There's a Game of Thrones Rave Happening With Hodor at The Van Buren

Kristian Nairn is a legitimate DJ.

May 21, 2019

Kristian Nairn, a.k.a. Hodor from Game of Thrones, will hold down the decks at The Van Buren this Sunday. Courtesy of The Van Buren

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At last, the global TV mega-spectacle that is Game of Thrones is finally over. The last episode has aired, lots of fictional blood was shed, and boy, are people on Twitter disgruntled about that person who did that thing and the other person that did the other thing. It's true what they say about not being able to please all of the people all the time, but HBO seems to have made everybody mad as a dragon that just lost (SPOILER) after she was (SPOILER) by (SPOILER).

Frankly, I'm sure a lot of people are absolutely sick to the seven hells of anything related to Game of Thrones. But for those not quite ready to depart from the land of Westeros — at least until George R.R. Martin decides to finally finish those freakin' books — there's a special treat happening this weekend at The Van Buren, and just in time to complete Fan Fusion weekend.

For those who have spent their last eight years of Sundays glued to the couch watching dragons dance, it's now time to do some dancing of your own, at a Rave of Thrones hosted by none other than Hodor himself, Kristian Nairn.

Yes, the guy who plays Hodor, the former bodyguard of Bran Stark who can only say his own name, drops sick beats in his off time. It's one of the more interesting parallel careers among the massive Thrones cast, beaten out only by Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson's status as the World's Strongest Man.

But just in case you think this is some sort of weird cash-in, let us reassure you. Nairn has been DJing for 20 years, and as shown in some of his most recent mixes, combining trance with progressive and deep house, he's quite good at it. A 2015 review of one of his sets in Wired tells us he doesn't even use a laptop onstage, relying only on traditional mixing equipment.

So, whether you're a Thrones fanatic ready to celebrate in cosplay after the long winter of season eight, or a dance music fan in the mood to spend Memorial Day hung over, this Rave of Thrones is sure to be a fun time for all. It's going to be more fire than King's Landing after (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER).

Rave of Thrones. With Kristian Nairn. 9 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street; 480-659-1641; thevanburenphx.com. Tickets are $28 via TicketWeb.

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Douglas Markowitz was born and raised in Broward County, Florida, he studied at Sophia University in Tokyo before graduating with honors from the University of North Florida with a bachelor's degree in communications. He began writing for Miami New Times while in college and served as their music and arts editorial intern in 2017.

Contact: Douglas Markowitz

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