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Extreme weather hampers debut edition of hip-hop fest

IYKYK, a new hip-hop festival set to debut in the US this weekend, has been called off due to “irreparable damage” to the main stage caused by a recent monsoon storm.

The one-day festival, promoted by Relentless Beats and Universatile Music, was due to take place on 9 September at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, with sets from Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin, Rico Nasty, Denzel Curry, Jeleel and more.

“Last Thursday, our stage structure suffered irreparable damage due to a severe monsoon storm,” reads a statement from the organisers.

“Despite all efforts to clear the debris, it’s clear that the process will take much longer than originally anticipated and reconstruction of a safe site for fans will not be possible before Saturday. We have exhausted all alternative venue options suitable for the planned production and the number of tickets sold, therefore, we must unfortunately cancel IYKYK Music Festival scheduled for this Saturday 9 September.”

“We have exhausted all alternative venue options suitable for the planned production and the number of tickets sold”

Refunds will be automatically processed in the next seven days to 10 days, according to the statement.

Damage to the stage from the storm also caused Relentless Beats to postpone the Basstrack music festival, which originally was scheduled to take place on 2 and 3 September at Phoenix Raceway, until later this month.

The promoter is also due to host the Goldrush Music Festival and a concert from hip-hop duo $uicideboy$ at the raceway in early October.

IYKYK is the latest festival to be disrupted by extreme weather conditions, after Bluedot (UK), Pitchfork Festival Chicago (US)  Primavera (ES), Dutch festivals Awakenings, Bospop and Wildeburg, Alexandra Palace’s Kaleidoscope Festival and Robbie Williams’ concert in Austria.

Elsewhere, festivals such as Austria’s Nova Rock and Australia’s Splendour in the Grass this year invested in site improvements after their 2022 editions were hit with extreme weather.

 


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QOTSA, Chris Stapleton to headline C3’s new Innings Fest

Queens of the Stone Age, country singer Chris Stapleton and folk-rock four-piece the Avett Brothers have been announced as headliners for the inaugural Innings Festival, a new music’n’baseball event planned for next March by Live Nation’s C3 Presents.

Taking place from 23 to 25 March in Tempe Beach Park and Arts Park in Arizona, the Innings Festival 2018 line-up also features Counting Crows, Eagles of Death Metal, Jake Bugg, Mt Joy, Cold War Kids and the Decemberists, along with “curated chef demos” by baseball players and celebrity chef Beau MacMillan.

“The Innings Festival is the perfect combination of music, baseball and the amazing location of Tempe town lake and downtown Tempe,” says Tempe’s mayor, Mark Mitchell. “Thousands of Cactus League [Arizona teams’ pre-season training] fans, locals and visitors alike, will be able to come to experience the gorgeous weather, beautiful setting, great food and awesome music.

“We are excited to welcome performers of this calibre and their fans to celebrate this first ever Innings Fest and we look forward to making this an annual event.”

The full Innings line-up is pictured below:

Innings Festival 2018 line-up

C3 Presents, best known for Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, earlier this week announced the launch of Sydney City Limits, a new festival in Australia.

 


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