'Immersive Sound Show' Debuts This Summer At Forest Hills Stadium

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- English indie rock band "alt-J"announced on Monday that it will headline its biggest U.S. concert yet at the Forest Hills Stadium this summer, promising there will be no bad seats in what they claimed is the first-ever "immersive sound show" in the country.

Alt-J will perform at the Queens concert hall on June 15 with opening act Kamasi Washington, using "hyperrealism technology" to immerse its audience members. Basically, that means a surround-sound speaker will encase the venue's entire audience, adding in special sound effects throughout the show and bringing the same front-row sounds to every seat in the venue, said Jim Merlis, the band's publicist.

"The speakers are going to be set up so that everyone gets the same kind of sound," Merlis told Patch. "It ensures there won't be any kind of bad areas or dead spots anywhere in the venue."

Merlis said that, according to L-ISA, a London-based hyperrealism technology developer, the upcoming concert will be the first in North America to use the immersive audio technology. The band is so confident in the technology that the entire Forest Hills venue - including its floor and bowl - will be general admission for the night so fans can enjoy the concert from every angle, he said.

"There's more speakers throughout the venue, and that's why they're able to guarantee the sound is the same at every single place in the room," Merlis said.

Both Merlis and Forest Hills Stadium spokesman Patrick Confrey claimed the elaborate speaker setup would also add special sound affects to the band's performance, but said they've yet to receive specific details on what those sound effects will include or how they'll work.

Confrey told Patch that as the show gets closer, more information will be available on "the unusual nature of the show."

"Every year we try to bring new ideas to our historic stadium, but we've never done anything quite like this," he said.

Alt-J also expressed its excitement for the concert in a tweet on Monday, saying the show would be "a milestone in our American touring history."

The Cambridge-based trio - featuring Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Green - earned a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative album for its second album, "This is All Yours" and is now on tour promoting its third album, "Relaxer." The band also won a "Knights Of Illumination" award for the arena lighting production that will be featured in its Forest Hills show.

Alt-J is the third headliner announced for Forest Hills Stadium's concert series this summer. The list so far includes Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats co-headlining with The Head and the Heart on June 9, and Belle & Sebastian with Perfume Genius and Frankie Cosmos on June 8.

Tickets to the show are available in a Fan Club Presale starting 10 a.m. on Jan. 30 at AXS.com and open up to the public at 10 a.m. on Feb. 2. Prices range from $59.50 to $69.

Lead photo courtesy of Big Hassle Media.