Legendary US festival to return after 13 years
HFStival, a legendary US rock festival that took place in the 1990s and early 2000s, will return this September.
Launched by the alternative rock station WHFS in 1990, the festival hosted acts such as No Doubt, the Violent Femmes and the Ramones.
It was held at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. from 1993 to 2004; at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in 2005; and at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, in 2006. It was held again in 2010 and 2011 in commemoration of the now-defunct station’s legacy.
At its peak, the HFStival was the largest yearly music festival on the East Coast, drawing 55,000 to 90,000 people and selling out in a matter of hours.
“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business… so it made sense to bring back the festival”
Now, I.M.P., the parent company of DC’s historic 9:30 Club, is reviving HFStival after 13 years.
The one-stage event will take place on 21 September at Nationals Park featuring The Postal Service performing ‘Give Up’, Death Cab For Cutie performing ‘Transatlanticism’, Incubus, Bush, Garbage, Jimmy Eat World, Girl Talk, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter, and Lit.
“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business, selling more tickets than they ever came close to back in the day, so it all made sense to bring back the HFStival,” says Seth Hurwitz, owner of I.M.P., the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and The Atlantis and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion and Lincoln Theatre.
“This will be a show for everyone who went to HFStival in decades past and those who weren’t around to be a part of the scene.”
Tickets range between $150–475 (€140–442) and the festival will employ a “fan-friendly” lottery system, which is open from now until 16 June.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
All Things Go detail inaugural New York edition
All Things Go, an independent US festival renowned for its female-dominated lineups, has shared details of a second 2024 event.
The Washington DC-based festival will also take place in New York City this autumn, with headliners Reneé Rapp, Janelle Monáe, Chappell Roan, MUNA, Ethel Cain and Julien Baker.
The inaugural event will take place at the 13,000-capacity Forest Hills Stadium on 28 and 29 September – the same weekend as its DC counterpart.
Holly Humberstone, Samia, Del Water Gap, Soccer Mommy, Coco & Clair Clair, Mannequin Pussy, Indigo DeSouza, Towa Bird and Annie DiRusso will also perform at the NY debut.
The inaugural event will take place at the 13,000-capacity Forest Hills Stadium on 28 and 29 September
Meanwhile, the All Things Go flagship festival (cap. 40,000) will return to DC’s Merriweather Post Pavilion for a 10th edition, which is sold out for a third consecutive year.
Maren Morris, Remi Wolf, Laufey, Bleachers, Hozier and Conan Gray are on the bill, alongside many of the same acts as the NY edition.
All Things Go started as a blog and blossomed into a one-day festival in 2014. In 2018, singers Maggie Rogers and LPX curated an all-female ATG, solidifying the festival’s commitment to diversity.
Organisers recently spoke to IQ about how curating a diverse event has paid off, saying: “The people want it! We’ve sold out three years in a row, very fast, with a mostly female lineup. At the very least, [festivals should] book 50% female or non-binary acts — there is so much talent out there across genres. Once [festivals] prioritise inclusion [their] community will be stronger because you platform voices that usually don’t get the stage.”
All Things Go has previously hosted the likes of Billie Eilish, boygenius, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Mitski, HAIM, Charli XCX, Lizzy McAlpine, Carly Rae Jepsen and Tove Lo.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Live Nation Urban acquires Broccoli City festival
Live Nation Urban has taken a “significant equity stake” in Broccoli City, a Washington DC-based festival touted as “the largest event in the US for Black people under 30-years-old”.
The festival’s co-founders Marcus Allen and Brandon McEachern will now take on executive roles at Live Nation Urban, where they will work with president Shawn Gee to “scale the Broccoli City brand and catalyse the creation of new content and culture-centric live experiences and festivals”.
Launched in 2010, Broccoli City describes itself as a “Black-owned social enterprise” and has featured artists such as Lil Wayne, Cardi B, Childish Gambino, and the late Nipsey Hussle, as well as rising superstars Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Wizkid, and City Girls.
The festival supports environmental consciousness in the African-American community and promotes creativity through innovative initiatives in the areas of technology, music, art, and social impact.
“For us as a company, this investment was an important one,” says Gee. “When we formed in 2018, one of the first deals we did was the original co-promotion deal with the Broccoli City team. I promised the guys that the success of our partnership would lead to greater things, and it was important to me to keep my word.
“For us as a company, this investment was an important one”
“We are not simply investing in a festival; we are investing in these amazing founders. We believe this will be the first of many brands that we will build together with Marcus and Brandon as they have an insatiable entrepreneurial spirit. One of the core tenants of Live Nation Urban is identifying young black entrepreneurs in the live space and investing in their vision. I’m looking forward to continuing to build with Brandon and Marcus.”
McEachern adds: “We are super excited about this partnership with LNU/LN, and working closer with Shawn Gee. I really appreciate him encouraging us to be big thinking entrepreneurs and brand builders… not limiting us to event producers.”
Allen comments: “We are going to focus on curating untapped niche markets, bigger partnerships, and international expansion. Reimage the future of live cultural experiences. Our big picture goal is to create a 100-million-dollar community at the apex of live entertainment, social impact, and digital media.”
Broccoli City returned this May after a two-year pandemic-induced break, with a lineup topped by 21 Savage, Ari Lennox, Summer Walker and Wizkid.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
NIVA calls for urgent govt assistance for US indies
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), an alliance of US grassroots venues formed earlier this month, has written to members of the US Congress to ask for immediate assistance to a sector it says is facing an existential crisis as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The letter – addressed to House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, House of Representatives minority leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer – asks for urgent “legislative and regulatory” aid for the association’s more than 800 members, including adjustments to the existing paycheck protection program [sic] loan scheme, as well as tax credits for refunded tickets, mortgage/rent payment holidays and the deferral of existing debt.
NIVA, which joins existing small-venue associations such as Music Venues Alliance in the UK, Petzi in Switzerland and KeepOn Live in Italy, is also asking for concrete guidelines on mass gatherings in advance of reopening, and support with complying with any new health guidelines.
“Our passionate and fiercely independent operators are not ones to ask for hand-outs,” explains NIVA board president Dayna Frank, who owns the 1,550-capacity First Avenue in Minneapolis.
“For the first time in history there is legitimate fear for our collective existence”
“But because of our unprecedented, tenuous position, for the first time in history there is legitimate fear for our collective existence.”
Established on 17 April, NIVA’s stated mission is to fight for venues’ survival amid the ongoing nationwide shutdown.
“Independent venues and promoters have a unique set of circumstances that require specialised assistance, so we’ve banded together and secured a powerhouse lobbying firm,” says Gary Witt, CEO of Pabst Theater Group and founding member of NIVA. “Akin Gump has been tapped to represent us, and that telegraphs to Capitol Hill that our needs are serious. Most of us have gone from our best year ever to a dead stop in revenues, but our expenses and overhead are still real, and many will not make it without help.
“Our employees, the artists, and the fans need us to act. But we are also an important income generator for those around us, bringing revenue to area restaurants, bars, hotels, and retail shops.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Kelly Flanigan appointed Live Nation president of Washington DC
Kelly Flanigan has been named president of Washington DC for Live Nation’s US concerts division.
In her expanded role, Flanigan, who joined Live Nation in 2006 as a talent buyer, will oversee booking, marketing and business operations for the company the region, including Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Meanwhile, long-serving exec Wilson Howard has been promoted to chief operating officer of Washington DC/the Carolinas, US concerts, overseeing Live Nation’s development and long-term strategic planning for the region. Both will report to Bob Roux, Live Nation’s president of US concerts.
The pair’s promotion follows that of Brittany Flores and Neil Jacobsen to president of Miami and COO of Florida, respectively, earlier this week.
“Kelly has been key to Live Nation’s success in DC since joining the company over a decade ago, and her promotion to president of the DC region is very well-deserved,” says Roux. “By elevating Kelly and Wilson, we’re confident that Live Nation will continue to expand our business and our annual concerts throughout the region.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
DC promoter Jack Boyle passes aged 83
Washington, DC-based concert promoter Jack Boyle, who co-founded Cellar Door Productions and went on to become head of music for the first iteration of SFX Entertainment, has died aged 83.
Cellar Door Productions, which spun out of famed DC nightclub the Cellar Door, was at its peak in the ’90s one of the most important regional promoters in the US, with an annual turnover of $75 million. Boyle also owned several major venues, including the Nissan Pavilion (now the 25,262-cap. Jiffy Lube Live) in Bristow, Virginia, and the Sunrise Musical Theatre (3,732) in Miami, Florida.
In 1998, Boyle sold the Cellar Door companies to Robert Sillerman’s SFX for a reported US$105m, joining SFX as head of its music division.
SFX – not to be confused with Sillerman’s second, EDM-focused company of the same name, now known as LiveStyle – was later sold to Clear Channel and in 2005 spun off to form Live Nation.
“To say that Jack was one of the most important people in the music business would be an understatement”
Boyle later went on to a major role with Live Nation, reports THR, before retiring in 2006.
“I worked as Jack‘s assistant when he first began doing concerts,” recalls photographer Michael Oberman, who broke the news that Boyle had passed after a period of illness via his Facebook page. “Realising that the Cellar Door nightclub could sell out six straight nights of Gordon Lightfoot, [he thought], ‘Why not do one night of Gordon Lightfoot at Constitution Hall. Then the Kennedy Center, then the Capital Center and RFK Stadium…
“To say that Jack was one of the most important people in the music business would be an understatement. My condolences to his son, John, and Jack‘s many friends.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.