Reunited Artists’ Festivals
After Coronavirus decimated the 2020 concert scene, there is tepid optimism that concerts and festivals will resume in the coming year or two. Whenever they do resume, there will be festivals that will try to make a grand return, and several will try to include artists who have recently reunited (or are reunited). In this post, I considered several artists who have reunited in 2018 or later or are reuniting once concerts can resume and speculate what festivals they might perform. In this exercise, I assumed that festivals would resume at the start of 2021; in reality, I do not expect this will happen and am uncertain if they will occur in 2021 at all. I omitted artists who have confirmed that a reunion was/will be a one-off performance. Due to the number of artists and festivals I included, I did not discuss most festivals in depth. If you find a festival being listed with an artist you like, I recommend looking more into the festival if you aren’t familiar with it; there are a lot of festivals that sound like a great time to attend. All artists are listed in alphabetical order.
ABBA
ABBA is currently working on a project which involves their
life-like avatars based on their tours from the 1970’s. Due to Covid-19, the project is delayed, so
now the avatar tour is expected to occur in 2022. Expect to see some U.S. dates starting in
late 2022-early 2023.
Most
likely: No festivals until 2022
Armor for
Sleep
Armor for Sleep was originally scheduled to hold a reunion
tour in 2020 (intended to be a 15th anniversary tour for their
second album, What to Do When You Are Dead), but it got postponed until
2021. They have already announced their
tour dates and did not include any festivals in the tour; as such, I don’t
expect any festivals, but there’s always the slim chance that we see some
added. There seems to be only 8
festivals that remain possible: Voodoo
Fest, Maha Festival, Hopscotch, Bunbury, Hangout, Epicenter, Louder Than Life,
and Rocklahoma. They have included smaller
breaks at different parts in the tour, but I expect a festival would be added after
their tour ends, leaving Voodoo, Hopscotch, Louder Than Life, and
Rocklahoma. I predict they would do
Rocklahoma since that isn’t much later than their tour. It is possible they wait a bit and perform
Voodoo or Louder Than Life. It is
possible they’re leaving the gaps in there to add more shows as well, which
would instead make Hangout my choice as a frontrunner.
Most
likely: Rocklahoma
Other
possibilities: Hangout Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts
Experience, Louder than Life
B2K
B2K was one of the headliners on The Millennium Tour in 2019
after reuniting and after its success, I could see them considering performing
one or two festivals. They would not be
a major name at most festivals, but there is one festival that I think would be
the perfect match: Essence Music
Festival. They would not be headlining
this festival, but I could see them being a main stage act. While they don’t necessarily need each other,
I think they are perfect for each other.
Other festivals might try for them as well, but I’m not sure they will do
a massive festival tour or anything like that.
Maybe we see a festival like Beale Street Music Festival or Maha Music
Festival sneak in there to get them as a bigger name. We could also see a bigger festival book them
as well.
Most
likely: Essence Music Festival
Other
possibilities: Beale Street Music Festival, Maha Music
Festival, Coachella, SunFest
Bauhaus
Bauhaus reunited in 2019 for some shows as a full band and
are set to perform a few next year, including Primavera Sound Festival in Spain. While I’m not sure if they will perform any U.S.
festivals in 2021, I am also uncertain about which festival is most likely. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they are
booked for Coachella, Music Midtown, Pitchfork Festival, Forecastle, Voodoo
Fest, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Boston Calling, or Moogfest. They performed 3 shows at the Hollywood Palladium
within a month span after reuniting, so I could see Coachella being intrigued
and enticed. Moogfest is a sleeper pick
because it sounds so perfect in my opinion.
Most likely:
Coachella
Other
possibilities: Moogfest, Pitchfork Festival, Boston Calling,
Lollapalooza, Governors Ball
Bikini
Kill
Bikini Kill toured some in 2019 and headlined the final day
of Riot Fest. They also have been booked
to perform Øyafestivalen in Oslo during August 2021 and are also set to perform
in Europe in May and June and in the U.S. from September through November. Needless to say, that doesn’t leave much room
for festivals. Combining this with their
tour locations, the most likely festival remaining would probably be Pitchfork
Media Festival. Other possibilities
include Voodoo Fest and select dates of a potential Warped Tour spinoff. However, I’m not sure they perform any U.S.
festivals.
Most
likely: Pitchfork Music Festival
Other
possibilities: Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, Warped Tour
spinoff (select dates)
The Black
Crowes
The Black Crowes are scheduled to tour during the summer and
fall of 2021. The tour is long and comprehensive,
including several locations where festivals take place. There are only 4 festivals I think are possible
given their schedule: Firefly,
Backwoods, Lockn’ Festival, and Rock the Garden. I think Rock the Garden is the least likely
since all the artists booked for 2020 were groups that included females and I
could see them trying this again. I don’t
know that Backwoods festival is big enough to host a reunited band of the Black
Crowes’ status. I think that Lockn’
Festival is most likely due to the stylistic choices of the festival and that
it is rumored that Rage Against the Machine will be performing Firefly in 2021
(see more on that in their section below).
That said, I don’t think they add any more dates to their tour.
Most
likely: Lockn’ Festival
Other
Possibilities: Firefly Music Festival, Backwoods at Mulberry
Mountain, Rock the Garden
Black
Flag
Black Flag reunited and performed at the Sabroso Craft Beer,
Taco & Music Festival in Dana Point, California before touring the U.S. and
U.K. Several of the venues they performed
at were not massive venues, which is akin to the punk ethos from around the
time they formed. I’m guessing that they
wouldn’t perform at a massive festival if they were to do any shows. I figure that the most likely one would be
something like Pitchfork Music Festival, Hopscotch Music Festival, Pygmalion
Festival, or the spinoff of Warped Tour that is supposed to kick off next
year. I’m guessing Pygmalion is the most
likely, but Pitchfork or the Warped spinoff is always possible (if Keith Morris
were still in the band, I think it would be more likely since he performed it
with Circle Jerks).
Most likely:
Pygmalion Festival
Other
possibilities: Pitchfork Music Festival, Warped Tour spinoff,
Hopscotch Music Festival
Bleeding
Through
After Bleeding Through reunited in 2018, they released an
album and went on a short tour in the U.S. and Europe, also performing a couple
festivals while they were at it. Out of
the 12 shows they performed, half of them were in California (where they’re from),
so it’s possible that they perform Coachella; if the Aftershock lineup hadn’t
been announced, I would think maybe that was possible as well. I think stylistically Mayhem makes the most
sense. I could also see them performing
a couple Danny Wimmer Presents festivals.
Most
likely: Mayhem Festival
Other possibilities:
Louder Than Life, Coachella, Epicenter, Welcome to Rockville
Bombay
Bicycle Club
The British indie group reunited in 2019 and released an
album earlier this year. They were set
to perform a massive tour…which was halted due to Covid-19. Currently, their only 2021 shows that have
been announced are for a pair of German music festivals in June 2021, but I
expect most of their tour dates to be rescheduled. If all those dates are rescheduled, there are
8 festivals that make sense and will take place in locations that they will not
stop at: Dusk Music Festival, Forecastle
Festival, Maha Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Hangout, Treefort Music
Fest, and BUKU. I’m not entirely sure which
is the most likely since I expect the rescheduled dates will not be the same
calendar dates as 2020, but I have a good feeling about them performing at Newport
Folk Festival. They are already performing
in the northeast (in particular, in New York and Boston), so that’s not too far
of a travel if they happen to be performing around the same time of the
festival. If their tour doesn’t lend
them to perform it, Treefort Fest makes a lot of sense. That said, I don’t expect them to perform any
festivals unless they are unable to reschedule dates in the area of a festival.
Most
likely: Newport Folk Festival
Other
possibilities: Treefort Music Fest, Maha Music Fest, Hangout
Festival
Bright
Eyes
Bright Eyes has announced they will tour in 2021; currently,
they have 3 dates set for the U.S. and several in Europe. They are starting their tour late in the summer
so I wouldn’t be surprised if they are included in the lineup for at least a
couple festivals. I believe Coachella
will push hardest to get them to perform as long as it is being held in
October. Coachella is one of the first
major festivals of 2021, so booking them would mean that they have the band’s
first performance upon reuniting; this is one way the festival can one-up their
lineup from last year if they so choose to do that. If the festival does change dates (it is
rumored that they are considering rescheduling to October), I could see them
performing Shaky Knees, Firefly, Hangout, Forecastle, Pitchfork Music Festival,
or Bunbury, among others.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: Shaky Knees, Firefly, Pitchfork Music
Festival, Bunbury Music Festival
Chunk!
No, Captain Chunk!
The French post-hardcore group stated that they planned to
perform at least one festival after they announced they were reuniting. They have already been confirmed to perform
at the Slam Dunk Festival in the U.K. in May 2021. The closest thing to this festival would
probably be if Kevin Lyman’s Warped Tour spinoff occurs next year. They performed Warped Tour previously and
would certainly draw a crowd at the spinoff.
I could also see a festival like Coachella try to book them as well.
Most
likely: Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Coachella, Forecastle Festival, Boston
Calling
The Color
Morale
The Color Morale announced that they’re currently writing an
album; no release date is announced, but it might be another year or two before
it’s released. However, I will assume for
this post that they consider festivals and touring for 2021. It’s tough to predict since they had one
album that had substantial commercial success so I’m not sure how they’re reunited
presence is valued at a lot of festivals.
If the spinoff of Warped Tour occurs, I would not be surprised if The
Color Morale performs at it. I could also see them performing Mayhem
Festival (even though they’re probably more post-hardcore than the metal bands
they tended to book for it) and at least one Danny Wimmer Presents
festival. They might be the reuniting
band at Aftershock, but I don’t think they’re big enough to fill that role. I could also see them being booked by a
festival such as Lollapalooza. They did
originate in Illinois so being added to Riot Fest is always a possibility.
Most likely:
Warped Tour Spinoff
Other
possibilities: Mayhem Festival, Sonic Temple, Lollapalooza, Epicenter,
Aftershock
Conception
Conception reunited in 2018 and has been announced as a
performer at PowerProg 2021. Considering
they are a power metal and progressive metal band and the festival caters to
power metal and progressive metal, that sounds like the right festival for
them. They will also be touring Europe
from late March until early May. I
expect PowerProg to be their only U.S. festival, but if they’re already in the
U.S., maybe they perform at Rocklahoma, which is just a week before. I feel like a festival like Louder Than Life makes
sense too, but unless they tour the U.S. in that time it might not work since
it’s far enough apart to not stay there and close enough to be a pain to travel
back and forth between the U.S. and Finland, their home. I think a festival like Lollapalooza or
Voodoo fest could work though. Maybe
they jump on for part of the Mayhem reboot.
I think they focus more on Europe where they have a bigger following
though.
Most
likely: Rocklahoma
Other
possibilities: Mayhem Festival (select dates), Lollapalooza
Daron
Malakian and the Scars on Broadway
Daron Malakian and the Scars on Broadway reunited in 2018 to
record and release an album and then tour.
Back in 2018, they were reportedly going to record a third album, so
maybe we see that released and then a tour after that, but I’m not sure that we’ll
see a tour; that might partly depend on the status of System of a Down,
Malakian’s main group. Maybe they do a
massive festival like Coachella or Lollapalooza. I could also see them being booked for a
Danny Wimmer Presents festival or Rocklahoma.
It’s also possible that they do another festival; there are several that
makes sense. I’m going to tepidly guess
that Lollapalooza is most likely, but there isn’t a standout in my opinion.
Most likely:
Lollapalooza
Other
possibilities: Welcome to Rockville, Sonic Temple,
Epicenter, Rocklahoma, Coachella
Dismember
Dismember reunited in 2019 and performed at Scandinavian
Death Fest in 2019. They are set to headline
several death metal festivals in 2021, including Maryland Deathfest. The variety of countries that they are
traveling to in order to perform these festivals makes it difficult to predict what
touring schedule they will announce and if they would perform any out of genre festivals. The most obvious in my opinion would be
select dates of Mayhem or Summer Slaughter Tour (most likely the latter since they’d
certainly be a headliner on those days, and it fits better with the genre). It’s also possible that they perform a Danny
Wimmer presents festival. Lollapalooza
booked A Day to Remember in 2019; maybe they go towards a death metal band here
(even though I expect they would go with a more melodic group, maybe someone
like A Day to Remember).
Most
likely: The Summer Slaughter Tour (select dates)
Other
possibilities: Mayhem Festival (select dates), Sonic Temple,
Lollapalooza
The
Distillers
Since reuniting in 2018, The Distillers have performed
several locations and are set to tour in Europe in June 2021. In that tour, they are also set to perform several
festivals of various genres, including several hard rock ones. It wouldn’t surprise me if they get booked for
a couple U.S. hard rock festivals, but deciding which one won’t be easy: they might view some of the May Danny Wimmer
Presents festivals as too close to when they start their European tour, while Aftershock
released their lineup and The Distillers weren’t on it. I still would guess that they wind up doing a
festival like Louder Than Life or Rocklahoma (I’d guess the former), even
though Coachella could make a run for them as well.
Most likely:
Louder Than Life
Other possibilities:
Coachella, Rocklahoma, Epicenter
D.R.U.G.S.
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (abbreviated as D.R.U.G.S.) created
an Instagram account, posted information about songs, and vocalist Johnny Craig
announced touring was possible. Questions
remain regarding who else will be involved since the other members left the
band and have not been confirmed to reunite; this will help determine what
festivals they might be able to perform.
If the other members opt not to be a part of the band (that’s what I’m
guessing so far), the spinoff of Warped Tour might be their best bet. If the other members of the supergroup rejoin,
there’s several that could be possible: we could see them higher up the bill at
festivals like Coachella, Firefly, Voodoo Fest, Lollapalooza, or Boston
Calling. I still see some of these
festivals book them no matter what.
Most
likely: Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, Boston
Calling, Lollapalooza
Duck
Sauce
Duck Sauce was previously set to return at Coachella
2020. I would assume that they will still
plan to make their return at Coachella.
The good news for them is that Coachella is so early that they can also perform
at other festivals while following this plan. I could also see Governors Ball, Spring Awakening,
EDC, and Made in America all fight for them as well. Expect them to be heavily sought after by
festivals.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: Governors Ball, Electric Daisy Carnival, Spring
Awakening, Made in America
Egypt Central
I’m guessing that Egypt Central will be releasing an album and
touring within the next couple years.
They released a couple new songs after reuniting in 2019 but haven’t
released an album or toured. If they
perform any festivals in 2021, I’d guess that they will mostly perform hard
rock festivals such as Danny Wimmer Presents festivals or Rocklahoma. There is the possibility another rock
festival goes for them, but I’m guessing a Danny Wimmer Presents since the band
previously performed at one of theirs in 2011.
While Aftershock has a reuniting band to announce, they listed the band
before Anthrax and Killswitch Engage in their lineup and Egypt Central is not
big enough to be listed there. I’m going
to guess Sonic Temple, but it could be any of their festivals at number one.
Most
likely: Sonic Temple
Other possibilities:
Epicenter, Louder Than Life, Rocklahoma, Lollapalooza
Faith No
More
While Faith No More didn’t break up, they had been inactive
for a few years. They were scheduled to
perform several festivals in Europe in 2020 and are still planning to in
2021. They currently have two shows scheduled
in Los Angeles in May 2021 with System of a Down, Korn, Helmet, and Russian
Circles. While their European and
Oceania tours eliminate several festivals, there are still 12 festivals that I
consider at least a possibility. I feel
safer predicting them not performing a festival until after their European tour
ends on July 10th, so that leaves 8:
Voodoo Fest, Musikfest, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza,
Louder Than Life, Aftershock, and Rocklahoma.
I made the bold prediction that they would perform Lollapalooza
2020. While I’m not sure they will do it
in 2021, I think it’s the most likely. I
also think several of the others I mentioned are likely as well. Aftershock has said they will have one
reuniting band, but I think they will be too big for that spot.
Most likely:
Lollapalooza
Other
possibilities: Austin City Limits, Musikfest, Louder Than
Life, Rocklahoma, Bonnaroo
The Fiery
Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces were set to reunite at Pitchfork Music
Festival in 2020. They have since begun
to release music again, but I still think they will perform Pitchfork in 2021. There are several festivals that could book
them since they aren’t a band that would cost as much as other reuniting bands
and are a musical style that fits several festivals (they’re something of an
indie/psychedelic pop group). I think
Levitation is another festival that makes sense considering their style of
music. Another festival that could be a
sleeper pick is Rock the Garden. They
were set to have each 2020 artist be a female or a group containing
females. They have said this wasn’t intentional,
but if they decide they want to try that next year and another act can’t make
it, they would be a great one to fill in.
Most likely:
Pitchfork Music Festival
Other
possibilities: Levitation, Rock the Garden, Shaky Knees, Governors
Ball
The
Format
The Format have nine reunion shows booked for 2021: three in New York, three in Chicago, and
three in Phoenix. If they jump onto a
festival, I would assume that they wouldn’t perform at one scheduled before the
first New York show scheduled (July 16th) and would probably not
perform one in any of the cities they’re already scheduled to perform. That leaves six festivals: Music Midtown, Voodoo Fest, Hopscotch Festival,
Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, and Treefort Fest. I think either Treefort, Austin City Limits,
or Hopscotch are good fits; in particular, they might headline a day at
Treefort. Since that festival has so
many days in it, I’m going to predict it.
I’m also going to give an honorable mention to Coachella; even though it’s
scheduled for April, it is rumored that they are looking into moving it until
October. If this happens, I could see
them trying to book the group.
Most
likely: Treefort Music Fest
Other
possibilities: Austin City Limits, Hopscotch Music Festival,
Music Midtown
Framing
Hanley
Since Framing Hanley reunited in 2018, they have performed
several concerts and released an album.
They are scheduled to perform some shows next year in March and
April. Most of the shows they have
performed since reuniting were in their home state of Tennessee, so it’s
possible they perform a festival there. I
doubt that it would be Bonnaroo, but it is possible to see Forecastle and Beale
Street Music Festival. I think the most
likely Tennessee festival we could see is Louder Than Life; the hard rock/metal
festival makes the most sense to me given the style of music. It’s also possible that they are booked for
another Danny Wimmer Presents festival or Rocklahoma.
Most
likely: Louder Than Life
Other
possibilities: Rocklahoma, Beale Street Music Festival,
Epicenter, Forecastle Festival
Frank
Ocean
Frank Ocean was scheduled to have his return to performing
at Coachella 2020, but Covid-19 put a hold on it. Coachella reportedly offered all 2020
headliners the opportunity to headline 2021 instead; I expect him to take advantage
of this offer. It’s entirely possible he
does another festival as well. While I
don’t think he’ll perform “Voodoo” at Voodoo, others that are possible are SunFest,
Austin City Limits, Hangout, Governors Ball, Made in America, and
Bonnaroo. For the remaining, it’s anyone’s
guess which he chooses, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him on the billing
for either Made in America or Governors Ball.
Most likely:
Coachella
Other possibilities:
Made in America, Governors Ball, SunFest, Austin City Limits
Genesis
Genesis is currently scheduled to tour in the U.K. in April
2021, which sets them perfectly to be booked for festival season. I don’t expect them to perform any festivals
in the U.S.; they were so massive in the U.K. that they would headline any
festival they’re booked for there, something that might not hold in the U.S. If they were to perform one, I would guess
that a festival that has more than 3 or 4 days would book them as one of the
headliners since I expect some festivals might think it won’t be a big hit (it
would be a massive hit, but that’s beside the point). In that case, Musikfest and Summerfest make
the most sense. Summefest has one date
remaining to book the headliner for (July 9th); Genesis might have
the name power to fill the last spot that is vacant alongside artists for that
weekend like Christ Stapleton and Guns N’ Roses. I think it works.
Most
likely: Summerfest
Other
possibilities: Musikfest, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza,
Hangout Festival
Genghis
Tron
Genghis Tron announced they were reuniting in the summer of
2020 to record a new album with a new drummer and replacement vocalist. While I’m not sure if their style will change
with the new members, they were a blend of extreme metal and electronic that
progressively got more experimental. They
currently don’t have any tour dates available, but they would probably be too
heavy for most electronic festivals and too weird for most variety genre
festivals. I could see them being booked
for a Danny Wimmer presents festival or doing some dates on Mayhem festival
dates. However, an unusual group with an
electronic sound is something that is right up Moogfest’s alley. They have previously booked metal bands
(Deafheaven was booked previously), so I could see the fit.
Most
likely: Moogfest
Other
possibilities: Mayhem Festival, Sonic Temple, Epicenter,
Louder Than Life
Girl Talk
Girl talk was set to perform at Governors Ball in 2020
before it was cancelled. He announced
his tour for 2021 and, while there are 18 current dates, there are several
openings. Currently, there are no dates
scheduled for New York, Florida, Georgia, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Maryland,
each of which have a potential festival.
There are no dates after May 26th, so I’m assuming he is
waiting for at least one festival to book him.
I figure he will still perform Governors Ball in 2021, which would probably
knock other potential New York dates (the most notable I saw possible is
Electric Zoo). Beyond that, I suspect he
performs at several others; my guess is he will perform Bonnaroo, Firefly, and
Electric Forest. I also think Music
Midtown, Forecastle, Vodoo, Ultra, BUKU, and Moonrise Festival are all possible.
Most
likely: Governors Ball
Other possibilities:
Bonnaroo, Firefly, Electric Forest Festival, Ultra Music Festival
Go Radio
Go Radio reunited in 2019 and while they have released two
singles, they have neither released any albums nor toured. Their last tour was the 2013 Warped Tour, so
I can’t think of a better way to return than by being on the main stage at the
first Warped Tour spinoff. Since this festival
isn’t confirmed, they could also be booked by some other festivals that are
more guaranteed. In particular, I could
see them being booked for Coachella, Lollapalooza, Hangout, Bonnaroo, Boston
Calling, Bunbury, Shaky Knees, and Voodoo Fest, including several others. It wouldn’t surprise me if they go on a tour
of their own with some festivals if the Warped spinoff doesn’t occur.
Most
likely: Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Lollapalooza, Bunbury Music Festival, Coachella,
Hangout Festival
Gossip
Gossip reunited in 2019 after a brief breakup and ultimately
performed a world tour. They didn’t
perform many U.S. dates upon reuniting and the only U.S. festival they
performed was LadyLand, a pride concert event in Brooklyn. It would make sense for them to perform some
more shows in the U.S., but they haven’t performed a lot of U.S. festivals
before. The one that keeps coming to
mind here is Rock the Garden. In
addition to the clear stylistic fit, the 2020 lineup was set to include
entirely artists that were either females or groups containing females; the
festival organizers have specified this wasn’t intentional, but since the
lineup was released, they could feel pressure to do that again. I could also see them performing North Coast
Festival, Pitchfork Festival, or Hopscotch Festival. I think Governors Ball is another to watch
since they have performed in New York on several occasions.
Most
likely: Rock the Garden
Other
possibilities: Pitchfork Music Festival, Hopscotch Music
Festival, Governors Ball
Heart
Upon reuniting in 2019 after a brief hiatus, the band went
on tour in 2019 and was set to tour in 2020.
They weren’t going to perform any festivals outside of one fair for their
2020 tour so I’m not sure they are planning on performing at any whenever they
tour next. If they do, I could see a
festival like Stagecoach booking them; while it is a country festival, they
usually book a few classic rock groups. I
also think Musikfest or Rocklahoma would be good fits for them. Another festival could sneak in as well.
Most
likely: Stagecoach
Other possibilities:
Musikfest, Rocklahoma, Beale Street Music Festival
Hootie
& the Blowfish
I don’t expect Hootie & the Blowfish will perform at a
ton of festivals in 2021 since singer Darius Rucker has been booked for some. Since
they’ve already been on a reunion tour, they wouldn’t headline most festivals they
could be booked for, but that shouldn’t impact the decision to perform certain festivals. I think Musikfest would be the perfect one
for them, but Rucker is already headlining that one. There are 9 festivals I could see them being booked
for: SunFest, Music Midtown, Bunbury,
Beale Street Festival, Austin City Limits, Hangout, Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, and
Mountain Jam. Stagecoach is the one that
fascinates me the most for them since it is a country festival that often books
some rock bands as well. Given Rucker’s
solo career and their roots rock influence, I think that one makes the most
sense.
Most likely:
Stagecoach
Other
possibilities:
Mountain Jam, Bunbury Music Festival, Beale Street Music Festival
I, the
Breather
I, the Breather reformed this year and released a single, but
haven’t announced any album or touring plans.
If they do tour soon, I think the best bet is that they perform either
the Warped Tour spinoff planned for next year or the return of Mayhem. I’m going with the latter since it is more
than just a rumor at this point. I could
also see a Danny Wimmer presents festival booking them; they’re not big enough
for the reunion spot reserved at Aftershock, but they could be booked for a
different one.
Most likely:
Mayhem Festival
Other
possibilities: Warped Tour spinoff, Epicenter, Louder Than
Life, Sonic Temple
Idiot Pilot
Idiot Pilot reunited in 2019 and self-released an album in
March. While they haven’t toured since
reuniting, they have performed several festivals in the past of a variety of
genres. They have performed hard rock and
metal festivals before (including twice performing the U.K.’s Download Festival)
and toured with many bands in those genres, including Avenged Sevenfold; as such,
they could be booked by a Danny Wimmer Presents festival or Rocklahoma. They also performed at some festivals that
were a variety of genres, so I could see them performing at more rock-oriented
ones. They never performed Warped Tour,
but the spinoff makes sense from a genre standpoint. However, the festival that makes the most
sense for them is Bumbershoot. They
performed at the festival twice and while the festival has said they are shifting
back to their format of earlier years (leaving some uncertainty regarding who
they will book), it feels too perfect for the Seattle music festival to book the
band from Bellingham, Washington.
Most
likely: Bumbershoot
Other
possibilities: Rocklahoma, Welcome to Rockville, Epicenter, Boston
Calling
Jawbox
Jawbox went on a reunion tour in 2019 (including performing
at Fest 18) and are set to tour Europe in June 2021 and perform Riot Fest. It wouldn’t surprise me if they add more U.S.
dates and a couple festivals. I could
see them being booked to perform Noise Pop or Rock the Garden; I think Noise
Pop is more likely. I also could see
them being booked for Shaky Knees or Hopscotch.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a festival like Coachella tried for them
also.
Most
likely: Noise Pop
Other
possibilities: Rock the Garden, Hopscotch Music Festival,
Coachella, Shaky Knees
Jonas
Brothers
The Jonas Brothers performed at the Summertime Ball in the
U.K. in 2019 and were scheduled to have a Vegas residency in April 2020 before
Covid-19 cancelled it. While I don’t
believe they will perform any festivals this year, there are four festivals
that seem most likely: Coachella, Austin
City Limits, Summerfest, and Bonnaroo. Austin
City Limits doesn’t typically get pop acts to headline, so I’d be shocked if
they were booked. Coachella has already told
the scheduled headliners from 2020 that they could headline 2021 if they
choose, and I suspect each will. I
expect Coachella will do something to make it a bigger deal this year, but I
don’t expect the Jonas Brothers will be part of it (it is possible
though). Based on the structure of the
festivals and history of performers, I think Summerfest is more likely for
them. There is one headliner spot
Summerfest has not announced yet, and it could be theirs. However, I don’t think they will perform any
festivals this year.
Most
likely: Summerfest
Other
possibilities: Bonnaroo, Coachella
The Kinks
The Kinks have been working on an album; in 2019, they were
shooting for 2020, but Covid-19 might have changed that. That said, whenever the album is completed,
expect a tour in the U.K. at minimum.
Maybe they’d do a few shows in the U.S., but we’d have to see. If they do, I’m not exactly sure which
festival would try to book them; they have more of a Coachella or Lollapalooza
legacy status, but maybe not the fanbase in that age-bracket, which makes it difficult
to predict. Something like Musikfest
feels safest; even though it doesn’t necessarily book the biggest names, it
books a tier or two down names (which are still solid names). The Kinks might be out of their price range
if other festivals start coming in, but I’m not sure what that price range
would look like for them. Summerfest,
Coachella, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Hangout, SunFest, and Bonnaroo
should all be in consideration.
Most
likely: Musikfest
Other
possibilities: Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Coachella,
Summerfest
Linkin
Park
I’m not sure if Linkin Park is planning on touring in the near
future, but that day will come eventually.
Given the death of Chester Bennington, Linkin Park is in an
uncomfortable situation: there will be
festivals that won’t book them due to potential backlash for continuing after a
member committed suicide. However, The
Prodigy opted to continue after Keith Flint’s death, and many have discussed
how this is perfect for his legacy. I
bet Linkin Park will do something like this and some festivals will capitalize
on the idea. I feel like Shaky Knees has
the most to gain (and least to lose) from this booking and will jump on the
opportunity. They have booked big names
in indie and alternative in the last few years; Linkin Park is another band
that fits the bill. I also wouldn’t be
surprised if Austin City Limits booked them.
Most
likely: Shaky Knees
Other possibilities:
Austin City Limits, SunFest, Lollapalooza, Aftershock
Lunachicks
The Lunachicks are set to reunite for two shows in May of
2021 in New York. I’m not sure if this
just a one-off reunion since they haven’t announced any other dates, but I will
speculate for the sake of this post. I
figure that they would not want to perform any festivals before their
shows. I’m not sure what the right
festival for them is; I could see them performing Riot Fest, but most of that
lineup has already been announced. Maybe
Pitchfork Music Festival goes after them; even if their 2021 lineup was
planning on using the 2020 lineup, Run the Jewels jumped ship to Riot Fest, so
they’d probably need a new headliner. Maybe
a major festival reaches out, such as Boston Calling or Lollapalooza. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Rock the
Garden since they booked entirely either solo female artists or groups
containing females last year. It’s also possible that they jump onto a Warped
Tour replacement.
Most likely:
Pitchfork Music Festival
Other
possibilities: Boston Calling, Rock the Garden,
Lollapalooza, Warped Tour spinoff
Meg &
Dia
Meg & Dia reunited in 2019 and did performances with the
final Warped Tour festivals as well as touring with the ill-fated Disrupt
Festival. They also toured in early
2020. This is a sign that many festivals
could go for them because they were willing to go on tours while not being a
headliner. I’m not sure if they tour
next year, but I could see them being booked for several festivals if they
do. I could see them doing a Warped Tour
spinoff considering they reunited in part to perform the final Warped Tours and
performed Disrupt, which is was similar to Warped. It also wouldn’t surprise me if a bigger
festival books them, such as Boston Calling, Firefly, Lollapalooza, Coachella,
Music Midtown, Hangout, or Vodoo Fest. They
also could be booked for Rock the Garden. The festival booked entirely female artists or
groups with at least one female member; while I expect they’ll try to bring
back the same lineup, maybe they try to keep that same theme.
Most
likely: Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Rock the Garden, Boston Calling, Lollapalooza,
Hangout Festival
Mercyful
Fate
They were set to headline Psycho Las Vegas in 2020, which
was cancelled. While the 2021 lineup
hasn’t been announced yet, it is listed on Mercyful Fate’s website. I don’t expect them to do another U.S.
festival. Even though more Satanist
metal has become more commercially accessible and festival-friendly since Ghost
exploded, black metal music has generally not been booked by many festivals. I also think some festivals might shy away
from booking a black metal band that’s reuniting due to the lack of commercial success
in the genre in the U.S. I’m going to go
out on a limb and predict that Moogfest takes a swing at them. While the focus of Moogfest is typically more
electronic music, they previously booked others, including Sunn O))), who is
more associated with forms of post-metal and drone metal (they also do have a
touch of black metal in some of their releases). The festival typically hasn’t been as worried
about commercial success of their headliners as other festivals have, so I
think it’s the perfect odd couple kind of match.
Most likely: Moogfest
Other
possibilities: Voodoo Music + Arts
Experience, Sonic Temple, Lollapalooza
Methods
of Mayhem
I’m surprised Tommy Lee decided to resurrect this project in
2019 given Mötley Crüe’s stadium tour scheduled. Due to the tour scheduled, I’d be shocked if Methods
of Mayhem tour at all. If they tour, it will
have to be around the stadium tour, which realistically leaves around 14
possibilities. I’d imagine Lee won’t go
to a festival that is close to a tour location, so that leaves six: Coachella, Voodoo, Hangout, Epicenter, Louder
Than Life, and dates of the touring Mayhem Festival. I’d eliminate Mayhem instantly (as much as I’d
enjoy the puns for it). As for the
others, I’d guess he’d prefer to perform with Methods of Mayhem after finishing
the tour with the Crüe, leaving Voodoo and Louder Than Life. While Voodoo Fest is most likely out of the two,
I don’t expect a tour from them.
Most likely:
Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
Other possibilities:
Louder Than Life, Coachella, Hangout Festival, Epicenter
Metro
Station
Metro Station announced that they were reuniting in 2019
after a brief breakup. When Trace Cyrus
had previously rejoined the band, they went on a tour and followed it up by going
on Warped Tour the next year. I think
they recognized the value of performing Warped Tour when they did and seemed to
love it, so I could see them doing a Warped Tour spinoff. However, they might opt to wait a year before
doing that and perform some other festivals before. There are several that makes sense; Coachella
usually tries to book several reunited acts and one like Metro Station makes
sense further down the bill. A lot of
festivals could take a crack at them: it
wouldn’t surprise me to see them booked for SunFest, North Coast Music
Festival, Hopscotch, Bunbury, Hangout, Music Midtown, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo,
Noise Pop, or Rock the Garden. They have
a lot of flexibility in that regard since I don’t expect them to charge a high
price for a reunion.
Most likely:
Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Coachella, North Coast Music Festival, Noise
Pop, Music Midtown
Motion
City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack reunited in 2019 and was able to fit
in a tour before Covid-19 took off. They
were forced to miss out on performing at Slam Dunk Festival in the U.K.; don’t
be surprised if they perform at the next iteration. I think the Warped Tour spinoff would be the
closest equivalence to that in the U.S. at this point, so I wouldn’t be
surprised to see them performing at it.
I could also see them performing at festivals like Coachella,
Lollapalooza, Bunbury, and Firefly. They
could also perform other festivals since I think festivals could see them as a
worthwhile investment.
Most likely:
Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bunbury Music Festival,
Firefly
Mötley
Crüe
Mötley Crüe is going to be on a stadium tour next year, so
don’t expect them to perform at many, if any festivals. If they were to, the festivals that would be
big enough to entice them, won’t interfere with their tour, and won’t cause
them to violate any radius clauses are Coachella, Epicenter, and Louder Than
Life. All the other major festivals
would require them to waive the radius clause so I’m not considering them or
would be on the same day as a tour. Lollapalooza
manages to hit both of those requirements, and Bonnaroo would require a cross
country trip overnight. While we could
see them do Voodoo fest, Guns N’ Roses headlined there three years into their
reunion; I predict Voodoo fest holds off on the Crüe for now. I suspect Coachella will try to add another
headliner to up the ante a bit, so Coachella it is for Mötley Crüe…not that I
expect them to perform at a festival.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: Louder Than Life, Epicenter
Mr.
Bungle
Mr. Bungle performed a few shows in 2020 that resulted in
polarized reviews due to performing only music from their demo album and cover
songs (despite promoting this). I don’t
expect Mr. Bungle to perform any festivals.
I don’t know if they were ever quite big enough to bring in a massive
audience and Mike Patton of Faith No More probably isn’t quite a big enough
name to make it work. On top of that,
Faith No More is set to tour in 2021, so that will probably be more of a focus
for Patton. That said, they do have
something of a cult following so some festivals could take a chance with
them. Faith No More has an Oceania tour,
European tour, and two dates scheduled in May.
Their European tour ends on July 10th, so I’d expect Mr.
Bungle wouldn’t perform before then. This
leaves 8 festivals that seem most likely:
Music Midtown, Pitchfork Music Festival, Voodoo Music Experience, Austin
City Limits, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Louder Than Life, and Rocklahoma. I could see Louder Than Life taking a swing
at them. While they might not have the commercial
success of other acts that Danny Wimmer Presents book in certain cases, the
influence and following are enough where it could be a worthwhile decision.
Most
likely: Louder Than Life
Other
possibilities: Pitchfork Music Festival, Austin City Limits,
Lollapalooza
My
Chemical Romance
MCR has already been confirmed as a headliner for Riot Fest,
Midtown Music, and Aftershock, as well as other festivals in Europe. However, their current tour schedule has
several gaps so some more festivals could be added. There are eight festivals that could work
given their current touring schedule and wouldn’t deal with any radius clause
issues: Coachella, Voodoo Music + Arts
Experience, Hangout Festival, Bonnaroo, Epicenter, Rocklahoma, Sonic Temple,
and a date or two of the spinoff of Warped Tour that founder Kevin Lyman alluded
to occurring in 2021. I’m going to
exclude the Warped Tour spinoff here until we know if this is going to occur. I’m also going to remove Rocklahoma since Aftershock
is created by a competing company. While
Coachella is currently scheduled for April, there is still speculation it could
be postponed until October, which would interfere with their four shows at The
Forum in Inglewood, CA. I’m guessing several
major festivals are going to try to either match or top their lineups they had
scheduled for 2020; I predict Danny Wimmer Presents will do the same. Sonic Temple had Metallica (2 nights) and
Slipknot as their headliners; I would guess some hard rock/metal fans would
consider switching to MCR to be a demotion.
While it’s possible to see something similar for Epicenter (Metallica 2
nights, Disturbed and Lynyrd Skynyrd the other), I don’t think that’s as clear of
a statement. Both Voodoo fest and
Bonnaroo are around a week before their tours are scheduled to resume, so it
makes sense for these to be included in the tour. There is speculation that Bonnaroo could have
the same lineup as scheduled for 2020, which did not include MCR. Hangout Festival is almost a month before their
first show so this might be a bit inconvenient.
While Voodoo waited 3 years after Guns N’ Roses reunited before booking
them, MCR is a bit different and is performing different festivals. Ultimately, I think the most likely to be
added is the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
Most
Likely: Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
Other
Possibilities: Bonnaroo, Hangout, Epicenter
Never
Shout Never
Never Shout Never released an album in 2020 after Christofer
Drew announced that what was expected to be a solo album was actually going to
be a Never Shout Never album. Nothing
more has been announced so it is uncertain whether the group is officially
back, Drew is now using the name as a solo project, or if that album just used
the name for promotion sake. That said,
if they do officially reunite, I think the festival that would make perfect
sense is a Warped Tour spinoff. They
participated in Warped Tour a few times and always seemed to draw a crowd, so
it feels like a good fit. I could also
see them being booked for Governors Ball, Noise Pop, or Coachella; all three
feel like ones where they could draw a decent crowd. Don’t be surprised if a surprise festival tries
for them as well (I’m not sleeping on Bunbury Festival in Cincinnati).
Most
likely: Warped Tour spinoff
Other
possibilities: Noise Pop, Coachella, Governors Ball, Bunbury
Music Festival
Pavement
Pavement is currently set to perform Primavera Sound 2021 in
both Portugal and Spain. It sounds like
the festival has been advertising that as their reunion, so I’m guessing that
Pavement won’t book a festival before those dates. I’m also assuming this doesn’t wind up being
a two-off festival. There are 10
festivals I think are possible: Firefly,
North Coast Music Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival, Forecastle, Voodoo, Hopscotch,
Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Rock the Garden. I think some of these festivals would try to shoot
for names with more commercial success and would pass over Pavement. I could see Pitchfork Music Festival booking
them as a headliner; I think that would draw a massive crowd and fit with the
genres they usually book. Keep an eye out
on another Chicago festival: North Coast
Music Festival.
Most likely:
Pitchfork Music Festival
Other
possibilities: North Coast Music Festival, Forecastle
Festival, Lollapalooza
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet reunited in 2019 and toured before releasing
an album in 2020. I’m not sure what the
best fit for a band like them is, considering they are a one-hit wonder and the
hit, “California”, isn’t a song that is as popular as most singles from one-hit
wonders. I could see Coachella booking
them since alternative music typically fits well at the festival. It also wouldn’t surprise me to see them
booked for Maha Festival, Noise Pop Festival, Rock the Garden, Lollapalooza, or
Hopscotch Festival. Their style could
lend them to being booked at other festivals as well; I could see them being
open to it considering they were unable to tour to promote their album.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: Noise Pop Festival, Maha Music Festival,
Hopscotch Festival, Lollapalooza
Pierce the
Veil
Pierce the Veil is reportedly recording a new album and specified
that former drummer Mike Fuentes, who was accused of sexual misconduct, will
not be in the band despite multiple hints that he might be. While this isn’t necessarily a reunion, they
were on a hiatus after the allegations, so I will consider it as such. After Fuentes was involved in a livestream
with the band, some festivals might be hesitant to book them out of fears that
he will be a part of the show. Pierce
the Veil is from San Diego, so maybe Coachella winds up booking them. It’s also possible that they do some shows in
a Warped Tour spinoff (while they could perform the entire thing, I could see
them taking other opportunities as well).
However, I think the frontrunner for booking them might some Danny
Wimmer Presents festivals. There is a
spot for a reuniting act at Aftershock; while they make sense, there’s the case
to be made that they never broke up. I
think they could be booked for multiple of DWP festivals and, if the company
doesn’t want Fuentes to perform due to publicity sake, could probably include
something in the contract specifying that and then remove them from other
festivals if he does.
Most
likely: Sonic Temple
Other
possibilities: Aftershock, Coachella, Warped Tour spinoff
(select dates), Epicenter
Oysterhead
Oysterhead has had the worst luck with touring: their first tour was interrupted due to 9/11
and their second tour set for this year by Covid-19. They performed two shows in February and were
set to resume their tour in April. They
were scheduled to perform at Bonnaroo and Scranton Peach Festival this year. Scranton Peach Festival has announced they
will be a headliner next year; Bonnaroo has not announced their lineup, but Trey
Anastasio’s Phish is performing in Colorado during it so they probably won’t be
there. They will also be performing at
Sweetwater 420 Fest in April. They have one
other show booked in April, but nothing else for Oysterhead. The bigger question comes down to the members
other questions: Les Claypool’s Primus
and Trey Anastasio’s Phish are both planning on touring while Stewart Copeland
also has a show booked. That leaves 7
festivals as possibilities: SunFest, Voodoo
Fest, Austin City Limits, Hangout Fest, Lollapalooza, Mountain Jam, and Lockn’
Festival. I’d guess they go Mountain Jam
here, but we might see them opt for Hangout.
Most
likely: Mountain Jam
Other
possibilities: Hangout Festival, Lockn’ Festival, SunFest
The
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are set to tour in the U.K. in 2021. They were originally scheduled to have
several dates around the world and perform several festivals in 2020, but none
were scheduled for the U.S. They are
currently set to perform between May 21st-June 2nd in the
U.K. There are 8 festivals I think are
possible: Coachella, SunFest, Voodoo
fest, Musikfest, Austin City Limits, Summerfest, and Bonnaroo. I think SunFest is most likely to try to
swoop in and book them, but they originated in Los Angeles so we can’t rule out
Coachella.
Most likely:
SunFest
Other possibilities:
Coachella, Summerfest, Hangout Festival, Bonnaroo
The
Raconteurs
In their tour last year, The Raconteurs performed several
festivals, including Austin City Limits, Riot Fest, Mempho Music Festival, and Railbird
Festival. I would bet on them performing
multiple festivals and believe there are 9 frontrunners: Coachella, Firefly, Music Midtown, Shaky
Knees, Voodoo fest, Hangout fest, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Boston Calling. Jack White has performed at all of these and The
Raconteurs have performed at four of them.
I would guess that they go with either Firefly or Hangout since it’s
been the longest since White has performed there. There’s always the chance that both festivals
try to go with what they had last year, but I’m going to predict Firefly here.
Most
likely: Firefly Music Festival
Other possibilities:
Hangout Festival, Music Midtown, Coachella, Bonnaroo
Rage
Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine was slated to headline several
festivals in 2020. While most of the
festivals they were performing at have not announced their 2021 lineups, Rage
Against the Machine has listed several festivals on their website, including
Coachella, Boston Calling, Firefly, and several European festivals. The three U.S. festivals have yet to announce
their 2021 lineups, but it looks like they’re performing them. I’m guessing their tour is set and that there
won’t be any additional dates added in.
However, I’m still going to speculate since that’s more fun. There are 4 other major festivals that fit in
the tour: Voodoo Fest, Austin City
Limits, Music Midtown, and Louder Than Life.
Music Midtown has already booked My Chemical Romance, so I don’t see
them booking another reuniting group. Voodoo
waited 3 years after Guns N Roses reunited before booking them, so while it’s
possible, I bet they don’t jump on the RATM train yet. Louder Than Life is certainly possible; Metallica
was set to perform there in 2020 and Danny Wimmer Presents has historically
booked massive names in hard rock and metal for their festivals. However, I think Austin City Limits is more
likely largely due to the size of the festival.
Most
likely: Austin City Limits
Other possibilities:
Louder Than Life, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
The
Rapture
The Rapture reformed in 2019 and went on tour before being
stopped by Covid-19, including a tour stop at the Just Like Heaven festival in
Long Beach. I expect that several
festivals could try to book them when they resume; I see Coachella, Governors
Ball, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, BUKU, Bunbury, Hopscotch, and
Pitchfork all being strong fits for them.
While they tended to play more festivals in Europe than the U.S. (they
had more commercial success in the U.K.), the last U.S. festival they performed
at before breaking up North Coast Music Festival; it’s possible they return to
this one as well. That said, I expect
them to perform several more solo shows.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: North Coast Music Festival, Governors Ball,
BUKU Music + Art Project
Shpongle
This one is not technically a reunion and the “reunion” is
not technically Shpongle. The group
performed their last public concerts in 2018, but members have performed DJ
sets. While there are a few dates listed
for 2021 between festivals, their site, and elsewhere, the ones listed are
actually Simon Posford DJ sets listed as Shpongle. That said, he is set to perform Summer Camp
2021 and was originally scheduled for Backwoods in 2020. I expect that he will perform Backwoods as
well and will be booked for other festivals.
I view Hangout, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, and North Coast Festival
among the most likely of the remainders.
Most
likely: Backwoods Music Festival
Other
Possibilities: Electric Forest, Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco,
Hangout Festival
Spice
Girls
I don’t expect us to see the Spice Girls at a U.S. festival
in 2021. They are set for a world tour,
but it’s sounding like their goal for a festival would be to fully reunite
(Victoria Beckham hasn’t participated in the most recent tours) for Glastonbury
2021, which Mel B has said was a goal of hers.
That said, if they were to perform in the U.S., I think the most likely festivals
for them to choose would be Coachella, Austin City Limits, Summerfest, and
Bonnaroo. I could see Coachella going
crazy to try to get them, Summerfest making a solid push, and the others not making
any sort of effort. But make no mistake,
Spice Girls will opt for the massive sold out stadiums in the U.K. before
coming over for a U.S. festival.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other possibilities:
Summerfest
Static-X
Static-X is going to be touring next year and has several
touring dates booked overseas in September and one in August. Industrial metal is tougher to predict since
a lot of festivals avoid it, but Static-X is bigger than a lot of bands in the
genre. I think there will be a few
festivals that consider them: I could
see Danny Wimmer Presents, Moogfest, and Coachella seriously considering them. I think it might be more beneficial for them
to do a headlining tour with not as many festival acts, but it still is
something they should consider.
Most likely:
Sonic Temple
Other
possibilities: Epicenter, Moogfest, Coachella, Welcome to
Rockville
Stereolab
Stereolab toured the U.K. and the U.S. in 2019 and early
2020 and performed several U.K. festivals.
They are set to perform two festivals in the U.K. in 2021 as well. I expect they will reschedule a May 2020 tour
in the U.S. at some point, but I will not account for this in my festival
predictions. I think the two perfect
festivals for them would be either Coachella or Governors Ball; the band’s Avant-pop
style would probably fit well with either festival. There’s a chance Pitchfork Music Festival
could book them; Lollapalooza is probably out because they’re performing a
festival the same weekend as I expect Lollapalooza will be, so that could open
the doors for Pitchfork Music Festival. I
could also see at least one of Firefly, Shaky Knees, Voodoo, Austin City
Limits, Hangout, and Boston Calling booking them.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: Governors Ball, Pitchfork Music Festival,
Boston Calling, Austin City Limits
Stray
Cats
Stray Cats reunited in 2018 and, while touring frequently
between 2018 and 2019, did not perform many U.S. festivals; their lone one was
Ribfest in Naperville, IL. Now that they
have performed a tour without many festivals, I could see them performing a few
festivals after Covid-19 clears, but that is far from a guarantee. I think the most likely festivals for a band
of their style is either country festivals or jam festivals. I could picture them at country festivals
that typically book rock artists as well such as Tortuga or Stagecoach and jam
festivals such as MerleFest, Flood City Music Festival, and Mountain Jam. I think the country festivals are most likely
and Tortuga feels right to me.
Most
likely: Tortuga Music Festival
Other
possibilities: Stagecoach Festival, MerleFest, Mountain Jam,
Flood City Music Festival
Supergrass
Supergrass performed some 2019 shows and were scheduled to
tour Europe and a couple locations in the U.S. in 2020; the 2020 tour didn’t
happen for obvious reasons. They were
scheduled to perform in Los Angeles and Brooklyn in April 2020, so maybe they
would be interested in replacing their shows there with festivals. The closest festivals to these locations that
make the most sense are Coachella and Governors Ball, which also make sense
with their style of music. I could also
see them being booked for Pitchfork Music Festival, Boston Calling, Lollapalooza,
or SunFest, among others.
Most likely:
Coachella
Other possibilities:
Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Boston Calling, Pitchfork Music Festival
Swedish
House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia reunited at Ultra Music Festival in 2018
and has performed several European festivals since. There are several festivals that could book
them, but I think one festival seems most fitting: Ultra Music Festival. They performed their last show there before
breaking up in 2013 and it was a massive success. They reunited there and it was a massive
success. I wouldn’t be surprised if this
festival were held in March despite Covid-19 considering Florida’s lack of
restrictions and the fact that the governor has said he wants arenas full for
sporting events. If it does, it feels
fitting to have the return to live music include Swedish House Mafia headlining
Ultra. Watch out for several other
festivals; I expect Lollapalooza and Electric Daisy Cardinal will also fight
for them, as will others.
Most
likely: Ultra Music
Festival
Other
possibilities: Lollapalooza, Electric Daisy Carinal, Coachella,
Bonnaroo
Swans
An experimental or post-rock band does not necessarily get
many festivals chasing after them, which makes the case for Swans interesting,
especially since they’re no ordinary post-rock band. I think they ultimately get booked for
multiple festivals. I think Coachella makes
the most sense because they’ll try to raise the bar somehow and being able to
say they have another group reuniting for it helps them do that. I also think Moogfest makes a lot of sense
ever since they booked Sunn O))) a few years ago. I could also see some indie festivals make a
run for them.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other
possibilities: Moogfest, Pitchfork Festival, Treefort Music
Festival, Noise Pop Festival
Vektor
It’s tough to predict where (or if) metal bands will perform
in the U.S. upon reuniting. They are set
to perform in Vienna in May 2021. I expected
Vektor would perform Maryland Deathfest or PowerProg, but both have announced
their lineups and Vektor was on neither.
The safest bet in my opinion would be having them performing either
Mayhem Festival (which is set to return in 2021) or The Summer Slaughter Tour,
if both return in 2021. It is also
possible that they perform a bigger name festival as a smaller name, but I
think one of the touring metal festivals makes the most sense.
Most likely:
Mayhem Festival
Other possibilities:
The Summer Slaughter Tour, Lollapalooza, Firefly, Rocklahoma
Vio-lence
Vio-lence is going to be touring in Oceania in the fall and
has some dates in the U.S. in the spring.
They are scheduled to perform Bloodstock Open Air in the U.K.,
Headbangers Ball in Europe and Maryland Deathfest in 2021. In short, that probably rules out other
festivals, but the Headbangers Ball dates haven’t been announced yet so there’s
still the possibility for another U.S. festival date. Based on their schedule, I would say it would
probably need to be before Bloodstock Open Air in August. That realistically leaves 4 possibilities: Firefly, Welcome to Rockville, select dates
of Mayhem Festival, and select dates of The Summer Slaughter Tour. I could see Mayhem trying to book them for a
few days.
Most likely:
Mayhem Festival (select dates)
Other
possibilities: The Summer Slaughter Tour (select dates),
Welcome to Rockville, Firefly
Vivian
Girls
Vivian Girls released an album and toured after reuniting in
2019, but their tour did not include any festivals. They have a style of music that could get
booked by a lot of different festivals, so it’s tough to predict which festival
would be most likely for them. I could see
them being booked by a festival like Coachella or Governors Ball. I could also see them doing a festival like
Noise Pop, Rock the Garden, North Coast Music Festival, Pygmalion, Pitchfork Music
Festival, Bunbury, and several others. Most
of their shows since reuniting have been in California, so I’m going to go with
Coachella on this one.
Most
likely: Coachella
Other possibilities: Governors Ball, Pygmalion, Noise Pop, Rock the Garden
What reuniting artists are you looking forward to and what festivals do you hope they perform at? Let me know in the comments!
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