If you’re planning to visit a Live Nation summer festival in the weeks to come, you’ll be seeing a lot of Tyler, the Creator (WME), The Killers (WME), Post Malone (UTA), Megan Thee Stallion (Roc Nation) and blink-182 (CAA) at the top of the lineups.
You’ll also see the fruits of the concert behemoth’s varied festival portfolio, which is dominated this summer by events acquired through partnerships with once-indie promoters such as C3 Presents (Lollapalooza, Sea.Hear.Now) and Founders Entertainment (Governors Ball) and overseen by bookers such as C3’s Huston Powell and Insomniac’s Pasquale Rotella.
Those in the know say the going rate for a headliner at tentpoles such as these is $1.5-2m. As for ticket buyers, Lollapalooza will set you back $409 and Bonnaroo costs $450; that per-day cost is comparable to three-day events as well, including Governors Ball ($349) and Austin City Limits ($360).
The Killers and Ms. Stallion get things rolling at the 40,000-capacity Boston Calling (5/24-27). Their fellow headliners include Ed Sheeran (Wasserman), Leon Bridges (CAA), Tyler Childers (Wasserman), Phish’s Trey Anastasio (Wasserman) and Hozier (WME). Beantown’s signature music festival is produced by C3 Presents and Boston Calling Events, which is owned in part by Crash Line Productions, founded in 2012 by Brian Appel and Mike Snow.
The Killers and Malone will then headline New York’s Governors Ball (6/7-9) alongside SZA (Wasserman), 21 Savage (UTA), Peso Pluma (CAA) and Rauw Alejandro (CAA) in yet another eclectic bill for the city’s largest and most celebrated music festival. The 150,000-cap event at Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park was launched in 2011 by Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell and Yoni Reisman of Founders Entertainment. Live Nation acquired the company in 2016.
Huston Powell, Jordan Wolowitz, Ashley Capps
Founded in 2002, Bonnaroo (6/13-16), located at the 85,000-capacity Great State Park in Manchester, Tennessee, was the brainchild of longtime local music promoter Ashley Capps, his AC Entertainment and Superfly Presents. After a record-breaking sales year in 2019, Live Nation bought out Superfly’s share in the festival, which this year features headliners Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Red Hot Chili Peppers (CAA), Pretty Lights (CAA) and Fred again.. (Wasserman).
Meanwhile, Tyler, blink and The Killers join SZA, Future x Metro Boomin (Wasserman), Hozier, Stray Kids (JYP Entertainment), Melanie Martinez (CAA) and Skrillex (Wasserman) as headliners for this year’s Lollapalooza, to be held 8/1-4 in the heart of Chicago at the 100,000 per day-capacity Grant Park and still presided over by co-founder Perry Farrell.
At the back end of the summer is Sea.Hear.Now on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey (9/14-15), which sold out its allotment of 35,000 tickets almost immediately when artist of the moment Noah Kahan (Wasserman) and local favorite sons Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (CAA) were revealed as headliners. Produced by rock photographer Danny Clinch with Tim Donnelly and HM Wollman, as well as C3’s Tim Sweetwood, this year’s event also features The Black Crowes (CAA), Anastasio and The Gaslight Anthem (CAA).
Perry Farrell, Eddie Vedder, Michael Rapino
As we roll towards fall, blink-182 and Tyler will be back in action together for C3’s Austin City Limits (10/4–6, 11-13), which will be jointly headlined by Dua Lipa (CAA) and Chris Stapleton (WME).
A handful of other Live Nation events will feature a different roster of big names, with Pearl Jam headlining both the 100,000-capacity BottleRock Napa Valley (5/24-26) and frontman Eddie Vedder’s own Ohana festival (9/27-29). The former, founded by Latitude 38 Entertainment’s Dave Graham, Justin Dragoo and Jason Scoggins, is rounded out by Ed Sheeran, Stevie Nicks (CAA), Mana (Angelo Medina Group), Stallion, Queens of the Stone Age (WME) and The Kid LAROI (UTA).
At Ohana, Vedder and company will be augmented by old friends Neil Young and Crazy Horse (IAG), Garbage (CAA) and Alanis Morissette (WME). Three-day GA and VIP tickets for the 15,000-capacity event at Doheny State Beach are already sold out.
