo, Middle Kids, Tycho, FRENSHIP, Hippo Campus, with Sofi Tukker having to cancel (Quinn XCII is replacing them during their 6:00-6:50pm slot on the Ambassador stage).
What makes Toyota’s investment in festival sponsorship even more special is the inclusion of giving back through their partnership with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, which this year celebrates its 20th Anniversary of supporting and restoring music education in schools. To date, Toyota and VH1 have collectively donated $110,000 in grants, which goes towards supporting 3,370 music students, providing instruments and much-needed funds for school’s music programs.
The Toyota Giving activation has been carried from Stagecoach and Country 500, to Firefly, Ruidofest, Lollapalooza, and now Life is Beautiful (the last being Voodoo Festival in New Orleans next month). Festivalgoers and performing artists alike will be able to express what music music means to them by participating in having their Instagram “polaroid” photos printed to create a mosaic mural and sharing their IG posts to help promote the #ToyotaGiving campaign, which will donate $40,000 to three Las Vegas schools.
The local Las Vegas group whose members have become hometown heroes, Imagine Dragons, made a visit to Ed W. Clark High School where they performed at the school on Thursday, September 21, forever changing the typical high school assembly experience for its students.
Playing music was a two-way street, as the Clark High School band also performed the Imagine Dragons hit single, “Radioactive.” Lead vocalist Dan Reynolds shared his appreciation for the music students, “One thing we can focus on that’s an incredible positive thing is what you guys are doing – your voices and actions are resonating around the world – the youth are changing the world right now,” he said.
“Whether you know it or not you are, with your sense of acceptance, love and kindness. Thank you for making a greater, more healthy environment for people who are unique that feel on the outside. You guys are pretty incredible and keep changing the world.”
Back at LIB’s Huntridge Stage, the fun continues through Toyota’s Cosmic Paradise VR activation that enables festivalgoers to experience an “undiscovered world” in the new 2018 Camry. Haven taken a not-so-great VR ride in a Toyota vehicle activation a few years ago at SXSW, I expect the level of VR development that’s taken place since then will most likely deliver a superior Cosmic VR experience. From the future to the past, Toyota’s RAV4 StarLITE turns the beloved 70’s Lite Brite game into a life-size chance to play with huge colored pegs and win prizes in the process.
If you’re not able to make it to Vegas this weekend for Life is Beautiful, Yahoo will deliver the festival’s live stream as part of Toyota’s sponsorship, enabling you to rock out to Gorillaz, Lorde, Muse, Two Door Cinema Club, Wix Khalifa, and other artists live and on VOD by going to yahoo.com/music.
Following all the art, music, food, and festivities at:
www.lifeisbeautiful.com
www.facebook.com/LifeIsBeautifulFest
@LifeIsBeautiful
Instagram.com/LifeIsBeautiful
Snapchat (@LIBeautifulFest)
