To many the holiday season
has ended. Gifts were given and
received. The New Year was
celebrated and people start
the countdown to December to
celebrate once more. But to music
fanatics the start of the year is a
season on its own. It’s festivus.
At the turn of the New Year
many music festivals announce
highly anticipated line-ups that
fans wait months for. In 2014 it
seems like there is a different
festival each weekend and it every
city imaginable. There are festivals
if you love electronic music, ones if
you love country music and ones
that have the best mix of different
styles.
Usually there are one or two
bands that tour by appearing
at different festivals all over the
country. This year that band is
famed rap duo Outkast who took
a little break from 2007-2013 to
come back this year to perform at
over 40 festivals in 2014.
Here are five festivals (in
chronological order) you have to
check out at least one if you are a
music junkie.
Counterpoint Music
Festival
April 25-27.
Kingstown Downs, Ga.
After its inaugural year in
2012 with an incredible electronic
line-up that included Bassnectar,
Skrillex, Pretty Lights, AVICII,
Steve Angello, Excision, Laidback
Luke, Alesso, Zedd, Counterpoint
took a year off in 2013 but is
returning in 2014. They are
heading to Kingston Downs, Ga. in
an area of around 500 acres of land
north of Atlanta.
Counterpoint packed an
awesome lineup full of electronic
artists, rappers and indie artists.
Some artists to look for are
Outkast, J. Cole, Schoolboy Q,
Foster The People, Pretty Lights,
Major Lazer, Flux Pavilion, A-Trak
and Kill Paris plus many, many
more.
Tickets are still available at
counterpointfestival.com for $180
plus the option to camp.
Big Guava Festival
May 2-4. Tampa, FL.
Of the festivals being
previewed, this is the newest.
In its first year the folks in
Tampa packed a very diverse
lineup for what they hope to
be a long-running festival. Like
Counterpoint, Big Guava got
Outkast to headline but focused
more on bands than electronic
artists.
Some reasons why you need
to go: Vampire Weekend, Slightly
Stoopid, Cake, Girl Talk, Twenty
One Pilots, Chance the Rapper,
Hoodie Allen, plus more.
Tickets are still available at
bigguvafest.com and will cost
about $191.
Hangout Music Festival
May 16-18. Gulf Shores, Ala.
The 2013 lineup was arguably
the greatest lineup in the history
of festivals so 2014 had a lot to live
up to. The folks at Hangout didn’t
recreate last year’s lineup but they
got very close. Like the first two
festivals Hangout gets the pleasure
of Outkast.
Here’s all the reason you need
to go to Hangout festival: The
Black Keys, The Killers, Modest
Mouse, Wiz Khalifa, Zedd, Fitz
and the Tantrums, Capitals Cities,
Bastille, Soja and The 1975.
Tickets are a little more
expensive, $258 for general
admission, but this three-day
festival is well worth the money.
Florida Country
Superfest
June 14-15. Jacksonville, Fla.
For anyone who likes country
music, this is your Super Bowl.
For two days in June, Jacksonville
hosts 10 of the biggest names in
country music. Jason Aldean,
Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda
Lambert, Little Big Town, Florida
Georgia Line, Big & Rich, Easton
Corbin, Colt Ford and Joe Nichols
round up this star-studded lineup.
This is the go-to for country
fans and tickets are relatively
cheap. You can buy single day or
two-day ticket. Single day tickets
run from $65-$250 and two-day
tickets range from $80-$500.
Vans Warped Tour
June 13-August 3. Houston,
Texas – Denver, Colo.
Since 1995, the Vans Warped
Tour has toured America going
to outdoor venues and playing in
the scorching heat. The tour that
features over 100 bands each year
makes 42 stops across the country.
The all-day show features water
slides, skating contests and lots of
merchandise booths.
Unlike other festivals, Warped
Tour constantly releases new
bands as the year goes on. As
of today 29 bands have been
announced with four more being
announced tonight at 11.
Some reasons to go: Anberlin,
Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!,
Cute Is What We Aim For, Enter
Shikari, Mayday Parade, The
Devil Wears Prada and the
Maine. Tickets are available at
vanswarpedtour.com and cost $33
a ticket plus tax.