Summer is upon us, which means a few things: warmer weather, longer days and, best of all, music festivals across the land! Think Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Firefly. So, this got some of the stalwarts from the FanLabel editorial staff into fantasy mode, conjuring up what each of our fantasy music festival lineups would be.
Below you’ll find our dream lineups for a music festival, drawing from today’s artists and our favorites from yesteryear.
Cara, “Ms. Halloween”:
–Queen (with Freddie Mercury): I believe I was born in the wrong generation, and this is a prime example: I missed out on the captivating stage presence that was Freddie Mercury. If only I could have witnessed him belting it out live with my own two eyes and ears.
–Lady Gaga: Speaking of Radio Ga Ga, my dream fantasy music festival would include the queen of pop herself. No, not Madonna, Lady Gaga! She can do it all, whether clad in a meat dress or moving her Little Monsters to ugly tears in a dark movie theater.
– The 1975: Another contemporary choice, the English pop-rock band is one of my favorites. I’d Love It If they Made It to my festival, as Matty Healy and his bandmates would be the perfect cheeky addition.
– Spinal Tap: While technically not a real group, the reunion of heavy metal rockumentary band, Spinal Tap, would be a major selling point and a smart marketing move. Perhaps they may not rock as hard as they did back in the 80s, but there’s only one way to find out.
Andy, “I may still be at Bonnaroo, though it ended a week ago”:
–Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals: One of the freshest acts recently, Anderson .Paak has garnered a reputation for great live performances. His stage presence pairs well with the talented instrumentals of his accompanying band The Free Nationals, making for an ideal addition to any music festival.
–Nirvana: It’s hard to imagine the kind of energy Nirvana would bring to a festival today. The only sure bet is the grunge band would put on an incredible performance and probably start at least one historic mosh pit.
–NWA: Their concerts were legendary, setting the standards for rap shows to this day. The only concern is that NWA could easily turn the festival into a riot.
–Daft Punk: Similar to what NWA did for rap concerts, Daft Punk practically wrote the book on live dance music shows. It’s hard to say what a Daft Punk festival headliner show would look like in 2019, but there’s little doubt it would include massive setpieces and a wide range of musical styles.
Daman, “the earnest one”:
-Charli XCX: After success of singles like “Boom Clap” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” in which she’s featured, Charli XCX reinvented herself with the release of her “Vroom Vroom” EP in 2016. Since then, she’s put out two mixtapes that established her as a powerful force in pop music. Every Charli XCX performance is a party, and it’s not one you’d want to miss.
-Led Zeppelin: Praised by many as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Zeppelin has a collection of hits with energy many can only dream of bringing into the studio. Nowadays we only can imagine what these would sound like at a live performance.
-Allie X: With hits like “Casanova” and “Girl of the Year,” Allie X has a crisp, modern, electo-pop sound with a touch of 80’s influence. Usually found on stage in a bizarre costume and oversized sunglasses, Allie X is keeping the fusion of eccentric fashion with music alive that isn’t seen very often in 2019.
-Florence + The Machine: One of the most influential acts in today’s alternative, Florence + The Machine brings a power to each performance that leaves audiences feeling as though they’ve just taken a visit to heaven. With dynamic vocals and barefoot dancing across the stage, Florence puts on one hell of a performance.
Ryan “I can’t pick my genre, dang it!”:
–Garth Brooks: I’ve been to many concerts in my life, and I can honestly say that Garth Brooks put on the best show out of all of them. Brooks is the best-selling solo artist of all-time for a reason, and he helped the country genre enjoy the commercial success it has had since the 1990s. So many of his songs have a special meaning to me because I grew up listening to him. However, at my fantasy show, we are cutting out the extremely country bumpkins tracks from the setlist and sticking to the songs everybody knows and loves.
–Tupac Shakur: He was taken from us way too soon, but his music and legacy lives on forever. There may not be a more influential artist to ever break through in the industry, and not just because of his music, but because of his civil rights activism, poetry and acting roles as well. Tupac was never afraid to tackle controversial topics and fight for what’s right. He wasn’t perfect, but his music speaks to so many people, and I would have loved an opportunity to see him perform.
–Journey (with Steve Perry): There are a lot of classic rock bands whose music I love, but Journey is at the top of the list. No disrespect to current frontman, Arnel Pineda (who does a fantastic job), but this is my fantasy music festival and I want the original Steve Perry vocals. A setlist including all of the big hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin,” “Separate Ways,” “Wheel In The Sky,” “Open Arms” and “Faithfully” sounds like a great show to me.
–Notorious B.I.G.: If they were both still alive today, I’d wonder if Tupac and Biggie could be on the same stage together in 2019. But it’s my fantasy lineup, and they would here. The Notorious B.I.G. really helped to shape hip-hop music into what it is today. Many of today’s rap stars would include Christoper Wallace when listing off their influences. His songs still hold up to this day, and although I was too young to listen to it at the time, his music always takes me back to my youth in the ‘90s.
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Header Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com
