2019 has been a chart-topping year for music. It’s only April and new music and singles are dominating the airwaves – now we get to see who’s going to take center stage.
Coachella – The Creator of FOMO
Coachella is already underway in Indio, California. Celebrities, artists, and fans flock to the iconic music festival. For two weekends, April 12th– 15th and April 18th – 21st, this major music fest is making noise. This year’s headliners included Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariana Grande.
Lollapalooza – The Midwest at it’s Best
Lollapalooza is August 1st through the 4th, in Grant Park, Chicago. Musical headliners include Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Twenty-One Pilots, The Strokes, Tame Impala, Flume, The Chainsmokers, and J. Balvin. (Interesting how the major headliners didn’t change.)
Bonnaroo – Mountain Music
Bonnaroo is happening June 13th through the 16th this year in Great Stage Park, Tennessee. Headliners include Grand Ole Opry, Phish, Childish Gambino, Post Malone, Odesza, The Lumineers, and Cardi B. (Now we’ve got a little variety!)
Firefly – Lighting up Everyone’s World
Firefly comes to life June 20th through the 23rd in Dover, Delaware. You can catch Panic! At the Disco, Travis Scott, Post Malone, and Tyler the Creator are the main attractions. (Brendan Urie is going to be there and that’s all that matters.)
Woodstock – The OG Music Festival
Woodstock is celebrating its 50th anniversary by hosting a music festival in Watkins Glen, New York, August 16th through the 18th. Headliners of this iconic revival include The Killers, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Imagine Dragons, Santana, Halsey, The Lumineers, Cage the Elephant, and Chance the Rapper. (A real smorgasbord of music.)
My Thoughts on the 2019 American Music Festivals
I’m really excited to see Panic! at the Disco (P!ATD) on the music festival circuit! P!ATD frontman, Brendan Urie, has such a stage presence and with such a large audience and so much energy – I feel like he’s going to be superhuman, out of this world, and mind-blowing.
The Lumineers are circulating quite a bit throughout the festivals. The Lumineers are one of my all-time favorite bands (so how could I not be excited). I feel like they might be overlooked by the festival goers as a knockout act, and I think that’s a mistake. They have so much raw emotion. To me, The Lumineers are the epitome of genuine and authentic singer/songwriters.
Judah and the Lion is also making quite a few rounds this summer at festivals. They are the best live act I’ve ever seen. Hands down. I only knew two of their songs when I saw them for the first time, and I left the concert as a life long fan. Judah’s ability to connect to the crowd and on an individual level is mind blowing. Judah and the Lion are the perfect balance of fun, humor, and energy.
Overall, my prediction is that Lollapalooza will be the best festival overall with their headliners and wide array of acts. Lollapalooza found a good balance of popular acts, acts that are gaining a lot of momentum right now, and new acts.
I think Firefly will be the most overlooked festival this year which is a pity because their lineup is way more unique than the others. Overall, I think the amount of energy at Firefly will be the highest out of all the festivals.
Lastly, I have no idea what to expect from Woodstock. It’s going to go down in history. The lineup is pretty uniformly indie/alt, but there’s some outliers like Miley Cyrus, Chance the Rapper, and Jay-Z. Miley Cyrus makes sense to me since she’s personified free love in this generation. Chance the Rapper and Jay-Z seem more like publicity stunts. (I wonder if Beyonce will make an appearance?)
