The 2019 Beale Street Music Festival released the official lineup of artists performing in the event last week in anticipation of another successful weekend kickoff for Memphis.
Among the performers included this year is Cardi B, who just won her first Grammy last week for Best Rap Album and will be headlining this year’s Music Fest. The other artists in the festival include the Dave Matthews Band, Khalid, The Killers, Gary Clark Jr., One Republic, G-Eazy and even Memphis natives MoneyBagg Yo and BlocBoy JB.
Robert Griffin, the director of marketing for Memphis in May, said the focus for each year’s spring concerts is diversity and unity; they do not want to lean too much to one side to appease a majority crowd. Instead, they aim to please as many people as possible by providing as much variety as possible, which in turn brings in people of all races and musical tastes.
“Of course, our biggest demographic for our Music Festivals are teenagers and college students, which means hip-hop, pop and country, but we want every person in this city to feel that they can come out and listen to their favorite genres and still feel a part of something incredible, no matter how different their music might be to the majority,” Griffin said.
Griffin said the process for choosing artists begins with Jim Hut, the CEO of Memphis in May, coordinating with a booking agency in Birmingham, Alabama, and talking to several agents and local artists to see if Music Fest interests them and fits into their schedule. From there, it comes down to what the artist wants for their shows, such as the use of pyrotechnics, and if they are comfortable performing in the hot outdoors.
“When we get a lot of complaints about not getting the biggest stars to come, it can get a little overwhelming because most people don’t realize that we want big stars to come as well,” Griffin said. “It’s just that most cases, we just can’t make it happen because they have other things planned and other factors that go into it.”
Memphis In May has been a yearly tradition in Memphis since 1977. Since then, Beale Street Music Festival has hosted a variety of artists, paying homage to the original tradition of African-American artists coming down to Beale Street to perform as far back as the 1800s.
Dhiren Keshav, a 19-year-old who has attended the last four Music Festivals, said if the performances can top or at least come equal to last year’s performances, which headlined Post Malone and Tyler the Creator, then it will be another success.
“I know for last year, it was awesome,” Keshav said. “They had great artists, so it was hard choosing which day I wanted to go. I expect this year to be just as fun, although I feel the lineup could be better. I really just wish they would put more of the big-name artists on the same day though. It makes it easier for the general public to choose a day if they are unable to afford a three-day pass.”
Prices for this year are varied on the kind of package deal one is looking for. Tickets include a pass with entry for three days starting at $135, single day tickets starting at $55 and VIP experience tickets that can cost up to $749.
More information about ticket prices for the Beale Street Music Festival and other events happening for Memphis in May can be found on www.memphisinmay.org.
