UW Planetarium Will Host ‘Mesmerica’ May 5-6

The University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium will play host to James Hood’s “Mesmerica” Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, with one-hour performances at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. each evening.

Tickets are $12 for ages 6-13 and are $34 for adults. For tickets, go here. The planetarium, which seats 64, is in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. However, “Mesmerica” will only use 58 seats for its performances. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis outside of designated ADA/wheelchair seating.

“Mesmerica” is described as a visual musical journey that brings the mesmerizing music of Grammy-nominated composer and percussionist James Hood together with visually hypnotic, 3D-animated art curated from artists around the world. Through March 21, Mesmerica has sold out 1,000 shows in 30 North American cities, according to its website.

“The power of immersive music and art is like no other art form,” Hood says. “It has the ability to create unique moods and brain states, and we’re so thrilled and honored to be able to showcase this full-dome presentation in such a wonderful venue as the planetarium.”

Hood has a diverse musical background. He played drums in the British-American rock band The Pretenders; has an ongoing two decades-plus run as the mastermind of the visionary ambient/electronica act Moodswings; and has an expansive array of production and soundtrack projects. Hood’s albums “Ceremony” and “Pure Ceremony” each reached No. 1 on the World and New Age charts in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

“Mesmerica” is a special event outside of the planetarium’s regular monthly schedule. Moodswings LLC oversees ticketing and marketing for its events, says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator.

“They are scheduled to run each Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. through May 20,” Gilbraith says. “They only release tickets for sale once the previous weekend sells out.”

Gilbraith adds there is a hold on the theater for “Mesmerica” performances to run Sundays if there are extremely strong ticket sales.