US festival Sick New World cancels for 2025
US hard rock and alternative music festival Sick New World has been cancelled for 2025, just weeks after its blockbuster lineup was announced.
The C3 Presents festival was scheduled to return to Las Vegas on 12 April 2025 for a third edition, headlined by Metallica and the newly reformed Linkin Park.
More than 50 names had been announced including Evanescence, Queens Of The Stone Age, Gojira, AFI, The Flaming Lips, the Sisters Of Mercy, Meshuggah, Cradle Of Filth, X, Refused, Cannibal Corpse and Lacuna Coil. Meanwhile, Louisiana sludge metallers Acid Bath were due to reunite with their first show since 1997 at the festival.
General admission tickets for the day event were initially priced at US$400 (€380) and increased to $450 (€427) last week – up from $249.99 (€237) in 2023, the festival’s inaugural year.
The cancellation of the 2025 festival was due to “unforeseen circumstances,” organisers announced last Friday (29 November).
“Despite our best efforts, we’ve encountered unforeseen circumstances that we are unable to overcome for next year’s show”
“It is with great disappointment that we announce that Sick New World will no longer take place,” says a statement. “Despite our best efforts, we’ve encountered unforeseen circumstances that we are unable to overcome for next year’s show.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated SNW fans who had made plans to join us for another cultural celebration of hard rock, goth, alternative and heavy music. Please stay tuned for further and future information regarding Sick New World.”
Organisers added that tickets purchased directly from Front Gate Tickets would be automatically refunded.
Sick New World was launched in 2023 by the Live Nation-backed C3 Presents. The inaugural edition attracted around 65,000 fans to Las Vegas Festival Grounds for performances from the likes of System of a Down, Korn, Incubus and Deftones.
System of a Down also headlined the 2024 edition, which reported similar attendance numbers, while Slipknot performed a career-spanning setlist to mark 25 years of their self-titled debut album.
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Sophie Lobl named VP of Rolling Stone Live
Sophie Lobl has been named vice president of Rolling Stone Live, the events division of the famed music magazine.
Lobl joins from her role as global festival promoter at Live Nation’s C3 Presents, where she collated booking offers for nearly 200 events including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festivals, Sips & Sounds, Music Midtown, and the international Lollapaloozas.
She played an integral role in the creation of Lollapalooza Stockholm in 2019 and in forming a partnership with Live Nation Sweden.
“I am honored to join Rolling Stone and excited to evolve its live events portfolio,” Lobl says. “There is so much opportunity for the brand and I look forward to working with the talented team here to create unforgettable experiences and continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in live events programming.”
As global festival promoter, Lobl will oversee the strategic operations, execution and talent bookings across the Rolling Stone Live division.
The dedicated events arm is a relatively new output of the music magazine. In 2022, Rolling Stone acquired the majority stake in Las Vegas’s Life Is Beautiful festival through the publication’s parent company Penske Media.
At the time, Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner affirmed the company’s vision for the future: “Live events are an integral part of Rolling Stone’s future and Life Is Beautiful is an incredible platform to realise this vision”.
“We can’t wait to watch the evolution of our live events unfold under her guidance”
Rolling Stone also hosts the Future of Music concert series at Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW), which featured Peso Pluma, Teezo Touchdown, Young Miko, Flo Milli, Uncle Waffles, and Faye Webster during its second edition in March.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sophie to our team,” Wenner says. “Her deep experience programming live events and festivals across the country coupled with her creative vision make her the perfect fit for our ambitions. We can’t wait to watch the evolution of our live events unfold under her guidance.”
The former IQ New Boss brings more than 10 years of experience to her new role. Born in London, Lobl worked as an assistant producer at BBC Radio 1 before moving to the US to work at William Morris Endeavour, assisting CEO Ari Emanuel and former head of music Marc Geiger.
Lobl will be based in Austin, Texas.
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Lolla main stage to be powered by batteries
Lollapalooza’s main stage will be powered using a hybrid battery system, festival producer C3 Presents has announced.
The festival kicks off this week (1–5 August) in Grant Park, Chicago, featuring acts such as SZA, Tyler, The Creator, blink-182, The Killers, Hozier and Future x Metro Boomin.
For this edition, audio, lighting, video and stage production will all run on a hybrid battery system and the stage will deploy more than 1.5 Mwh of battery storage capacity to reduce the usage of biodiesel-powered generators.
The batteries, manufactured by Swedish industrial tools and equipment company Atlas Copco, will be deployed by CES Power, which provides temporary event power generation, power distribution, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) for festivals, film and broadcast, major events, and industrial projects.
Organisers say that the reusable batteries will be charged using diesel generators that run on biodiesel fuel, typically made from renewable sources.
Green Nation (Live Nation’s sustainability initiative), T-Mobile and CES Power have partnered with C3 Presents on the initiative.
“We have set a goal to build a more sustainable future for music festivals, which requires taking bold steps to find solutions that can reinvent how we operate and in turn, build industry trust in new technology so that major live events can see a path towards becoming more energy efficient,” says Jake Perry, C3 Presents director of operations and sustainability.
“Lollapalooza is a leader in sustainable solutions, and we are proud to have aligned ourselves with partners that have the same passion and experience to execute this mission.”
“We look forward to sharing the results and learnings from Lollapalooza with our network of over 200-plus festivals”
Lucy August-Perna, Live Nation’s head of global sustainability, adds: “Solutions like the ones Lollapalooza are pioneering not only contribute toward our global Green Nation goal of cutting our emissions in half by 2030, but they provide local benefits as well through reduced noise and air pollution which creates a better experience overall for the artists, fans and crew. We look forward to sharing the results and learnings from Lollapalooza with our network of over 200-plus festivals around the world who are committed to raising the bar for more sustainable live events.”
The new sustainability initiative comes after Billie Eilish powered her headline set at Lollapalooza 2023 using solar-powered, intelligent battery systems via a partnership with nonprofit organisation REVERB.
Also last year, Lolla organisers received an Illinois Sustainability Award in 2023 for their efforts to preserve Grant Park, including recycling and composting eco-friendly items at Chow Town, providing patrons with free filtered water at hydration stations and using the TURN reusable cup system, which avoids the use of single-use plastic cups and bottles.
Lolla’s other green initiatives for 2024 include a partnership with Re:wild, a conservation organisation co-founded in 2021 by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Under the partnership, Lolla will support Re:wild’s projects with a financial commitment, amplify the organisation’s environmental education through its channels, and dedicate space at its festival for partners to speak directly to attendees.
Other festivals that have recently stepped up their green efforts include Latitude Festival (UK), Electric Picnic (IE) and Isle of Wight Festival (UK).
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Oceans Calling to launch all-inclusive Mexico fest
US festival Oceans Calling is set to launch an all-inclusive four-day event in Mexico, headlined by Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Incubus and Cage The Elephant.
The new event will build on the success of Oceans Calling in Ocean City, Maryland, which has sold out every year since its inception in 2022.
The Mexico debut, dubbed Oceans Calling Second Wave, will take place on the coastal paradise of Riviera Cancún at Moon Palace Resort between 19–22 January 2025.
Promoted by C3 Presents, Maryland-based rock band O.A.R. and luxury destination events producer Playa Luna Presents, the inaugural edition will also feature Rebelution, 311, O.A.R., Jack’s Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.
“The energy from the fans at the Maryland festival have always been incredible, and we can’t wait to bring that same vibe to Cancún”
Packages range between US$2,244 and $8,611 and include luxury resort accommodations, access to the custom oceanfront concert area, round-trip airport transportation, unlimited drinks, all-inclusive culinary offerings, daily pool parties, late-night performances, 24-hour room service, private white sand beaches, artist-curated activities and guided yoga sessions.
“Oceans Calling is all about delivering unforgettable music experiences, and we’re excited to take it abroad with Oceans Calling Second Wave,” says Tim Sweetwood, festival director for C3 Presents. “Inspired by the enthusiastic response and sold-out success of our Maryland festival, we’re collaborating with Playa Luna to deliver a non-stop, all-inclusive event.”
Marc Roberge of O.A.R adds: “Getting to play the beaches of Oceans Calling Second Wave festival in Mexico is a dream come true. The energy from the fans at the Maryland festival have always been incredible, and we can’t wait to bring that same vibe to Cancún.”
Oceans Calling will return to Maryland between 27–29 September with Blink-182, The Killers and Dave Matthews Band topping the bill.
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Festival Friday: Lineups, newbies & cancellations
It has been a week of ups and downs in the world of festivals, with new events announced, alongside further cancellations and lineup confirmations.
In the US, Connecticut’s biggest music festival Sound On Sound has been rechristened as Soundside Music Festival under C3 Presents. Noah Kahan and Foo Fighters will headline the event – known for its unique rotating single-stage set up – at Seaside Park in Bridgeport from 28-29 September.
Queens of the Stone Age, Goo Goo Dolls, Teddy Swims, Fleet Foxes, Norah Jones, Boyz II Men, Gregory Alan Isakov, Grace Potter, The Kills, Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories will also appear.
“In past years, this festival has drawn in over 50,000 visitors,” says Bridgeport, CT mayor Joe Ganim. “I am sure this year it will again draw tens of thousands who will get to experience all that Bridgeport has to offer. This is another example of how Bridgeport is ‘on the move’ as we strengthen our legacy of being the music and entertainment capital of Connecticut.”
Nine-stage, two weekend music celebration Austin City Limits will welcome headliners Dua Lipa, Tyler, The Creator, Chris Stapleton, Blink-182, Sturgill Simpson and Pretty Lights to Zilker Park over the weekends of 4-6 & 13-15 October. The lineup will also feature performances from Khruangbin, Leon Bridges, Carin León, Norah Jones, Reneé Rapp, Foster The People, Kehlani, Teddy Swims, Benson Boone, CAAMP, Dominic Fike, The Marías, Jungle, Dom Dolla, Chappell Roan, Porter Robinson, Fletcher, Something Corporate and David Shaw.
More than 30 Texas artists will grace this year’s ACL Fest stages, including Khruangbin, Leon Bridges, Norah Jones, Kevin Abstract, That Mexican OT, Mickey Guyton, Penny & Sparrow, Chance Peña, Dexter And The Moonrocks, Bob Schneider, Asleep At The Wheel, whookilledkenny, Kalu & The Electric Joint, The Droptines, Jon Muq, Daiistar, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Late Night Drive Home, Theo Lawrence, Chief Cleopatra, West 22nd and Chaparelle.
C3 Presents’ Sudden Little Thrills festival, due to be headlined by SZA and The Killers, has been cancelled less than a month after being announced
However, C3’s Sudden Little Thrills festival, which was slated to debut at Hazelwood Green, Pittsburgh, between 7-8 September with headliners SZA and The Killers, has been abruptly cancelled less than a month after being announced. In a short statement, organisers say it will no longer take place “due to circumstances beyond our control”.
The Killers will top the bill at Mexico’s Festival Pulso GNP, which will be held at Autódromo de Querétaro on 12 October, with a supporting cast including Belanova, Franz Ferdinand, Los Auténticos Decadentes, Sabino and Simple Plan.
The full lineup has now been released for the ninth edition of Paradise City, which is set for 28-30 June at Ribaucourt Castle, Perk, Belgium. Newly announced artists include David August, Rival Consoles, Rex The Dog, Sally C and OCB, plus homegrown talent such as Bjeor, Catalina, Eline Anne & r.omy, Odymel and RIET.
They join the likes of Bonobo, Maribou State, Marlon Hoffstadt, Job Jobse, Daria Kolosova, Skin on Skin and DJ Gigola. The festival will also feature a seventh stage, dedicated entirely to chill-out, downtempo and ambient performances.
Nelly Furtado will headline free, open-air festival Isle of MTV Malta 2024 on 16 July, when other acts will include DJ Snake and Raye. It will be followed by Isle of MTV Malta Music Week, a series of club nights and parties across various venues on the island with various artists including Benni Benassi, Icona Pop and more from 16-21 July.
Iceland Airwaves has unveiled the second wave of artists joining its 25th anniversary edition, taking place in Downtown Reykjavik this 7-9 November. Highlights include Overmono, The Vaccines, English Teacher, Villano Antillano, Personal Trainer, MRCY, Lynks, GDRN, Monobloc, Gabríel Ólafs, Alice Longyu Gao and cumgirl8, with previously announced artists including Shygirl, Bar Italia, Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul, Joy (Anonymous) and Saya Gray.
And the 10th anniversary Ultra Europe Music Festival will bring Afrojack, Alison Wonderland, Subtronics, DJ Snake, W&W, KSHMR, SLANDER, Vini Vici, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Deborah De Luca and CamelPhat to Park Mladeži in Split, Croatia, from 12-14 July. It will also star Adam Beyer, Boris Brejcha and Martin Garrix.
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C3 Presents plans ‘nostalgic pop and rock’ festival
C3 Presents plans to launch a new two-day festival in Huntsville, Alabama, this September.
South Star festival will debut between 28–29 September at John Hunt Park, also known as the ‘Central Park’ of Huntsville.
Huntsville hasn’t hosted a large-scale music festival since the Big Spring Jam in 2011, which brought artists including Destiny’s Child, Taylor Swift and Wilco to the city.
“This a win-win for Huntsville as well as the region,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “This is a great opportunity to work with a world-class festival producer to bring a world-class event to a world-class park. We can’t wait to see the lineup.”
Huntsville hasn’t hosted a large-scale music festival since the Big Spring Jam in 2011
While the lineup is yet to be announced, social media posts promise punters “nostalgic pop & rock anthems” and C3 Presents’ Ted Heinig told local press that South Star could be compared to the promoter’s Shakey Knees festival, which this year features the Foo Fighters, Bill Idol, Queens of the Stone Age and Arcade Fire.
“Festivals that are really successful right now are focused top-to-bottom and they’re super-serving their fans with all of the artists they like,” Heinig told AL.com.
The C3 Presents festival director has also addressed South Star’s clash with two highly anticipated college football games, adding “We have a strategy to blend football with the music”.
“SEC country takes football season seriously and so do we. Post up with a beer, good eats and friends to watch the big games at our giant sports bar,” reads a section of the website.
C3 Presents’ festival portfolio also includes Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, as well as newer offerings Minnesota Yacht Club, Sick New World and Two Step Inn.
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Goodlive rejoins operations for Lollapalooza Berlin
Berlin-headquartered festival, booking and services agency Goodlive is re-joining the organisation and production of Lollapalooza Berlin.
C3 Presents, Festival Republic and Goodlive launched Lolla Berlin in 2015 with seasoned festival pro Fruzsina Szép part of the leadership team for the festival until 2020 when Goodlive launched Superbloom in Munich.
For the last three years, Lolla Berlin has been produced by C3 Presents and Live Nation GSA (Germany Switzerland Austria). With the latter now a majority shareholder of Goodlive, all three parties will work on the festival with Szép as festival director.
“I loved Lolla Berlin,” says Szép. “Two weeks ago I went for a site visit in Berlin and it felt so great to be back on site and to feel the energy of the space again.”
With Superbloom and Lolla Berlin taking place on the same weekend (7-8 September) more than 300 miles apart, joint festival teams are set to be busier than ever.
“Two weeks ago I went for a site visit in Berlin and it felt so great to be back on site and to feel the energy of the space again”
Whether the festivals will act as twin events is yet to be seen, depending on football calendars, but there are advantages when it comes to synergies on production and booking, according to Szép.
The festival’s 2024 lineups share more than a dozen acts, including Sam Smith, Burna Boy, The Chainsmokers, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Loyle Carner, Nothing But Thieves, The Sacred Souls, Chappell Roan and Apashe with Brass Orchestra.
Another similarity between Superbloom and Lolla Berlin is their sites – both taking place in the Olympic Stadiums of their respective cities – but Szép stresses that both venues are “pretty different”.
“They both have their strong character and history to tell,” she says. “With Superbloom, even in year three, we are still learning how to adjust some of our stages and experience areas to have even more comfort, happiness and beauty for our guests.
“With Lolla Berlin, it is nice to be ‘back home’ in an area that I know well. We will make some changes and adjustments that are important for the customer journey to feel good on site.
“I’m a very visual person and also pretty emotional so in my heart I am already thinking about further developments for the future. In 2025 it will be the 10th anniversary of Lolla Berlin so we have some innovative ideas in our pocket that we’d love to realize.”
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Lollapalooza India ‘will break even by next year’
The organisers of Lollapalooza India say the festival is on course to break even next year as it celebrates a successful second edition.
More than 60,000 fans over two days gathered at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse from 27-28 January to see headliners Sting, Jonas Brothers, Halsey and OneRepublic.
Held across four stages, the lineup also included acts such as Keane, Lauv, Jungle, Royal Blood, JPEGMAFIA, Meduza, Malaa, Caribou, The Rose and Eric Nam.
The festival was produced by co-founder Perry Farrell, Live Nation’s C3 Presents and Indian ticketing giant BookMyShow, which has expanded into staging live events.
Speaking to Mint, BookMyShow’s chief of business, live entertainment, Owen Roncon says the event is projected to become financially stable by year three – in line with expectations. Tickets started at 5,999 Indian rupee (€66.50).
“Lolla will break even by next year for sure. We are in the ballpark and it’s going per the plan with no massive deviation”
“Lolla will break even by next year for sure,” says Roncon. “We are in the ballpark and it’s going per the plan with no massive deviation.
“The kind of brand pickup that we’ve seen in Lolla is unprecedented. I don’t think there’s any other IP that has picked up this kind of inventory from the market. And it’s only increasing. I think by next year, we’ll be able to do far more for brands, and our plans are bigger and better for the brands themselves. So therefore I think that that those scales are gonna get better.”
Last year’s inaugural Lolla India featured performances from local and international artists including Imagine Dragons, The Strokes, AP Dhillon, Cigarettes After Sex, Divine, the F16s, Jackson Wang, Imanbek, Greta Van Fleet, The Wombats and Diplo. Its debut in Asia meant the brand has now grown to eight countries on four continents, including editions in the US, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France and Sweden.
Mumbai-based BookMyShow also launched rock festival Badland in Bengaluru last month, headlined by Deep Purple and Goo Goo Dolls, and is planning a hip-hop festival in Delhi. Roncon reveals the firm is focusing its attention on Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi for large-scale events, and is exploring venue development in various cities as it seeks to improve the country’s live entertainment infrastructure.
“Those can be shared with others too and everyone’s production cost can come down, it brings down the ticket prices and gives talent a platform,” he explains. “We’re looking at that very, very aggressively and I think in the next year or two, you should see a few results.”
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C3 Presents plans new US festival for 2024
C3 Presents, the Live Nation-backed promoter behind Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, has announced a new US festival for 2024.
Minnesota Yacht Club Festival will take place between 19–20 July 2024 at Harriet Island Regional Park in Saint Paul, the capital city of Minnesota.
The two-day event will invite 20 artists to perform across two stages by the Mississippi Riverfront, according to the website, though the lineup and ticket prices are under wraps until mid-January. Organisers are aiming to draw 30,000-35,000 fans per day for the inaugural event.
“We deserve a big music fest like this,” Tim Sweetwood of Atlanta-based C3 Presents told local newspaper Star Tribune. “When you consider that the Twin Cities [Minneapolis–Saint Paul] is a big enough market to support five major-league sports teams, I don’t see why it can’t support one major music festival, too.”
“I don’t see why [the Twin Cities] can’t support one major music festival”
Parent company Live Nation staged a music festival called River’s Edge at the very same location in 2016, headlined by Tool and Dave Matthews Band.
The live music behemoth reportedly promised to produce River’s Edge there for five years but instead pulled the festival after its debut edition.
“From a musical perspective we’re just going to try to produce a lineup that just jibes a little bit better [than River’s Edge] and offers more synergy from day to day,” Sweetwood said.
“And we’ll try to give it a little more colour and better branding, the kind of things we have a good feel for at C3 being primarily a festival producer. We are going to put the Padelford and some other boats to work as part of the festival experience.
“We’ll just have the two stages in the first year, and so you can only do so many genres but we’ll cover adult-contemporary, rock, pop, some blues, a cool mix like that.”
C3 Presents’ festival portfolio also includes rock festival Shaky Knees, alternative rock event Sick New World and country music offering Two Step Inn.
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C3 Presents investor closes new $760m fund
The Raine Group, a global strategic advisory and investment firm that invests in C3 Presents, has closed a new $760 million fund.
The Raine Partners IV fund brings The Raine Group’s total Assets Under Management to nearly $4 billion.
The firm is an existing investor in other music companies such as streaming platform SoundCloud and digital music distribution service Amuse. It is also the primary backer behind Firebird Music Holdings.
As an advisor, Raine Group has been involved in recent major transactions in the music industry such as HYBE’s $300 million acquisition of Quality Control.
Similar to its predecessor funds, New York and London-based Raine Group says that its new Raine Partners IV fund will invest in growth-stage TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) companies, with a particular focus on sports, media, entertainment and gaming.
Raine Partners IV has already made its initial investment in Tripledot Studios, a leading mobile games developer with a portfolio of casual games.
Raine Group has been involved in recent transactions in the industry such as HYBE’s $300m acquisition of Quality Control
Founded in 2009, outside of music, Raine has made notable investments in the likes of DraftKings, Moonbug, Imagine Entertainment, TelevisaUnivision and VideoAmp.
According to The Raine Group, the new fund was supported by its “strong base of limited partners”, which includes public pension plans, sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors as well as select strategic corporates and family offices.
“We appreciate this vote of confidence from our limited partners and we look forward to building on our firm’s strong track record of investing in transformative growth companies within our core sectors of focus,” says Sherri Williams, partner and head of investor relations and fundraising.
“We look forward to working with our investors and portfolio companies to achieve their full potential.”
John Salter, Co-Founder and Partner of Raine, added: “We are excited to have made our first investment from Raine Partners IV in Tripledot.
“We have known the management team since inception and believe the company is one of the strongest in casual gaming, recently topping the FT/Statista ranking as Europe’s fastest-growing company.
“As a highly profitable business with more than 400 staff and about 50 million monthly active users, we look forward to actively working with their team to drive continued growth in the casual gaming market.”
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