As we enter the sweltering months of summer—the sun beating down, sweat dripping from our brows, our psyches releasing the pent-up ennui of a thousand nights spent inside wondering what fresh hell a global pandemic will exact next upon a population just trying to get by—one’s thoughts inevitably turn to when we’ll all get to see Green Day perform “Basket Case” on a lavishly sponsored stage. It’s called fun! And it is coming your way, in the form of the usual deluge of outdoor music festivals littering the country, like little doggie accidents on our national pee pad.
These festivals come in all shapes and sizes: Separated by size, genre, audience, or even ideology in some of the more awkward cases, there’s something for everyone to be found out there. To help you decide which fleeting monuments to capitalist rapaciousness (and the attendant artistic effort to push back against the encroaching darkness) you should visit, we’ve put together this handy list of some of the most notable events taking place over the next few shiny summer months. Take a look, maybe take a listen to the artists who will be performing, and see which festival looks best for you. We apologize in advance for the lack of an “Express Your Helpless Frustration At The Whims Of The Wealthy Dictating An Increasingly Feudal-Like Existence For The Rest Of Humanity As Oligarchs Use Bad-Faith Culture War Propaganda To Keep The Working Class Pitted Against Itself Instead Of Against Them” Festival this year, but it was bought out and renamed the “Doritos Presents The TikTok And JP Morgan Chase Funfetti Celebration Starring The Chainsmokers.”
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Lovers And Friends Fest (May 14-15)
Those who came of age listening to hip-hop and R&B from the ’90s and early ’00s, take note—this is the nostalgia-based festival for you. Seriously, look at this lineup: Ashanti, Ja Rule, Nelly, TLC, Lauryn Hill, Timbaland, Usher… hell, even Lil’ Kim is in the house for the Las Vegas fest. The complete roster is here, and it’s basically everything you could want from this era. We don’t have to view the past through rose-tinted glasses, but the soundtrack to our youth will never stop meaning something, no matter our age. Maybe call your parents today.
Hangout Fest (May 20-22)
The festival equivalent of your average pop-music radio station takes place on the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama, of all places. Post Malone, Halsey, Doja Cat, Fall Out Boy, Megan Thee Stallion, and more are all here to justify a trip to a state that, as we speak, is trying to ban the teaching of “divisive concepts,” because the Alabama Senate is full of Karens who want to pretend slavery never happened and only allow abortions for the wealthy, who can afford to do it quietly. Nonetheless, we all make our peace at times with the moral compromises of our age; you have to pick your battles, lest you exhaust yourself tilting at every windmill that comes your way. Don’t fret: You’ll know when the important moments come along. We all draw a different line in the sand—and when there was only one set of footprints walking behind it That’s when we decided Alabama’s government had truly gone over the edge.
Boston Calling (May 27-29)
If you can put up with one of America’s most unfriendly-to-outsiders cities, Boston Calling has a great lineup this year. The rock-centric festival boasts headliners Nine Inch Nails, The Strokes, and Metallica, with killer down-the-bill performances by the likes of HAIM, Weezer, Black Pumas, and some hip-hop courtesy of Run The Jewels. (Also, A.V. Club favorite Pom Pom Squad!) Details can be found here. But don’t forget the passage of time makes fools of us all. In The Posies song “Precious Moments,” Jon Auer sings, “Life, what precious moments / like a flood that you can’t reverse / Oh, life, of precious moments / and it’s only getting worse.” As much as you may wish to freeze existence—to sustain moments of beauty and shut out those of pain—it plunges inexorably on, ever harder to grasp its ephemeral beauty.
Governors Ball (June 10-12)
Kid Cudi. J. Cole. Halsey. Playboy Carti. Throw in some beloved acts like Japanese Breakfast, Soccer Mommy, Migos, and more, and Governors Ball pretty much has something for everyone. Well, except for an answer to the only question that truly matters: what to do with the time we’re given. Some would argue that the absence of a god robs our lives of meaning. But, to quote a famous vampire, if there is no heaven or hell, if there’s no great glorious end to this, if nothing we do matters… then the only thing that matters is what we do.
Bonnaroo (June 16-19)
The premium destination for college girls who like to sit on their boyfriend’s shoulders and yell “Whoo!”, Bonnaroo is back for another opportunity to briefly make Manchester, Tennessee, seem like a fun place to visit. This year with it brings the chance to see an eclectic array of artists like The Chicks, Tool, Gryffin, Stevie Nicks, Machine Gun Kelly, and more. (The Venn diagram of fans of all those performers is just five stand-alone circles.) It should be noted, many festivals, including Bonnaroo, have done away with any vaccine or negative COVID test requirements, because apparently none of them give a shit if you get sick and die for the opportunity to buy their overpriced bottled water and sing along to Ludacris. It can hard in the face of such unthinking stupidity, but don’t let the world destroy your capacity for empathy and understanding of others, even when they’re behaving like absolute selfish monsters.
Summerfest (June 23-July 9, Thursdays-Saturdays only)
Milwaukee’s massive, multi-weekend festival returns with acts like Death Cab For Cutie, The Breeders, Charli XCX, and more. Sure, there’s the usual festival headliner folks like Halsey and Justin Bieber, and even an appearance from the Backstreet Boys, but it’s the smaller acts that make this worth checking out. After all, when you’re young, it’s easier to wonder about the big questions, like, “Why am I here What does it all mean” But as you mature, those questions tend to transform. Am I being a good person What are the important things to make time for during my fleeting life Ultimately, we all choose to find some balance between entertainment and severity, between thought and respite—hopefully without falling prey to the easy temptation of endless distractions, rather than putting in the work to create valuable connections with others. Still, as Achewood reminds us, all of this is just a momentary diversion on the road to the grave.
Pitchfork (July 15-17)
The festival for total music nerds returns stronger than ever this year, boasting a lineup full of fiercely beloved acts like The National, Mitski, The Roots, Spiritualized, Japanese Breakfast, Earl Sweatshirt, and many more. (It’s also the fest with arguably the highest ratio of smaller artists we love here at The A.V. Club, like Indigo De Souza, The Armed, Lucy Dacus, Arooj Aftab, Low, and the like.) Will you feel the need to document your attendance on social media Jean Baudrillard once said that the performance of a task “produces the same sense of futility that comes from doing anything merely to prove to yourself that you can do it: having a child, climbing a mountain, making some sexual conquest… Do we continually have to prove to ourselves that we exist”
Newport Folk Festival (July 22-24)
A quick perusal of the list of artists performing this year confirms what regular attendees of the Newport Folk Festival already knew: It’s a folk festival in name only. Sure, there are some folk acts here, but the crowds come for other names: Bleachers, Clairo, Mandy Moore, Dinosaur Jr., Maren Morris, Beabadoobee, and others will shake the stages. The more you think about it, the less time there is to put up with foolishness or ill-mannered jackanapes; would you rather spend your remaining time on this planet with people you love, savoring each laugh and affectionate chuck of the chin, or dealing with outbursts of bilious perfidy from knaves of the digital ether Mute your notifications this weekend; see how it feels.
Lollapalooza (July 28-31)
Headliners include Dua Lipa, Green Day, Metallica, and J.Cole. It provides a rare opportunity to see performers such as Jane’s Addiction, Wet Leg, and The Regrettes in an outdoor setting. And sure, there’s a bunch of other acts, half of whom you likely won’t recognize. But that’s Lollapalooza: a blitzkrieg of musical acts new and old, spanning genres and generations with equal abandon. It can inspire excitement and exhaustion at the same time. Do you find yourself enervated by the thought of days on the pitch, yet curious about the experience Theodore Adorno, in Minima Moralia, tells us, “True thoughts are those alone which do not understand themselves.” It’s okay to sit in contradiction, or confusion; it might be the other state of being left that hasn’t been coopted by capitalism in some way.
Day In Day Out (August 12-14)
Day In Day Out is a brand-new festival that had its first go-round in 2021, meant to give Pacific Northwest acts a chance to shine alongside bigger national artists. That means you get a weekend of intriguing pairings like Mitski and Muna, Mac DeMarco and Turnstile, The National and Animal Collective headlining over Shabazz Palaces, La Luz, and more. You can check out the full lineup, and then wonder if it’s finally time to make that trip to Seattle. You’re not getting any younger; your friend got sick last year, reminding you just how easy it is for all of this to go away in an instant. You’ve put it off for years now—what’s the excuse this time Why do we do this to ourselves Is it so hard to seize control of our own narrative, to stake a claim on guiding our own futures Do not go gentle into that good Netflix-and-chill.
Riot Fest (September 16-18)
It was supposed to happen in 2020, and then 2021, but My Chemical Romance is finally headlining the weekend-long celebration of punk, emo, hardcore, and nostalgia that is Chicago’s Riot Fest. The band will be joined by The Misfits, Nine Inch Nails, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sunny Day Real Estate, Portugal. The Man, Ice Cube, Bad Religion and many more. Also, the constant ennui that does battle in your brain with every other emotion should not be allowed to win; it’s too easy to give up. Try to at least maintain a sense of engagement when you’re tempted to allow irony the final say; most of the big decisions in life may be out of your hands, but rejection of the outside is always your one true form of exercising control. You can’t always say, “I will” and be allowed to do it, but no one can deny your right to say, “I will not.”
Firefly (September 22-25)
Have you ever been at a crowded, messy music festival and thought to yourself, “This could use 100% more camping” No Well, then, best pass on Firefly, whose big draw is the chance to roll out a sleeping bag after a long day of musical performances, and stare up at the sky in a hastily erected tent, wondering if the Port-A-Potties will be cleaned overnight or if you’ll be walking into a literal shitshow the next morning. Dua Lipa, Halsey, Green Day, and My Chemical Romance are headlining, with Weezer, Big Sean, Gunna, and the comeback tour of Avril Lavigne all supporting. It’s quite a list of artists, alternating steadily between names that provoke a reaction of “Oh, cool!” and those inducing an internal shudder. But more importantly, it arrives at the tail end of summer, one last hurrah before the leaves turn, fall beckons, and we re-enter a more thoughtful, less sun-dappled time. If you’re not happy where you are, do what you can to make a change. Whether it’s finding a new job or moving somewhere new, go ahead and take the plunge. We all deserve a brief respite from the avalanche of pain this life affords. Yes, the reaper will come for you—but make him fucking work for it.