Diesel kicked off the second installment of its Diesel U Music Tour at New York’s Webster Hall last Thursday, where contest-winning bands Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! and Heartsrevolution opened for a lineup that included Cobra Starship, Passion Pit, the Roots, and a surprise performance by Kanye West. Taking over most of the sprawling venue, the event garnered some 1,700 guests; the balcony V.I.P. area offered elevated views to music industry insiders. An open bar on the general and V.I.P. levels offered Bud Light and Don Julio tequilas.
The denim brand geared up for the event with 10 days of in-store promotions. Deisel’s Fifth Avenue flagship hosted celebrity DJs in its ground floor window starting July 20, and several performances took place on a stage set up inside the shop. Other Diesel locations offered a promotion that gave wristbands for the invite-only concert to shoppers who wore Diesel jeans into the store at specific times.
U Music includes both prominent and emerging talent, so Diesel opted to give two spots on the New York stage to winners of a contest it sponsored several months ago. Sony Music publishing manager Atsushi Inoue and Spin magazine senior editor Ellen Carpenter were among the members of the international jury that chose Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! and Hearsrevolution winners from thousands of entrants.
Produced by Diesel's in-house marketing and creative teams, the tour will see an additional 11 dates across the globe, next stopping August 7 in Tokyo and finishing up in Vienna in December.
