MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM here’s no doubt the last decade has been rough for the crowd last year, and three-day passes have already sold out for the record industry, as fans fi nd ever more innovative ways 2010 event. More than 40 acts are on the 2010 roster, from Swedish to avoid purchasing music in the mass quantities they did pop star Robyn to art rockers Liars. T in the past. But there’s one area of music business that’s booming: live performance. CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL “You can’t bootleg the live experience,” says Gary Bongiovanni, June 10-13, Nashville, Tenn. editor-in-chief of Pollstar. “If you like it, you have to go do it.” While record sales have steadily declined in the ’00s, the Top acts: Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, live music industry has seen record revenues, culminating in $4.6 Zac Brown Band million in major concert ticket sales just last year—despite a national Tickets: $30+ per day, $110-300 plus fees for a 4-day pass recession. 2009 attendance: 56,000 per day average In fact, the live music experience is so popular that enthusiasts CMAFEST.COM are building vacations around it, making destination festivals a fast- If you’re in the mood for country music this summer, there’s no growing subsection of the industry. Once the domain of jam bands, shortage of options. But not only does this reasonably priced four-day festivals now attract top talent and a diverse audience, and frequently festival boast more than 150 hours of music, it offers the increasingly serve as the backdrop for reunions, collaborations and other once- rare opportunity for fans to come face-to-face with their favorite in-a-lifetime sets. They’re also a good deal. stars via autograph signings and special fan club sets. It may no “Festivals are by far the best value for the dollar, in terms of the longer be called “Fan Fair” but this long-loved event hasn’t lost its personal touch. VANS WARPED TOUR June 25-Aug. 15, kick-off in Carson, Calif. Tickets: around $30, varies by city Top acts: The All-American Rejects, Andrew WK, Bring Me the Horizon, We the Kings New sensations, returning favorites and Stages: 5+, depending on venue VANSWARPEDTOUR.COM hot tickets await live music fans this season The line-up for the 2010 Warped Tour was announced via YouTube by Tiffany Mink, a 23-year-old music blogger sporting a nose ring, By Katie Dodd which offers a general idea of the event’s demographic. But the tour Jeff Kravitz is a bargain. High-profi le sponsorships keep ticket prices for this Bruce Springsteen joined Phish on stage at Bonnaroo last year. skate punk extravaganza shockingly low, even as other tour prices have skyrocketed. volume of music you get and the variety of artists,” says Bongiovanni. Already, the 2010 festival season has started with a bang. LOLLAPALOOZA Coachella, a California festival that draws hipsters and Hollywood Aug. 6-8, Chicago, Ill. types alike every April, sold out in advance and boasted an average Top acts: Lady Gaga, Green Day, Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, of 15,000 more attendees per day than last year. March’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami, which celebrates electronic music, also sold out. The Strokes, Cypress Hill, MGMT, Erykah Badu But they’re more than just cost-effi cient entertainment, offering Tickets: $215 the chance to catch old favorites and discover the next big thing. Music 2009 attendance: 225,000+ lovers also fl ock to festivals for the sense of community—something Artists: 150+ else a record can’t promise. “The experience of live music is very LOLLAPALOOZA.COM social,” says Ashley Capps, co-founder of Bonnaroo Music & Arts In the ’90s, Lollapalooza criss-crossed the country as the premier Festival. “That connection with others, that shared experience, is alt-rock summer tour, after getting its start as an extended farewell something we really need.” Check out our guide to the top destinations for Jane’s Addiction organized by lead singer Perry Farrell. Slow to commune with your fellow music fans this summer. ticket sales eventually forced it off the road, but the once-essential event has experienced a dramatic reinvention as a destination PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL festival held in the heart of downtown Chicago. “It’s found its July 16-18, Chicago, Ill. niche,” says Pollstar’s Bongiovanni. “It’s one of the major festivals Top acts: Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, in North America, and it has a totally different vibe than Bonnaroo.” A mix of big-name pop stars and underground favorites LCD Soundsystem, Pavement, Big Boi will convene in Grant Park for the uber-urban event. In its new Tickets: $40 per day incarnation, Lollapalooza has strived to become more family- 2009 attendance: 49,000 friendly, but the crowd can still get pretty rowdy. PITCHFORKMUSICFESTIVAL.COM Founded in 1996, Pitchfork Media quickly became a leading voice in online music criticism, and its accompanying festival is poised for the same brand of success. Just fi ve years old, it drew an impressive Bonnaroo 2009 MAY 2010 27 M3_v10.indd 26 5/14/10 4:30 AM M3_v10.indd 27 5/14/10 4:30 AM MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM LEVITT PAVILIONS heard of? Get in on the next big summer thing by checking out BONNAROO Forecastle. Founded in 2002 as a free event spotlighting local May - Sept., Los Angeles; Pasadena, Calif.; Westport, Conn.; bands, it has since outgrown three subsequent venues, attracted the June 10-13, Manchester, Tenn. Memphis, Tenn.; Arlington, Texas attention of major sponsors and evolved into a festival celebrating Top acts: Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Top Acts: Todd Snider, Cowboy Junkies, Dionne Warwick, art and extreme sports as well as music. More than 75 artists will Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, Weezer Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears perform this year on four stages. Tickets: $249 Tickets: Free 2009 attendance: 75,000 LEVITTPAVILIONS.ORG Site space: 700 acres A nationwide nonprofi t committed to promoting arts in the community, BONNAROO.COM Levitt Pavilions offers free concerts at fi ve locations throughout the It’s safe to say the majority of outdoor music events these days summer months. Relax on the lawn and soak up the sounds of have taken their cues from Bonnaroo. “It’s America’s best- blues, zydeco, rock, reggae, jazz and more. To view the line-up at known camping festival,” says Bongiovanni. Since 2002, the the pavilion closest to you, visit the website and click on your city. Three Dog Night will also perform a special benefi t concert at the event has grown from a laidback jam to a 24-hour carnival of Arlington pavilion for $25 a ticket. activities—with movies, comedy, yoga classes, disco dancing, a retro arcade and more. “I go out there every year, walk around the corner and say, ‘Gee, KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL I didn’t know we were doing that,’” says co-founder Capps May 27-June 13, Kerrville, Texas with a laugh. But music still takes center stage at the four-day Top acts: Indigo Girls, Slaid Cleaves, Sara Hickman, festival, as evidenced by the popular late-night concerts that Randy Rogers, Porterdavis often stretch into the early morning. This year one of those slots Tickets: $25-40 per day belongs to the much-anticipated performance of The Dark Side Site space: 50 acres Jay-Z (at Coachella earlier this year) will headline Jeff Kravitz of the Moon by the Flaming Lips. FrontPage Publicity KERRVILLE-MUSIC.COM 2010’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. One of the longest summer music festivals, Kerrville runs for 18 days Some of America’s most famous jazz recordings were made at WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL and features more than 60 folk acts, as well as songwriting seminars, this legendary festival, which since 1954 has brought together the Martina McBride will appear at Nashville’s CMA Music Festival. July 2-5, Portland, Ore. guitar workshops and open mic nights. Attendees can camp out on greats for three days of nonstop music. The the Quiet Valley Ranch for an extended stay or purchase tickets for Top acts: Taj Mahal, Little Feat, John Mayall, Booker T. fi rst outdoor jazz festival has served as an individual nights. Since 1972, Kerrville has introduced up-and-coming Tickets: $10 plus two cans of food, per day introduction to luminaries such as Wynton artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffi th and Robert THERE’S MORE 2009 donations: 87,577 pounds of food Marsalis and Diana Krall, as well as the backdrop Earl Keen, so you never know what you might discover on the bill. Check out other must-see music events. WATERFRONTBLUESFEST.COM to the famous documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day. After a long absence, founder George Wein returned (hip hop, R&B) You can’t beat the admission price for the country’s second-largest HARMONY FESTIVAL, ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLKS FESTIVAL to take the helm last year, and this year presides over a June 11-13, Santa Rosa, Calif. blues festival. The fundraiser for a local food bank asks for a minimal Aug. 13-15, Lyons, Colo. diverse and prestigious line-up. donation each day in exchange for more than eight hours of music MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL on four stages overlooking the Willamette River. Plus, nightly “blues Top acts: John Prine, Ani DiFranco, June 25-July 6, Montreal, Quebec, Canada cruises” take to the water for $20-35 per person, and you can catch The Swell Season, Richard Thompson IOWA STATE FAIR (rock) Tickets: $110 for a 3-day pass HIGH SIERRA MUSIC FESTIVAL late-night jam sessions across the street for $15.