Jay-Z’s Budweiser “Made in America” festival—curated and headlined by the rapper—promised a show as eclectic and varied as our country itself, one that would “push the culture forward.” Jigga’s made good on his promise, putting together a diverse roster of artists and tapping Pearl Jam to co-headline the weekend (September 1 and 2 in Philadelphia).
Pearl Jam will be headlining the first night, while Jay-Z will—naturally—close out the weekend’s festivities. Their performance at the fest will be one of only three U.S. dates the band has booked this year, so festival attendees should feel particularly VIP.
The rest of the lineup is now live on the Made in America website, and the first wave of announced artists from plenty of electronic dance gods for the kids (Skrillex, Afrojack, Calvin Harris), rap crews old (Maybach Music) and young (Odd Future), hometown kids (Santigold), first-wave punk (X), and plenty of kooky (Janelle Monae), glitchy indie acts (Miike Snow, Dirty Projectors, Passion Pit).
R&B legend D’Angelo is the big surprise name on the bill; the singer (who’s been through a hell of a lot over the last decade) will be making his long-awaited return to the stage and will likely be unveiling new material in addition to his standout classics. (It’s hard to believe that he’s only put out two albums, but maybe his genius is what sent him spiraling in the first place.)
More artists will soon be announced; Drake’s rumored to be involved, and Jay-Z has already said he’s trying to get Beyoncé and President Obama on board. Two-day passes are $99, and tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KJ9_J1NhQo%5D
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Another fall festival has announced its own monster lineup of 130 acts: Austin City Limits—the ever-growing Texas affair, which celebrates its 11th year, runs from October 12 to 14. Whereas Jay-Z’s 28-30 artists is an example in careful curation, ACL’s motto is perhaps “let’s just get everyone under the sun.”
Big names include the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who are also headlining Lollapalooza this summer), Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Black Keys, Florence + the Machine, Weezer and Jack White.
Austin’s Zilker Park will also be filled with sounds from ACL veterans like Andrew Bird, Thievery Corporation and Steve Earle, as well as newcomers like Gotye, The Weeknd and M83.
As expected, the lineup features plenty of representation from the EDM world, including Sweden’s AVICII, and dubstep DJ/producer Bassnectar. Hip Hop junkies get Missouri’s fantastic Big K.R.I.T., new kid on the block Childish Gambino and the elusive South African duo Die Antwoord to look forward to.
ACL can feel a little repetitive after a season of massive fests like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Outsidelands, but the seemingly endless roster is at least filled with plenty of smaller acts who may have been overlooked by the larger name gigs.
Time to start updating those Spotify playlists.
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