Faux-chella: My Dream Music Festival Lineup
8:30:00 AM
Festival season is upon us. There's Coachella, Gov Ball, Bonnaroo, Warped Tour, Firefly, Lollapalooza, SXSW, Electric Daisy Carnival, and more in the US alone, let alone worldwide. I've never been to a music festival before, for various, reasons, but since some of my friends have been to one (or a few) or are planning to go, we were talking about artists we would want to see at a music festival.
To be honest, one of my biggest turn-offs about these festivals are the line-up. I'm not a rap fan, and I'm not a fan of most hip-hop music either. I don't know much about electronic music or EDM. Though many of the big festivals feature some artists I enjoy and/or love, I would never be able to justify paying so much just for one or two artists. I'm also not the biggest fan of what I see and label as "festival culture."
But when TickPick asked me to come up with a dream lineup, I couldn't say no. I want to showcase some of my favorite artists. Now, not all of my favorites made it onto this list. The list is a mix of artists I most want to see live, my favorite artists overall, and artists I chose over some I love more/would want to see more because they're not as big. I think it's important to champion the artists who aren't Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood or Adele because of course I'd want to see them. However, ask me again in a month who I'd include on this list and you'll get a very different answer.
So without further ado, I present to you, my "Faux-chella" lineup!
GEORGE EZRA
I knew right away that George Ezra would be my top headlining artist for my dream music festival. He is hands down my favorite artist. It used to be nearly impossible for me to pick one artist/band as my favorite, but he has stayed my number one since I first stumbled upon him. His voice, his lyrics, his stage presence, everything is just perfect and engaging and everything I wish I could be. I almost exclusively listened to his music on my flight to Barcelona, and his songs are among my very favorites. He's one of those artists that would stay on the top of this list probably even months after many of the others have changed.OF MONSTERS AND MEN
Almost on the opposite end, if you had asked me a month ago to create this list, Of Monsters and Men wouldn't have made this list simply because I had only listened to their album once and even though I liked it, I couldn't really remember it among all my other iTunes music. And then I got their Beneath the Skin album, and I've been listening to them a lot for the past few weeks. Now I would absolutely want to see them live. Like George Ezra, their sound and their lyrics are what I would strive to achieve.
MUMFORD AND SONS
Some people aren't a huge fan of the band's recent shift, but I still love, love, love their music. Whether old or new, they're another group with amazing musicality, stage presence, and lyrics. They have a song for every type of feeling, ranging from songs inspired by Shakespeare, to quick and lively music, to slow ballads. I feel like their concerts would be so full of energy and just fun. Mumford and Sons sounds great live, and especially after their recent concert in Forest Hills, I really want to see them live if I ever get the chance.
CHVRCHES
I've loved CHVRCHES since I first heard The Mother We Share, but that love was cemented with their second album, Every Open Eye. I just can't stop listening to it. I'm sure you've found a pattern, but I also really love their lyrics and even more so with their newest album. Honestly, the reason they're my #3 lead headliner is because I've just not been able to stop listening to Every Open Eye. Every once in a while, I'll be listening to something, and I'll just feel the pull to listen to the album.
THE HUSH SOUND
For a few years, The Hush Sound was my absolute favorite band. I still love them, but loving a band that's on break, then tentatively back together but not releasing any new music is hard to sustain when the rest of the music world keeps moving on. But I would do almost anything to see them play on the rare occasion they play together, like they are in NYC this summer when I'm not here. I'm still in love with their sound, their lyrics, and with their voices, especially Greta's.
IMAGINE DRAGONS
I still remember learning about them through my friend right before Radioactive and Demons hit it big, and I've been a fan ever since. I love that they've experimented with their sound and with music in general, and I will admit that I enjoy their first album more (every song is like perfection) but just like Mumford and Sons have changed their sound well--in my opinion--so too has Imagine Dragons. And come on, their performances would definitely be fun and huge and just awesome.
VANCE JOY
I got swept up in the hype when Riptide became big and when he joined Taylor Swift on tour, but thanks to Spotify, I've fallen in love with the rest of his music. Another great lyricist and singer, I know he must be amazing live. I would love to see him play live, and thus I've included him in my dream lineup.
LUCY ROSE
I'm pretty sure I found Lucy Rose on Spotify but thank goodness to them for that. I love her and her music. It's fun and deep and again lyrically fabulous. Her music videos are interesting and lovely. Her voice is sweet yet powerful, and I can just feel the energy behind it. She can make me smile and cry and a mix of both at the same time, and I'd love to see her performing live.
SARA BAREILLES
Sara Bareilles is having SUCH a moment right now because of her work with Waitress: the Musical. I've loved her music forever, and I know I'd probably cry hearing her sing because I cry listening to some of her songs. Okay, so maybe those wouldn't be the songs she'd perform but still. She's just such a grace and is so incredibly talented at seemingly everything.
BOGGIE
I put her on the list because more people need to know her. She represented Hungary at this year's EuroVision, singing one of my favorite songs by her. She's able to address serious social issues through her music, and even though I can't understand many of her songs, she is so incredibly talented, not just lyrically but also vocally. She's a soft singer but makes such an impact. I've had the pleasure of seeing her live twice and can confirm that she is truly amazing, as a performer and as a person. I hope that maybe more people will find out about her through this post because she deserves it all.
YUNA
Another artist I've only learned about recently, my friends praising Yuna pushed me to put her into the last slot. I love supporting Asian artists, and though she's sadly the only one on this list, she's a great one to include. Her lyrics hit home and are so raw, and she's another amazing vocalist (do you see the trend with my picks?). She also talks a lot about diversity and is an incredible figure. My friends confirm that she is even better live, and I don't doubt that. I'd love to see her at my faux music festival and think she's a nice addition and a nice one to wrap up with. If you haven't heard of her/her music yet, please take a moment and search her up.
And that's it! Like I said, it was incredibly hard to narrow down my choices, but I'm very happy with the ones I've included. Maybe I'll do an updated version next year so you can see how much my tastes have changed (or not), as well as learn about any new artists I find. If you're looking for tickets to the next big music festival coming up, be sure to check out TickPick, where you can find tickets for anything ranging from sports games (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, you name it) to concerts (including Beyonce) to Hamilton. Maybe you'll even be able to see one of these artists!
Who would you want to see at a concert festival? Who would be in your lineup?
Who would you want to see at a concert festival? Who would be in your lineup?
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