Into the Veil at Green-Wood Cemetary
photo by Amanda Hatfield

S U R V I V E played a cemetery ++ pics from 'Into the Veil'

Atlas Obscura took over historic (and large!) Green-Wood Cemetery on Friday (10/13) and Saturday (10/14) night for their annual and very special pre-Halloween event, Into the Veil. Hundreds of people were let loose in one of NYC’s biggest pieces of green land with only a map and tea lights to guide their way. Indoor and outdoor stations were set up in specific areas of the cemetery, some inside mausoleums, some outside on large grassy areas. Bands included Carolin Pook who played strings inside the beautiful chapel, the soulful Reverend Vince Anderson and the Love Choir who played outside at the “Crossroads”, and S U R V I V E — the main event of the night — who played an hour set out in the middle of a “Circle” (of graves) that felt like Stonehenge without the big rocks. The four band members (two of whom, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, make the music for Stranger Things) were set up with their multitude of gear, surrounded by people standing and sitting on the grass and on the hill that surrounds it. It was a truly surreal and magical experience to be watching the band in that setting, on a perfect fall night (on Friday the 13th!) in the middle of a graveyard in Brooklyn.

Many people were dressed for the occasion, looking goth or just in “cocktail attire” as the event description suggested. Some just showed up in average street clothes. Bars were set up throughout for those partaking in alcohol (as were porta potties).

Atlas Obscura hosts unique events all over the world, in cemeteries, theatres, mansions, and beyond. Their upcoming NYC events include Secret Brooklyn: An Unusual Guide in a rooftop garden along Newtown Creek 10/23, a mead tasting in NYC’s first commercial meadery 10/25, and an after-hours exploration of the Rare Books Room at New York Academy of Medicine 11/8. See Atlas Obscura’s events page for a full listing of their upcoming events.

The second season of Stranger Things premieres just in time for Halloween on October 27; you can watch the final trailer and listen to a track of S U R V I V E members Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein score now.

S U R V I V E are also releasing RR7387, an EP of remixes and reinterpretations. It’s due out November 3 via Relapse.

For more Halloween happenings, visit our 2017 NYC Halloween event guide.

photos by Amanda Hatfield