Festival Lineups: Rolling Loud Gets Travis & Post Malone, Boston Calling Adds Rage, Osheaga Touts Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Kendrick

The week has seen an onslaught of major festival lineup announcements, including Rolling Loud’s flagship Miami event, Boston Calling’s full lineup including the previously rumored Rage Against The Machine, and Montreal mega-festival Osheaga’s 15th year topped by Foo Fighters, Lizzo and Kendrick Lamar.

Osheaga, which takes place at Montreal’s Parc Jean Dupreau July 31 – Aug. 2, features an eclectic lineup including Lewis Capaldi, Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, Brockhampton, and many others, long having established its place as one of the remaining strong major North American multi-genre festivals. 

“For us, it’s really trying to be music-first, quality top to bottom, respecting the lineup from the first spot on to the last,” Evenko’s Nick Farkas, one of Osheaga’s founders, told Pollstar ahead of last year’s event. “We’ve been lucky to have a lot artists grow with us over the years. We’re also unique in our Canadian-ness, and that will always set us apart. I always talk about the first year, where we had Ben Harper and Sonic Youth headlining. Between those two, at the time, is everything.”

The lineup, already  featuring rock mainstays Foo Fighters and Grammy winner Lizzo, is also notable in that Osheaga is acclaimed rapper (and Pulitzer Prize winner) Kendrick Lamar’s first announced North American appearance of 2020.

On Dec. 19, it was announced that Canadian promoter Evenko and Live Nation had entered a partnership, which both companies say will expand their business and drive growth in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, where Evenko produces more than 1,500 live music, family and sports events.

“This is great news for evenko and music fans throughout Quebec, who will now enjoy a broader range of concerts and shows, with Montreal becoming a must stop on major international artists’ world tours,” says Jacques Aubé, who retains his leadership and title of President and CEO of evenko. “This partnership will allow us to benefit from Live Nation’s global promotional strength to promote our festivals and events in Montreal and Quebec, as well as evenko Agency and Spectra Musique artists’ tours outside the province.”

Hip-hop tastemaker Rolling Loud has proven it can secure top talent as it continues to expand, with this year’s Miami flagship event topped by hip-hop royalty in A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Post Malone, May 8-10 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Rolling Loud founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif have always prided themselves on having the best rising talent to go along with headliners, but this year stands out with three bonafide celebrities topping the bill, with support from major artists including Lil Uzi Vert, Gucci Mane,  red-hot DaBaby, 21 Savage, Lil Pump, MEgan Thee Stallion, Rick Ross, and many others. 

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 “It’s not just about booking a big lineup. It’s the site experience and the energy at the show,” Zingler told Pollstar for a previous cover story. “That’s extremely important and something that Rolling Loud has developed over the span of six years. You can’t just create a festival and a whole vibe in six months, it just doesn’t work like that.”

As for rising talent, Rolling Loud has become known for getting artists before they get big, and being a premier platform for developing artists, such as Minnesota-based Yung Gravy who has already developed a hard-ticket touring career, and 10k.Caash, whose “SwajjurKicks” video featuring Lil Yachty has more than 3.3 million hits on YouTube and was just signed by CAA.

“I think for us, from the lineup perspective and future bookings, Rolling Loud is really focused on the experiential and also about booking the next Travis Scott or Post Malone,” Zingler said previously. “We pride ourselves on platforming talent and showcasing up and coming talent that will be the next big thing. I think we do a great job at that, and that’s what separates us from a lot of other festival properties.”

Cherif will be taking part in a Q&A discussion at Pollstar Live! next week, where he’s expected to talk about Rolling Loud’s expansion plans, artist management ventures and merchandise.

While already announcing Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers would top the event, the full Boston Calling announcement includes the bombshell that Rage Against The Machine will continue its festival reunion that started with the Coachella reveal and continues on the East Coast with Boston Calling and Firefly, at least so far, with Boston Calling taking place May 22-24 and Firefly June 18-21.

The annual three-day festival will take place at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, Mass., with three-day tickets on sale. 

Boston Calling will also feature heavy hitters like The 1975, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Run The Jewels, Pollstar cover artist Brittany Howard, Liam Gallagher and many others.

Also on Boston Calling will be local favorites like college rock heroes Dinosaur Jr., rising buzzy artists like Sharon Van Etten, Phoebe Brigers, PUP, party animal and sometimes brony Andrew W.K., psychedelic country upstar Orville Peck, dreampop wonder Jay Som and many others.