The Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, are one of the world's seven wonders and, suddenly, one of the world's hottest venues. Out of nowhere, the historic monuments have played host to a variety of high-profile events as of late — why?
Well, the most obvious answer is that it's just a cool idea to have your shindig at the foot of an awe-inspiring man-made miracle. But why so many things in such short order?
Most recently, Travis Scott's announced that he's heading to the Great Pyramids for the launch concert of much-anticipated new album, Utopia — which has been on its own recent world tour alongside some accompanying merch.
There's likely no deeper symbolic relationship between Scott's album and the Pyramids besides the title of Utopia. Really, Scott's event just comes down to a matter of spectacle. And, though hardly anyone can afford to drop everything and fly to Giza come July 28 for Scott's Utopia concert, the show will of course be livestreamed to wring every drop of spectacle out of this thing.
It helps that Great Pyramids are also presumably the most "convenient" of the world's wonders to wrangle for a performance — compared to its six siblings, the Pyramids offer entire desert of space for sound, setup, and seating.
Their simplified shape also makes it easy to borrow the iconography. Do you think it's an accident that Pharrell, whose Instagram bio reads "SON OF A PHAROAH," drew comparisons to the Pyramids of Egypt with the Louis Vuitton showpiece he erected for April's Something In The Water festival?
Nope, the Pyramids are just that darn impressive that it only follows that folks would wanna draw from their imposing presence to lend their own little lives a smidge more gravity.
Hence why techno pioneer Carl Cox leapt at the opportunity to perform in front of Giza's Pyramids in May 2023, a natural follow-up to his 2018 Stonehenge set.
Obviously, there is no one point where the Great Pyramids became "a thing" (they've been "a thing" since long before we were born) but I believe we can at least partially trace the current fixation to December 2022, when Dior hosted its Fall 2023 runway show directly in the shadow of the Great Pyramids, which set the tone for its accompanying campaign.
There were plenty of prior Pyramids concerts from the likes of the Grateful Dead, Shakira, and Frank Sinatra but Dior's fashion show was the first of its kind in Giza.
Given the Travis Scott connection, I wouldn't be surprised if Dior inspired Scott's Utopia concert.
Either way, don't expect the Pyramids to start trending as a venue. Beyond the cost being exorbitant and the distance prohibitive, the magic that makes these spectacles so impactful fades with each repeat.
I mean, not that the Pyramids will ever be less impressive, but you know.
The other seven wonders are a mixed bag of high-profile events: Fendi already took the Great Wall and Rome's Colosseum, while the Taj Mahal has played host to plenty of fashion shows in its time.
But Petra, in Jordan, hasn't hosted a high-profile performance since the 2008 tribute to Pavaratti. All things considered, it ain't even that far from the Pyramids. Perhaps stop number two on the Utopia tour?
