Ray Volpe has been on an upward trajectory for the past few years now and it appears there is no stopping. He has been a staple in festival lineups, and is now about to embark on his most ambitious headlining tour yet, the “VOLPEVERSE” tour, which features a special audio/video experience for fans on the limited number of stops the tour will be making. Ahead of the tour and prior to his set at Goldrush Festival in Phoenix, we were able to talk to him about his set at the festival, returning to Phoenix, and what we can all expect from his VOLPEVERSE show.
TSS: This is your first Phoenix stop since 2022. Are you excited to be back?
Ray Volpe: I last played in Phoenix in 2022 on my LEGEND OF THE VOLPETRON tour! It was a headline at Sunbar, sold it out! It was amazing, such a rowdy crowd even without a rail there! I love coming to Phoenix though, I’m always greeted with friends and long time fans.
TSS: I saw a video from your 2018 set at Phoenix Lights where a girl tore her ACL in a mosh pit. Can fans expect this same type of energy from your set this time around too?
RV: I can’t believe that happened 6 years ago now! You can 100% expect the same type of energy, hopefully not the same type of injury or any injury at all actually hahaha. I think my sets have gotten crazier since then so maybe even an increase in energy.
TSS: What else can we expect from your set at the festival?
RV: I’ve been holding onto so many new collabs and IDs until festival season, so expect tons of new music!
TSS: You just dropped your new song “GAME OVER.” Tell us about the song and what went into the making of it.
RV: I love making music in themes and always dove into video games when I need a break so I thought I’d mix the two and see what would come out of it! I really ramped up the vision of the song in preparation for Excision’s Thunderdome. It was the intro song for that event plus the entirety of Excision’s Nexus tour which I did support for. My animator Andres and I created a title screen video game visual together to go along with it; it turned out to be one of my favorite visuals made.
TSS: Your “VOLPEVERSE” tour starts the day after your festival appearance on October 5 in Montreal. You dub this as a special audio/visual experience. What is in store for those who will be catching these shows?
RV: Imagine you’re on a theme park ride. It’ll be pieces of an actual story featuring a character named Holly, weaved in seamlessly with the music, so while we’re enjoying the music, we’ll also be taking you on a journey! My team and I have been working tirelessly on the set, the visuals that go along with high moments, getting custom lasers programmed for specific moments, and more. It’s easily the most work I’ve put into a project, but I’m so happy with how it’s turned out so far, so I can’t wait for everyone else to check it out.
TSS: How does your VOLPEVERSE setlist compare to what you will be playing the day before the tour at Goldrush? Will it be a completely different experience for anyone who may be catching you at the festival and on your tour?
RV: The VOLPEVERSE set will be completely different from other festival/headline sets! You will be getting a different experience, both will be high energy and fun, in their own rights.
TSS: The tour runs through the end of the year with one date in 2025 in Las Vegas. Between now and then, are you working on anything else or is the tour your primary focus?
RV: I’m working on several projects behind the scenes but VOLPEVERSE is my focus right now! There is something huge though, that will be announced shortly after.
TSS: Anything else you would like to add?
RV: I just want to thank everyone for all the love and support I’ve been receiving the past few years. I’m finally cracking into more grand ideas that I’ve always wanted to execute, so I really hope you’re able to come to a VOLPEVERSE show to experience what I’ve been working on!
So there you have it. Be sure to catch Ray Volpe either at Goldrush this weekend or on his tour! Both sound like can’t miss opportunities. Tickets for the tour can be found here while tickets to Goldrush are still available but running out fast as we are just days away from the event.
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