Where history, music and modern Second Life come together
There are some places in Second Life that you visit, and there are others that you experience. Pompeii, the newest venue in the Nevermore family of destinations, belongs firmly in the second category.
Set within The Right Chord, Pompeii immediately catches the eye with its ruined amphitheater, ancient stonework and dramatic surroundings. But this isn’t simply an attempt to recreate an ancient Roman or Greek theater. Instead, the design takes the feeling of history and places it firmly into the modern world of live music.
Standing on that stage, looking out across the audience, the effect is striking. Behind the performers is the unmistakable atmosphere of an ancient world, while in front of them is a modern Second Life audience gathered for a live show. It is history brought back to life—not as a museum piece, but as a place where music happens
A New Chapter for the Nevermore Family
Pompeii is the latest addition to a collection of venues that already includes Nevermore, Acoustic Buzz and Rivensong. Behind the venues is Cru Mourningside Merit, while the creative work behind the builds comes from Harlow Jones, whose portfolio includes the group’s other destinations as well.
Harlow’s work on Pompeii is particularly effective because she chose not to make the amphitheater look new. The ruins are part of the experience. The weathered stone, the open sky and the surrounding environment create the sense that visitors have discovered an ancient place that has somehow been given a new purpose.
And that purpose is music.
Mona Risa, the venues manager, is another important part of the operation, handling the scheduling and performers that keep the venues moving sometimes in the hardest of circumstances, due to re-scheduling as well as other administrative nightmares. From my own experience with the Nevermore family of venues, there is a clear sense of organization and professionalism behind what visitors see and experience.
That attention to detail matters. The result is a venue that feels welcoming while maintaining the standards expected of a professionally run Second Life destination.
Tillen Avers Opens the Stage
I visited Pompeii for their opening show of the day at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 22, 2026, I had a particularly good reason to be there.
That reason was Tillen Avers, a Russian singer whose Second Life career I have followed since she was first getting started. Even then, her voice immediately stood out to me. She possesses that rare quality that can move effortlessly from powerful rock to emotional ballads, with the vocal strength to make both work.
Tillen took on a two-hour special—considerably longer than the one-hour performances that are more usual for live Second Life shows.
And she made it count.
Her set moved through powerful ballads, rock numbers and songs performed in Russian, giving the audience not only an impressive musical performance but also a little glimpse into her own culture.
For me, that was one of the things that made the opening particularly special. Second Life has an extraordinary ability to bring people together from completely different parts of the real world, and music can cross those boundaries effortlessly.
You arrive as yourself—or perhaps as the avatar you have created—and suddenly you’re standing in an ancient amphitheater watching a Russian singer perform alongside people from around the world.
For a couple of hours, none of the distance matters.
There is simply music.
More Than a Venue
That sense of history is clearly important to the people behind Pompeii. Their current Memories in Focus photographic contest, built around Pompeii’s Remembrance Day, invites photographers and digital artists to explore themes including memory, loss, beauty and rebirth.
It is another indication that Pompeii is intended to be more than a backdrop for performers. The venue provides an environment in which people can create, participate and tell their own stories.
And perhaps that is what makes Pompeii work.
It doesn’t try to choose between the ancient and the modern. It brings them together.
The ruins remain behind the stage, the modern lights illuminate the performer, and the audience becomes part of something that feels simultaneously historical and completely new.
Pompeii is not simply somewhere to watch a concert. It is somewhere to step into a story.
And if the opening night with Tillen Avers is any indication, this newest addition to the Nevermore family has a very interesting future ahead of it.
Pompeii @ The Right Chord
Owner: Cru Mourningside Merit
Builder: Harlow Jones
Venue Manager: Mona Risa
Visit Pompeii in Second Life:
Pompeii @ The Right Chord — Second Life Landmark
Report by Wolfie Moonshadow for SL Insider Guide
