climate change
Presumably, a lot of artists want their shows to be as environmentally friendly as possible. But with many factors contributing to a sustainable performance — from power sources to food vendors to fan transportation — it’s challenging for an artist to put on a truly green event without involving the many partners it takes to put on a show.
Now, a new initiative from U.K. live music advocacy group LIVE (Live Music Industry Venues and Entertainment) aims to help.
Together with representatives from AEG, Live Nation, Wasserman, WME, CAA, UTA and other major players in the touring industry, including U.K. promoter Kilimanjaro Live, LIVE has written a collection of “green clauses” — suggested language that can be written into contracts between artists and agents, agents and promoters, and other agreements in order to produce sustainability-minded shows from the ground up.
These green clauses offer recommendations for creating energy efficiency; waste reduction; water conservation; prioritizing plant-based, local and sustainable food; encouraging attendees to travel to the show using lower carbon emission transport; offering sustainable and ethical merch; and much more.
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The project comes from LIVE’s working group, LIVE Green, which is led by Carol Scott — the principal sustainability advocate at global event producer TAIT — along with LIVE Green’s impact consultant Ross Patel. The suggested contractual language was launched on the LIVE Green website in October, and Patel tells Billboard that “there is absolutely a commitment to adopt them” within the industry, adding that “in some cases, those conversations are already happening.”
Along with the clauses, LIVE Green has created a resource hub with information on how to execute sustainability practices and reduce carbon emissions at shows. These free guidelines primarily reflect the needs and capabilities of projects in the U.K. and North America, although Patel says the hub maintains a high level of relevancy for most event organizers, touring artists and their teams globally.
Here, Patel talks about the goals of the clauses, how sustainability-minded tours by major artists have helped lay the groundwork and why, in his words, “doing something is always going to be better than doing nothing.”
What were the conversations like in putting these clauses together, particularly given that you were working with global entities like Live Nation, AEG and the big agencies?
To a large degree, there wasn’t any disagreement in the primary content of what we were asking for, in terms of key things that need to be addressed, such as energy, power, water, food and transport. Those aspects were not really commented on. The red lining was to get clauses more in line with the tone of [each company’s] existing contract templates. They have to build them into contracts they already use, so a lot of it was just trying to make it fit.
What was the process like, with so many participants whose needs and wants are related, but also specific?
There was one sticking point we managed to resolve, which was the purpose of what this template was being designed for. It’s to provide something for anyone to have access to and to adopt and adapt as they see fit. In the end, we opted for an all-parties, best-endeavors wording, because that’s the thing that is going to be the most relevant to the most people.
What were the sticking points?
Of course, if you’re an agent, you’re going to want to see something that’s in favor of the artist. If you’re a promoter or venue, you’re going to want something more in favor of the venue or promotions company. As a working group, and certainly from LIVE Green’s perspective, we felt an all-parties and best-endeavors approach was the best way to start, with getting something out in the industry that wasn’t going to be a shock to the major corporates. We want them to participate in this, so that when someone now sees this in a contract, or when they now speak to each other to figure out how they want [a contract to look], there’s a starting point that isn’t in favor of either side.
That makes sense.
The next practical step is, let’s say Live Nation and WME — because they do so much business together — they will have templates they’ve already agreed on and negotiated. There’s a baseline that they’re happy with. They do that all the time, with lots of different clauses. This just happens to be one that is focused on sustainability that wasn’t in contracts before.
How useful have sustainably-minded tours by artists like Billie Eilish and Coldplay been in creating examples for what you’re doing?
It feels like the industry is ready for this because we have case studies of big booking agents, big promoters and big artists actioning what we’re now sharing with everyone else. They might have been just one-offs, but they’re operating. [It demonstrates] that it’s an option.
If a venue hosts a Coldplay show, and that contract states the venue must do certain things for sustainability, then the following week, that venue has another artist who also has these clauses in their contracts, the hope is that those adjustments will eventually become permanent.
Now, more often than not, larger venues tend to make the adjustment for the show, then revert to whatever their previous installation was. With a more consistent request of these changes, inevitably it will make sense for them to keep these things in place.
So this small group of artists who are showing shows can be done this way are important, in terms of being a proof of concept?
Exactly. There’s more and more examples of [these things working]. Hopefully this will put us in a position where the impetus is on everyone to help deliver these things. Some people will be further along than others. Some artists might already have contracts that far surpass what we’ve introduced. Some promoters or venues might already have their own sustainability criteria that’s far more developed than what we’re asking artists to sign up to.
The point is that we’re hoping to expedite the conversation. Where someone might be further along, they can share what’s being done. There is now almost a contractual recognition to get them to where the other person is, to bring everybody up.
Ross Patel
Courtesy of Ross Patel
To what extent do you think people feel more inclined to participate given that they’re already living with the realities of climate change?
There’s a number of reasons, and that’s definitely one. I don’t think anyone can deny — well, there are still people that seem to be able to deny climate change somehow — but I think the majority of people have witnessed and experienced the impacts of climate change. Certainly, from an industry perspective, there is an ever-increasing and urgent need to acknowledge and address this and act, because we’re seeing how it’s affecting tours. We’re seeing the very real impacts of flooding, droughts, travel issues. We are losing business as an industry due to climate change.
That’s something I think people are seeing on a terrifyingly regular basis, and therefore it’s at the top of the agenda. With the increased buoyancy of the live industry [after the pandemic], people have more to contribute, because it is a cost implication. It’s one that needs to be factored in as part of doing business. I wish we could have been in this position to do something earlier, but we’re here now, so let’s just move the dial as quickly as we possibly can.
How are advancements in technology helping the cause?
We now have proven, stable technology that allows you to run festival stages and live events on battery cells and don’t require diesel generators. We did have those three or five years ago. Hopefully through proven technological advances within the industry, we can not only introduce the audience to that which excites them and gives them a feeling of positivity and safety and hopefulness, but we can move those case studies and proof of concepts into policy and make these things contractually obligated. We can’t do that specific thing yet, but that is what I would like to see down the line. But that will be very much market dependent, artist dependent, event dependent.
How enforceable are these clauses as the templates stand? What will be the tipping point for getting these things into contracts as a legal obligation?
That will have to be in line with policy. We could, for example, write that if an event doesn’t provide fuel cells, then the contract is null and void. But is that a reality for that show, in that market, on that tour? Possibly, or possibly it just isn’t. There has to be a degree of people acknowledging what’s being asked of them in specific areas, and then, more importantly, using the resource hub that LIVE Green has developed.
But using best endeavors means you’re looking at what’s in the clauses and doing anything you possibly can to respond to what’s in them. Doing something is always going to be better than doing nothing.
Given the incoming administration in the U.S. and its anticipated loosening of environmental regulations, do you feel or fear there will be decreased momentum around this project and projects such as these?
My personal feeling is that the initiative will have a greater degree of support from the industry because of the election. Of course, any climate-related agenda now will be challenging to uphold, but the creative industries still have an opportunity to influence and drive audience behavior change through positive messaging and innovative climate solution implementation. There may not be a policy demand or regulation in place for a particular action, but that doesn’t and shouldn’t stop us from progressing anyway. It’s what the consumer, fans and wider industry want!
One of sustainable touring’s pioneering acts, the Dave Matthews Band, is reporting several successes in that realm following its latest tour. The band’s summer tour, which wrapped in early September at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Wash., unrolled the group’s “On the Road To Zero Waste” initiative, done in partnership with Live Nation. According to […]
Billie Eilish will touch down at State Farm Arena on Nov. 3 for the second edition of her Overheated climate sustainability conference. The follow-up to last year’s debut event in London, the first U.S. version will feature an appearance from the “Birds of a Feather” singer, as well as a panel of climate activists, thought leaders, artists and others hosting discussions and offering resources to help take on the climate crisis.
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The event will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and though only 300 tickets were made available to fans, those who can’t attend can watch it from home via a livestream on YouTube from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on the official Eilish channel.
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“I am thrilled that we can bring this unique event to Billie‘s US fans. And to people from all over who can watch the livestream,” said Eilish’s mother, Maggie Baird, in a statement. “At this time, more than ever we need everyone to be a climate activist.” Overheated is a collaboration between the singer and Support + Feed, the plant-based food initiative founded by Baird, with organizers offering plant-based meals to all attendees.
Among the panels on tap for the event are: “Environmental Justice 101,” “The stories We Tell,” “What We Eat Matters,” “Fashion Your Future,” “Climate Optimism” and “Your Vote, Your Power.” The gathering will highlight a variety of “accessible actions for audience members to take in making a positive impact on their communities and the planet,” according to a release. “This year, the event will also be highlighting the importance of political actions that champion climate solutions.”
Panelists and special guests include: Saad Amer, Corinea Austin, Maggie Baird, Xiye Bastida, Daniel Blackman, Brea Baker, Abre’ Conner, Quintin Crumpler, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Helena Gualinga, Wawa Gatheru, Isaias Hernandez, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Jamila Norman, Samata Pattinson, Maya Penn and Angela Watts; click here to find out more about the speakers.
Check out the Overheated announcement below.
Only six months since launch, the “Feat. Nature” artist page on Spotify has generated major funding for conservation organizations.
On Thursday (Oct. 24) at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, organizers of the Sounds Right project — which launched the page on Earth Day in April — announced that $225,000 generated by the project will be donated to agencies working to protect areas of Colombia’s Tropical Andes, a region that boasts one of the world’s highest rates of biodiversity and native species.
Of that sum, $100,000 will go to Reserva Natural La Planada, which oversees 3,200 hectares of lands protected and governed by indigenous communities. Elsewhere, the Fundación Projecto Titi, which protects Colombian cotton-top tamarin monkeys in a 900-hectare reserve, will receive $80,000 over two years. FundaExpresion will receive $35,000 over two years, with the money going to community-led initiatives securing 450 hectares in the Andean forest, along with other local endeavors. And Jacana Jacana, an initiative focused on music, education and ecological awareness among children, will receive $10,000 over one year.
The recipients were selected by the Sounds Right Expert Advisory Panel, which is made up of conservationists and Indigenous rights activists. A representative for the project tells Billboard that the panel assessed projects based on their proven models of ecological and community impact, with a “strong intent to honor the communities whose ways of life nurture vital biodiversity strongholds, yet are often underfunded or overlooked.”
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Sounds Right organizers also announced the addition of seven new tracks to the “Feat. NATURE” artist page, with contributions coming from artists including Lykke Li, Ela Minus, AySay, Sam Lee, Alexis Taylor and Louis VI. The songs join a playlist that includes music by David Bowie with Brian Eno, Ellie Goulding, U.K. electronic outfit London Grammar, neo-soul and folk artist UMI with V of BTS, Indian artist Anuv Jain, Norwegian singer Aurora, and more, bringing the total number of songs on the playlist to 24.
As announced in April, songs on Spotify’s “Feat. Nature” artist page incorporate sounds of the earth, melding ocean waves, wind, bird calls and other nature sounds into original tracks and remixes. Since April, the playlist has generated more than 65 million streams from 7.5 million listeners in more than 180 countries, a representative for the project says.
“Feat. Nature” shares royalties with participating artists, with streaming income consistent with other artist payouts for music and ambient nature sounds on digital streaming platforms.
“We strive to leverage our platform for good and inspire, engage and educate listeners and the wider community to take climate action,” Spotify’s sustainability lead Hanna Grahn said in a statement. “Sounds Right is a fantastic initiative, leveraging the power of creativity and music to support nature. We are proud to be part of such impactful organizations and creators, and that nature finally is getting the praise she deserves.”
The rep for Sounds Right says that since launching, the “Feat. Nature” project has raised approximately $300,000 through royalties and institutional and individual donations, which are separate from the philanthropic funding that’s been raised to cover program costs. The organization will publish an annual impact report to show how income generated by the project through royalties and donations is being used.
Sounds Right was developed by the Museum for the United Nations — UN Live, a Copenhagen-based organization that uses culture to create local action and global change in collaboration with a variety of climate-focused partners.
The Music Sustainability Summit (MSS) has announced programming for its next event, which is set to take place on Feb. 3, 2025, at Solotech Studios in Los Angeles. Produced by the Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA), the second edition of the conference will focus on solutions to climate change’s effects on the music industry, with special […]
Jacob Collier and Swedish alt-pop artist Aurora recently boarded a ship to the arctic to perform amid the glaciers.
In video, premiering today (Oct. 1) the duo play a mash-up of their two songs, Collier’s “A Rock Somewhere” from his 2024 album Djesse Vol. 4 and Aurora’s 2019 song “The Seed,” with the performance intended to raise awareness for ocean and climate protection.
“The moment I heard about an opportunity to jump aboard one of the legendary Greenpeace ships, head to Arctic waters, and sing a song with one of my favorite artists next to a mighty glacier, I knew I was signing up for something special,” Collier says in a statement. “What I hadn’t foreseen was quite how transformative and moving the experience would be, and how much it would teach me – musically, energetically and environmentally.
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“I was bowled over at the sheer magnitude of the Arctic – and also its deep fragility,” Collier continues. “We’ve lost two thirds of all the Arctic summer ice in the last forty years. It’s a shadow of its former self – yet it’s not too late for us to help.
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“We compete with each other as nations but we forget the one thing we all have in common,” adds Aurora. “If we keep interfering with the few untouched areas of this Earth, there will be no future. We have to stop deep sea mining. I hope our Prime Minister and the other world leaders will do what is right. Not for them, but for the children of the children.”
Greenpeace notes that millions of people around the world have signed Greenpeace’s petition calling for ocean protection. 32 countries currently support a deep sea mining moratorium, precautionary pause or ban on deep sea mining in the international seabed, which covers more than half of Earth. Greenpeace adds that 58 leading electric vehicle and technology companies have publicly committed to not source minerals mined from the deep sea, with this list including Google, Samsung, Apple, Volvo and BMW.
“We won a historic Global Ocean Treaty last year, which keeps our goal of protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 alive,” Dr. Laura Meller of Greenpeace Nordic says in a statement. “But governments now want to mine the deep. We won’t let that happen. We hope this collaboration will inspire millions of people around the world to join our mission to protect the oceans for future generations. We still have time, but governments must act now. They must protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 and introduce a moratorium on deep sea mining.”
Billie Eilish is further distinguishing herself as one of the most environmentally forward thinking artists in music through a new partnership with Google Maps.
As part of Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, which launches Sept. 29 in Quebec City, fans can use Google Maps to find eco-friendly transportation and plant-based food options in many of the places the 43-city world tour is hitting.
Through Maps, Eilish will offer tips for fans looking for sustainable travel options like fuel efficient routes, walking, bike-sharing and public transportation. In each city, Google Maps will offer a walking or public transit route if it’s as convenient and fast as driving in each tour stop city.
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Eilish will also offer recommendations on where fans can grab a plant-based meal in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Fans can simply search for one of these tour cities in Maps and scroll down to find Eilish’s picks.
“I am so excited to see you all at my shows over the coming months, and for us to work together in reducing our collective footprint when it comes to transportation and what we eat,” Eilish says in a statement. “Every action matters, no matter how big or small, and together we can truly begin to heal our beautiful planet. Thanks to Google Maps, everyone will have easy access to resources that will help you make great sustainable choices when you come to my shows. Thank you for caring. See you soon!”
In an interview with Billboard earlier this year, Eilish and her mom Maggie Baird, the founder of Support + Feed, which encourages access to plant-based foods, spoke about incorporating sustainability measures into Eilish’s career.
“It’s a never-ending f–king fight,” Eilish said. “As we all know, it’s pretty impossible to force someone to care. All you can do is express and explain your beliefs, but a lot of people don’t really understand the severity of the climate [crisis]. And if they do, they’re like, ‘Well, what’s the point? We’re all going to die anyway.’ Believe me, I feel that way too. But ‘what’s the point’ goes both ways: ‘What’s the point? I can do whatever I want. We’re all going to die anyway.’ Or, ‘What’s the point? I might as well do the right thing while I’m here.’ That’s my view.”
In August, Massive Attack played a pioneering show in Bristol, England as part of their Act 1.5 programme. Held at Clifton Park in their home city, the show introduced an array of measures designed to reduce the environmental impact of live concerts, including encouraging the use of public transport, ring-fencing tickets for local residents and powering the show and festival site on 100% renewable energy and battery power.
Following today’s announcement that Liverpool had been named the first Accelerator City by the UN’s Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) programme, Massive Attack have announced a series of gigs to be held in Liverpool this November.
Across three nights, IDLES (Nov 28) Massive Attack (Nov 29) and Nile Rodgers & Chic (Nov 30) will perform at the M&S Bank Arena on Liverpool’s dockside area with a similar green ethos. The band say the shows “will test, operate & adapt a range of measures to dramatically reduce the level of carbon emissions & air pollution that would usually be produced at an event of this scale.”
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Some of the measures include an earlier show time finish to accommodate the use of public transport back home, a meat-free arena and a “plug & play” technical set-up for the performers. The show will also be powered by 100% renewable energy.
A localised pre-sale for fans in the Liverpool area will begin at 12pm tomorrow (Sep 24) to encourage local attendees, with a general sale held on Friday (Sep 27). Find out more about tickets here.
Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja – also known as 3D – said in a statement: “Our recent Bristol show demonstrated beyond question that major live music events can be Paris 1.5 compatible, and that audiences will embrace change enthusiastically. The vast scope of work in Liverpool and UN recognition means we can now concentrate more dynamic pilots and experiments to rapidly phase out fossil fuels. This idea and this insistence are not going back in any box.
“We’re delighted to see artists like Coldplay testing elements like localised ticket pre-sales as recommended in the Tyndall Centre Paris 1.5 decarbonisation road map and encourage other artists to do so freely. The talking stage is over, it’s time to act.”
Earlier this month, Coldplay announced a run of shows in the U.K. for August 2025 that will be powered by solar, wind and kinetic energy, and also include a 10% donation to the Music Venues Trust to help support grassroots music scenes.
Act 1.5 Presents shows:
November 28 – Idles, M&S Bank Arena, LiverpoolNovember 28 – Massive Attack, M&S Bank Arena, LiverpoolNovember 30 – Nile Rodgers & Chic, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Since Lollapalooza ushered in the era of the modern music festival in the early 1990s, one main power source has been driving them all: diesel generators. These mobile devices have been particularly crucial to the festival industry given that many of these events take place in open fields and parking lots that aren’t connected to the power grid.
But generators are also environmentally problematic. At the biggest festivals, they can burn through thousands of gallons of diesel fuel over a weekend, spewing carbon emissions that altogether make them the second biggest carbon emitters in live music, after emissions created by fan travel. They’re also loud, and they kind of stink.
“You can hear them from the stage, you can smell them from the stage,” says Adam Gardner of the band Guster, and who also co-founded the music sustainability nonprofit REVERB. “It’s just unpleasant.”
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But the live events industry, and the festival industry in particular, is amidst what seems to be a sea change in how events are powered. And increasingly, the more viable alternative to the diesel devilry is simple — batteries.
Last month, the Lollapalooza 2024 mainstage was powered entirely by batteries, which kept the lights, sound and other power components on during performances by Chappell Roan, Megan Thee Stallion, SZA, The Killers and more. A rep for Lollapalooza tells Billboard that with this effort, the festival saw a 67% reduction in both fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions over prior years, when batteries had not been used. This equates to the sparing of 26 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, or the equivalent to five homes’ electricity use for a year. The use of batteries also saved over 3,000 gallons of fuel. Lollapalooza says this initiative made it the first major U.S. festival to power its mainstage on a hybrid battery system.
“I’ve heard some rumors about competitors being maybe a little jealous that we were the first ones to do it,” says Jake Perry, the director of operations and sustainability at C3 Presents, which produces Lollapalooza.
Lolla’s effort helped demonstrate that what may seem risky is actually a reliable alternative that’s evolving power options for live events. “There’s a lot of fear and apprehension over providing the power that’s turning the show on,” says Perry. “But there were, like, zero issues.”
The battery set up at Lollapalooza 2024
Dusana Risovic
REVERB, a 501c3 nonprofit that’s focused on sustainability in music for 20 years and was co-founded by Gardner and his wife, environmentalist Lauren Sullivan, estimates that each year, U.S. festivals burn the equivalent of 46 million miles driven by gasoline powered vehicles. As battery technology evolves, they’re becoming a more viable solution to the issue, if organizers can be convinced that they’re reliable enough to use.
“If there’s a choice between sustainability and reliability, everyone’s going to choose reliability,” says Greg Landa, CEO of CES Power, the industry’s leading mobile power provider for festivals. “The pop star doesn’t want to be on stage if there’s no audio or lighting.”
But early adopters have demonstrated batteries’ efficacy. In May, Northern California’s two-day Mill Valley Music Festival was powered entirely by batteries. At the 2023 edition of Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion near Austin, Texas, the REVERB team powered all four stages with batteries, setting up a temporary on-site solar array to charge them. By 2024, the entire event was battery powered, with the only generators on site being inside the tour buses of the artists playing. In total, 350 gallons of diesel fuel were used at Luck in 2022, with that number down by 90% in 2023 and 100% in 2024, tour buses notwithstanding. This year, REVERB also brought battery power to SXSW, using it to power an outdoor stage for public performances by artists including Bootsy Collins.
REVERB and Overdrive Solutions’ solar setup at Luck Reunion 2024
Courtesy of REVERB
These efforts were backed by REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project, which aims to eliminate carbon emissions created by the music industry. The Project made headlines in 2023 when it brought a temporary solar array to Lollapalooza in Chicago, using it to charge the battery system that powered the mainstage during a headlining set from Billie Eilish, arguably the modern artist most vocal about sustainability. (Eilish helped launch and fund REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project in 2023.)
Through this initiative with Eilish, “we were able to help Lollapalooza [get] to where they are now, where they were able to take it upon themselves,” says Gardner, “which is exactly the point of the Music Decarbonization Project.”
Lollapalooza’s use of battery power in 2024 came after years of the fest searching for the battery technology to make it happen, with C3 testing batteries from myriad manufacturers over the last few years at events including Austin City Limits and North Carolina’s High Water.
“The technology is evolving very quickly,” says Perry. “This year it finally got to a point where it was big enough and capable enough to put it into an installation this size.” The effort falls into Live Nation’s goal of cutting its emissions by 50% by 2030.
Battery power at a festival functions in essentially the same way as in a hybrid car; think of battery systems as a hybridization of the stage. How long batteries last depend on what’s being powered (i.e. a stage, a lighting source, a food vendor, etc.), how long it’s powered for and the battery’s storage capacity.
Partnered with CES, Lollapalooza 2024 used lithium ion batteries made by industrial equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco. All batteries, regardless of manufacturer, can carry only a certain amount of charge and must have charge added during the event. Each battery is connected to a secondary power source that charges it back up when necessary.
As such, how green batteries actually are varies by the way they’re charged. Batteries can be powered off the grid if utility power is available, or from a generator running off diesel (the most common option) or biodiesel, which has less of a carbon footprint but can be hard to source. Solar panels don’t require any fuel to be burned, although setting up the necessary solar array at an event can be time- and space-intensive.
But even when using diesel backup generators, batteries are more efficient. Landa says that if the company put a 60 kw battery at an event site, it’s unlikely the battery would ever be using that full 60 kw power, with levels more likely to be at 30-45 kw depending on what it’s powering. At that rate, the battery would likely last four to five hours before being charged by the generator, thus using less fuel.
“That’s the hybrid approach we’re talking about,” Landa says.
Batteries also have built-in computers, making them able to report how much power they’re using at any given time. When they need to be charged, they automatically turn on their power sources. When they reach the necessary level of charge, they automatically turn this backup source back off. And because batteries are intelligent, if a failure occurs, they’ll instantly flip on the backup source to avoid power interruptions.
“They’re telling you everything in real time,” says Gardner. “You can literally monitor your power usage on an iPhone as it’s happening.”
According to Landa, the top mobile battery suppliers are currently Caterpillar, Atlas Copco and portable power solutions supplier POWR2. The Vermont-based Nomad offers transportable battery systems designed for rapid deployment and operation at the utility (or grid) level, although Alex Crothers of the Burlington-based music production company Higher Ground incorporated Nomad batteries into the company’s 2024 summer season, along with batteries from Overdrive Solutions. Crothers is currently exploring how to make these batteries into backup power for the venues he co-owns, given that the concert series only happens a few times a month due to the weather. Meanwhile, Overdrive Solutions provides battery power stations and systems and has partnered with AEG on myriad events, assisting with planning and on-site execution.
“A lot of them use the same technology in their guts,” Gardner says of all these products.
As battery technology improves, there could come a time when they can be charged with utility power before being transported to a festival, then run for the duration without being recharged. “That is not where we are today,” says Landa. “But that is the goal.” As batteries become more efficient, they’ll also likely become smaller, which will allow more of them to fit on a shipping truck and reduce costs and carbon emissions related to transport. Some batteries currently being made by Overdrive Solutions are already as small as a rolling suitcase.
The current hybrid battery model is what makes it possible for artists to say that their shows are completely battery powered, even though there are generators on site. “When you hear about Coldplay, they brought just as many generators as they brought batteries,” says Landa. “While Chris Martin was on stage, he may have been without any emissions, but there were diesel generators charging those batteries [after]. I’m not trying to greenwash this.”
At Lollapalooza 2024, generators ran on b14 biodiesel, a blend of diesel and biodiesel, with C3 partnering with CES and sustainability consultancy ZAP Concepts (who worked with Coldplay on their Music of the Spheres Tour, which pledged to reduce the band’s direct carbon emissions from production, freight and band and crew travel by at least 50%) to make the project a reality.
Of course, batteries have many festival applications beyond powering stages. REVERB worked with Coachella and Stagecoach to put up battery-powered light towers that were charged by solar. “Festival organizers loved it,” says Gardner, “because they didn’t have to run out to light towers on the outskirts of the festival in their golf carts and fill up the diesel generators.”
REVERB and Overdrive Solutions’ solar setup at Coachella
Courtesy of REVERB
Perry of C3 says that after the success of 2024, Lollapalooza will likely roll out additional battery usage incrementally, ultimately working to entirely replace the roughly 70 generators on-site annually. This endeavor will become easier as the general supply of batteries increases, as currently, Perry says, “these types of high-capacity batteries are low supply, high demand.”
He adds the price of the Lolla mainstage project was “not cheap,” with the festival partnering with CES, Live Nation’s sustainability program Green Nation and T-Mobile to cover costs. Landa says that while lithium-ion batteries currently cost about five times the price of diesel generators, batteries are rechargeable and built to work for a decade or longer, so buyers can spread the cost out over time.
Landa predicts that, as with electric cars and iPhones, prices will come down as technology evolves, with a trickle-down effect likely to occur. “Think electric vehicles at the top,” he says, “then think industrial applications, then think events and entertainment at the bottom of the funnel. We need the guys ahead of us to drive down cost and increase the supply chain so that it makes sense by the time it gets to the bottom of the funnel.”
As this happens, and as the industry grapples with sustainably — particularly in the face of events being affected by major and extremely freaky weather events — initiatives like REVERB’s work at Luck Reunion and SXSW and what C3 did at Lolla 2024 are meant to build broad trust, showing the industry what this technology is and that it works.
“I think the most positive feedback that I got was that it went unnoticed,” Perry says of Lolla’s batteries. “For me, an operational person, the biggest kudos is to be smooth and unseen.”
As three wildfires rage throughout Southern California, electronic music festival Nocturnal Wonderland has been canceled due to its proximity to the blazes.
Produced by Insomniac Events, the festival was set to take place this weekend (Sept. 14-15) at the Glen Helen Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, Calif. But producers announced Wednesday (Sept. 11), that the festival will not happen because of the Line Fire, which is burning near the venue.
“We are saddened to inform you that new fires in the San Bernardino area have ignited over the last 35 hours and are now approaching the Glen Helen Amphitheatre,” the festival announced on social media. “The health and safety of festival attendees and staff is our highest priority. After further discussions with local authorities, due to the impact of the fires surrounding the venue, we will be unable to proceed with Nocturnal Wonderland.”
The statement notes that ticketholders will receive an email regarding ticket refunds in the coming days, along with information about how ticketholders can support local firefighters and the residents of affected areas.
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The Line Fire has been burning in the San Bernardino National Forest since Sept. 5, and expanded to 34,659 acres burned as of Sept. 11. As reported by the San Bernardino Sun, local authorities announced on Wednesday that “the worst is getting behind us” in terms of getting the fire contained. Two other fires, the Airport Fire and the Bridge Fire, are currently also burning in Southern California, forcing evacuations and affecting air quality throughout the region.
These blazes continue on the tail end of a signficant heatwave, which gripped the region over the last week and brought temperatures up to 112-degrees in parts of the city. Amid this heatwave, the Hollywood Bowl lost power on Sept. 8 and was forced to cancel a show by singer-songwriter Vance Joy. The region also experienced a 4.7 magnitude earthquake at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (Sept. 12).
Nocturnal Wonderland is Insomniac Events’ longest running festival, with the 2024 iteration having scheduled featured performances by artists including Kaskade, RL Grime, Slander, Flosstradamus and other genre-spanning electronic acts.
In the comments section of the announcement, Insomniac Events Founder Pasquale Rotella wrote, “My thoughts and prayers go to all those affected by the fires. Heartbroken about the cancellation. Your support means the world. Can’t wait to celebrate together in the future.”