This Mysterious Band Sent A Fan On The Craziest Scavenger Hunt Around NYC. Here's What Happened.

It's often said that bands can't exist without supporting their fans, and as a music aficionado, it always warms my heart to see bands that really take time to interact with their fans. One band by the name of ilo ilo decided to go the extra mile when it came to connecting with their fans.

You see, ilo ilo is not your typical band. Known for releasing artsy videos and clips on their Instagram, ilo ilo remains secretive and anonymous in an age where anonymity takes effort. To date, the band members’ identities remain unknown—only adding to the mysterious pull of their music.

Christian Johnson (@cjohnson1992), an avid fan, got a pretty interesting shout out from the band in the form of a card…

The band reached out to Christian, asking him for help.

More specifically, they asked him for his address and his phone number, saying, “We wanna send u a gift” via DM.

Within a day, they sent him a package featuring a rose, a card, tube with a bunch of writing on it, and a number to call. When he called the number, he got this reply back.

The card said, “We want u to help us with something.” So, he texted the number on the card.

The band asked him to keep his phone close by, and await instructions. They had sent a black Toyota Highlander to his door and asked him to get inside. Now, most of us would probably balk at this idea, but not Christian.

He got in, unaware of where he’d go. And so started a wild scavenger hunt that would make most peoples’ jaws drop.

“This is so sketchy,” said Christian as he realized where the car took him. The band sent him right under the BQE, where they instructed him to find posters. It was a scavenger hunt! The next clue was a set of keys and a black motorcycle with a gift under the front tire.

Holy crap, they gave him a motorcycle rental for the night.

Oh, and they also gave him instructions to a hotel room, because if this wasn’t wild and crazy enough, it had to be now. Fearless as he’s proven to be, Christian followed it—all the while taking awesome videos of his journey into the unknown.

They texted him the next step: “Room 902.”

Upon getting to the hotel, they sent him to his room. In the room was a bottle of Japanese liquor and a poster. Mysterious? Absolutely, and he took it like a champ. At one point, he asked his followers if he should actually spend the night there.

At first, he wasn’t sure whether or not it was safe to stay overnight. He decided to invite friends to party with him and spend the night in the room, because why not?

“Head to 40.7571972, -73.9488449.”

So, he hopped on his bike and somehow was able to find a location via coordinates. When he got to the park, he found a key and was told to wait a bit. The only message or clue they offered him was that it would “set him free.”

At this point, we’d be terrified. But, Christian isn’t us. He’s fearless. Later on, they sent him to Chinatown with an address, asking him to meet them at the roof.

The entire chase led to a USB drive that was on a rooftop in Chinatown.

At the rooftop, the view was beautiful but Chris was very clearly spooked. “I booked it a couple of blocks,” said Chris after he went to the rooftop and grabbed the envelope.

But, what was inside? A free song preview and four tickets to Output!

You wouldn’t expect a fan to get a preview of their favorite band’s song and not share it with the world, right? Of course not! Like he was meant to do, Christian helped promote ilo ilo’s music by sharing the new preview with the world.