Here are 10 bands in no specific order that you should seek out at the just-announced Bonaroo Music & Arts Festival 2017. Win the trip and tix to Bonnaroo by texting FEST to 64636. More on that here.
The Irish rock titans are jumping on the road to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their magical ‘Johsua Tree’ album. This date on a massive fest has not been the norm for Bono and company due the band being able to play football stadiums on their own, like the recently announced June 3rd show at Soldier Field (WIN TICKETS HERE)
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
The Peppers deliver live every time. They have tons of songs you will hear live that make you go “OH , I LOVE THAT” and then wiggle your butt wildly. Yes, instant wiggling going down. If you are not able to do roadtrippen to Manchester, Tennessee here is your shot to see RHCP during their two night residency at the United Center on June 30th and July 1st.
THE XX
This duo of dreamy alternative has been coming up strong, and this recent breakout performance on Saturday Night Live makes them that ‘band you’ve heard about that you need to checkout’ on this year’s ‘Roo lineup. The XX plays Aragon on May 1st.
LORDE
The New Zealand lady boss of alt is preparing to return in 2017 with this festival set one of her biggest shows announced so far. Could this allude to seeing her perform in another giant music fest? Maybe one that takes place in Grant Park in August….WHOA! Slow down, just speculating about how this affects the Chicago area live music fests, for more on who could be at Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, check out our Palooza Possibilities predictions/wants.
COLD WAR KIDS
CWK has made memories at Piqniq and Lolla in the past, so the sunny southern skies should be no problem. They also know how to amp their shows with alternate versions of their recorded material to give it a fresh feel for their live show that makes it feel unique and special.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
This band is one of the best live acts in music, not just alternative, all of it. Their sets which have seen singer Matt Schultz become a puppet-master of jumping crowds at our Piqniq and Nights We Stole Christmas shows have proven that Cage is band you can see multiple times and enjoy more each time.
GLASS ANIMALS
Their groovy Lounge session with us showed how much the Oxford-based group can get and that ability to be chill yet energized is an underrated part of a festival experience. You can only crowd surf so long before people don’t want to carry you, so this band provides that buzzy cocktail hour music for the modern age.
TEGAN & SARA
These loveable Canadians have been able reinvent themselves and bring their diehard fans with them along the way. We were fortunate enough to be able to feature them on at No Dough Show a few years ago and just a few months back in an intimate Lounge session. There songs have this real resonance live that you might not catch on your first or third listen, so get closer ..get it,…closer with this video.
ROYAL BLOOD
A UK band who the Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl says is his one of his “favorite bands”, Royal Blood won us over in 2014 with “Figure it Out” when they opened for Rise Against on our ‘Twas the Night Before show at House of Blues. They got this feeling you can gravitate very quickly with fist-bumping breakdowns and hooks that get stuck in your head.
THE FRONT BOTTOMS
When I got to chat with this band at Lolla’16 the energy was loud and pronounced: happy! This punk-influenced act from New Jersey had a standout set in the main field at Grant Park earned over people who never knew them and fans who fell in love with them online stood by the rails for their set for hours.
THE ORWELLS
These wild boys with a head-bobbing sound that meets at a cross section of the Stooges, the Strokes, and Cage the Elephant come right from our area, specifically Elmhurst. Catching one of their sold-out shows at Lincoln Hall a few years ago was a ride in itself with crowd surfing extravaganzas, collective stomping, mass clapping and mandatory hip-shaking. Based on their 2016 release ‘Terrible Human Beings’ that fire is still burning.
