festivals
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In Bram Stoker’s 1897 classic novel Dracula, the titular count consumes the blood of those who cross his path, using the substance to gain terrible strength and power.
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Untold Festival, a dance music festival that’s happened in Romania’s Transylvania region annually since 2015, has used this regional vampire folklore to also gain power and give strength, but in this case for a very good cause.
With its Blood Network program, Untold has collected thousands of gallons of blood over the last eight years, with donations going to medical centers throughout Romania. In exchange for their blood, donors receive a complimentary day pass for the festival, the eighth iteration of which took place this past weekend (August 3-6), hosting roughly 420,000 attendees. The lineup featured more than 200 genre-spanning dance artists including Eric Prydz, David Guetta, Bebe Rexha, Amelie Lens and Tale Of Us, along with headliners including Armin van Buuren and Imagine Dragons.
“We thought, ‘What if we make a campaign based on the idea that vampires from Transylvania usually suck blood — but in this case they don’t suck blood, but [rather] donate it?’” Untold co-founder Edy Chereji tells Billboard.
From this simple, sanguine premise, Untold Festival launched their blood drive campaign in tandem with 2015’s debut festival. Initially called Pay with Blood, this Year One campaign got 1,500 Romanians to donate blood at transfusion centers around the eastern European country, which borders Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine. The mountainous, forested Transylvania region is in the heart of Romania, with Untold taking place at the Cluj Arena in the region’s metropolis city of Cluj-Napoca.
Beyond helping people, the campaign helped get the word out about the event, which upon its launch became Romania’s largest electronic music festival. It remains one of the only dance music festivals in the greater region, drawing fans from throughout Romania, along with Bulgaria, Moldavia, Ukraine, Albania and Greece. In 2016, Untold’s parent company, Untold Universe, launched a second event, Neversea, which takes place in the Romanian beach town of Constanța. A winter event, Massif, takes place in the ski town of Poiana Brasov, and Untold will launch another dance festival in Dubai next February.
But despite these national and international moves, Blood Network remains quite local. In its second year, Blood Network donors were able to give blood at both transfusion centers and via a mobile donation center that traveled around the country and which has since become a standard facet of the campaign. Donors can show up to this donation center on wheels, give their blood and immediately receive a free day pass for the fest.
Ahead of this year’s Untold, the caravan touched down in 12 Romanian cities between May and June. During this period, more than 5,000 donors gave more than 2,200 liters (roughly 580 gallons) of blood, with thousands of gallons also collected over previous years. Blood Network partners with doctors from Regina Maria Private Healthcare to coordinate these blood drives, with Regina Maria also receiving the collected blood.
While many dance events have charitable components, arguably few have the immediate effects of Blood Network, which isn’t just a festival marketing tool but a provider of life-saving blood in a country where it’s acutely needed. “Unfortunately, the donation in Romania is low, around 2% of Romanians donate blood,” says Ania Vladescu, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Romania’s Regina Maria Private Healthcare. “The Blood Network campaign created by Untold is very good, necessary and welcomed — it helps a lot.”
Vladescu estimates that over the last eight years, the campaign has gathered more than 37,000 donors, whose blood has helped and saved the lives of more than 100,000 people. She adds that blood donated by one person can save three lives.
“Anyone else who would have done such a campaign, anywhere in the world, would not have had the same trigger of authenticity as Untold, being a festival in the heart of Transylvania, the so-called land of Dracula,” Vladescu adds. “The vampire who normally sucks blood, this time invites you to donate blood to help people who suffer and save their lives.”
Kendrick Lamar performed in Chicago a year for ago for his Big Steppers Tour. But the last time he performed at Lollapalooza was in 2013. Then, still fresh off his sophomore set, good kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012), a brilliant album that cemented the Compton native as a cultural force with thought-provoking lyrics. Friday (Aug. 4), Lamar — now one of the greatest and influential rappers of his generation — returned to Chicago’s Grant Park to close out day two of the festival.
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As expected, a massive sea of high-energy fans gathered at the T-Mobile stage early on to secure a spot to see the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper up close. As his set time at 8:45 p.m. neared, the area got densely packed with hardly any empty spots around you. Lamar was 15 minutes late but his fans were forgiving. And he made up for lost time kicking off with the big hits (plus he went over 10 minutes over his allotted time). At exactly 9 p.m., “The Heart Part 5” started blasting and seconds later, the man of the hour appeared dressed in blue from head to toe, and a Dodgers-inspired blue cap repping pgLAng, the entertainment company he launched with Dave Free in 2020. He then went on to perform “N95” and “Element,” before officially saying hello to the crowd.
“Is anybody alive right now?” Lamar asked. In return, festivalgoers roared letting him know that they were alive and eager to sing bar for bar with Lamar. “Chitown how are you feeling tonight? Make some noise. It’s a special night in a special city,” the rapper said.
The Grammy-winning artist went on to perform a mesmerizing set — with a group of interpretive dancers in aprons and a live band in tow — which spanned his greatest hits of the past decade-plus, including tunes from his rich body of work such as Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, DAMN., To Pimp A Butterfly and good kid, m.A.A.d. city.
“It’s always special when we come out here. It’s always love. I want to make sure you have a good time from start to finish,” the hip-hop icon told fans. Showcasing his lyrical prowess and vast catalogue, Lamar wound through songs such as “King Kunta,” “Backseat Freestyle,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” “m.A.A.d. City,” “LOYALTY,” “DNA.,” and “HUMBLE.” and “Count Me Out,” to name a few. He closed with the 2015 anthem “Alright,” and said “Until next time Chicago, I will be back.”
Day two of Lollapalooza also included performances by Sabrina Carpenter, Jessie Reyez, Fred Again.., Thirty Seconds to Mars, Tems, Sudan Archives, and Sueco, among others. The 1975 was also a headliner and in charge of closing out the Bud Light stage.
As extreme heat continues to bear down on New York City, Harlem Festival of Culture has canceled their event this weekend in the interest of public safety. “On Thursday, July 27th, President Biden called on Americans to ‘listen to public officials and stay indoors’ due to the excessive heat advisory and poor air quality,” the […]
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K-pop is taking over Lollapalooza! NewJeans and TOMORROW X TOGETHER are set to perform at the Chicago music festival next week, which will stream live on Hulu.
Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park from Aug. 3-6, with a star-studded lineup, also featuring Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Karol G, Lana Del Rey, Odesza, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.
Read on for additional details on when and how to stream sets from all the artists performing at Lollapalooza 2023.
How to Watch Lollapalooza on Hulu
NewJeans will become the first K-pop girl group to take the stage at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Want to stream the set for free? There’s only one way for fans outside Chicago to witness history.
You can stream Lollapalooza sets live on Hulu from Thursday, Aug. 3, until Sunday, Aug. 6. NewJeans are scheduled to perform Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT, and 7 a.m. KST on Aug. 4). Headliners for Thursday and Friday include Eilish, Karol G, Lamar and The 1975.
According to the official Lollapalooza set list, TOMORROW X TOGETHER takes the stage on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 8:30 p.m. CT (9:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. PT and 10:30 a.m. KST on Aug. 6).
Ready to join Hulu? First, you’ll need to pick your plan to launch your free trial. Hulu streaming plans start at $7.99/month after a 30-day free trial.
Hulu $7.99/month after 30-day free trial
Hulu’s most popular plan is the ad-supported subscription, which gives you unlimited access to thousands of shows, movies and music festivals for $7.99 per month or $79.99 for an annual plan.
Upgrade to Hulu’s ad-free plan for $14.99 a month. Besides streaming without ads, Hulu’s commercial-free plan lets you download titles and watch them offline. Hulu also offers a student discount, which cuts the price down to just $1.99/month for eligible college students. And you can stream Hulu from anywhere — on a TV, smart phone, computer and other compatible streaming devices.
Want more ways to save? Bundling Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ can save you up 48% on your streaming bill. Bundles start at $9.99/month for the ad-supported Disney Bundle Duo Basic with Hulu and Disney+. The Disney+ Bundle Trio Basic is $12.99/month to stream Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ with ads and $19.99/month for the Disney Bundle Trio Premium ad-free plan.
You can also add Disney+ to your Hulu subscription for $2.99/month and channels such as Max and Starz for an additional fee. Add live television to your streaming plan with Hulu + Live TV. Plans start at $69.99 a month to stream Hulu, plus 75+ live channels including cable and local channels.
Who else is performing at Lollapalooza? The lineup includes Carly Rae Jepsen, Tems, Diplo, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wade, Suki Waterhouse, Lil Yachty, Sabrina Carpenter, Afrojack, Yung Gravy, Joey Bada$$, Pusha T, Fred Again…, Noah Kahan, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Joy Oladokun, J.I.D., The Knocks, Maggie Rogers, Rina Sawayama, Junior Messa, Loveless and dozens of other artists.
What else can you stream on Hulu? The Kardashians, The Bear, White Men Can’t Jump and Flamin’ Hot are some of the Hulu exclusives that fans are loving right now. But Hulu carries a huge variety of exclusive series and movies such as Only Murders in the Building, Futurama, Tiny Beautiful Things, How I Met Your Father, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Handmaid’s Tale, Dopesick, Vacation Friends and other Hulu originals.
Subscribers also have access to fan-favorite shows like The Rookie, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Love Island UK.
If you’re a music fan, Hulu has you covered with bingeable TV series, movies, documentaries, live concerts and festivals. Some of the music-related programs currently streaming on Hulu include Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Jelly Rolly: Save Me, Rap Caviar Presents, Aaron Carter: The Little Prince of Pop and Rap Trap: Hip-Hop on Trial.
The K-Pop documentary Blackpink: The Movie is streaming on Hulu as well, along with Korean dramas such as Pink Lie, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim and Uncontrollably Fond.
Mark you calendars: Lollapalooza 2023 kicks off Aug. 3. Click below to launch your free trial to stream the festival on Hulu!
Hulu $7.99/month after 30-day free trial
The 1975 are canceling shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after the band’s set was cut at a Malaysia music festival following frontman Matty Healy‘s comments about the country’s anti-gay laws and kissing his bandmate on stage.
The British pop-rock group was scheduled to perform at Jakarta’s We the Fest on Sunday (July 23) and at the Taipei Music Center on Tuesday (July 25) as part of their 2023 Asia tour. The band announced in a statement on Sunday that both performances have been called off.
“The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned,” the 1975 wrote in a statement posted on We the Fest’s Twitter page.
“The band never takes the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.”
The cancellations come after Healy slammed Malaysia’s LGBTQ laws as “f–king ridiculous” before sharing a prolonged kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald at the country’s Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (July 21). The following day, event organizer Future Sounds Asia announced that the remainder of the three-day fest had been canceled.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, and those convicted face up to 20 years behind bars.
The 1975’s Good Vibes set was cut short after Healy, who has long been outspoken about LGBTQ rights, ranted about Malaysia’s restrictive laws banning homosexuality.
“Because you are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool,” he told the crowd in video circulating on social media, noting that he had pulled the show Thursday in protest before deciding not to let fans down. “But, I’ve done this before. I’ve gone to a country where it’s — I don’t know what it f–king is. Ridiculous. F–king ridiculous to tell people what they can do with that and that. If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f–k off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before and it doesn’t feel good, and I’m f–ked off.”
The set ended early shortly after Healy kissed MacDonald, with the frontman telling festival-goers, “All right, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur. See you later.”
See the 1975’s Asian tour cancellation announcement below via We the Fest’s Twitter page.
The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned.Please see the official statement from the band. pic.twitter.com/XpZskFnyeD— We The Fest (@WeTheFest) July 23, 2023
Taylor Swift‘s “Cowboy Like Me” found a new partner in crime at the inaugural Sommo Festival this weekend. Marcus Mumford brought Maggie Rogers to the stage to join him on the Evermore song at the Canada music festival held in Cavendish, on Prince Edward Island, where Rogers headlined Friday night (July 14) and Mumford & […]
Farm Aid 2023 tickets went on sale Saturday (July 15), but high demand and reported “technical issues” encountered on Ticketmaster/Live Nation made obtaining tickets a challenge.
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General sale tickets for this year’s Farm Aid went on sale at 10 a.m. ET., following a pre-sale with limited availability earlier in the week.
Ticket buyers reported trouble Saturday securing tickets, tweeting complaints of waiting in a queue and carting tickets only to get error messages about the ticketing system being unable to process their payment. Farm Aid 2023 — set for Sept. 23 at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, with Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson — is now sold out.
On Saturday afternoon, event organizers posted the following statement on the official Farm Aid social media accounts:
“Today’s on-sale for Farm Aid 2023 was a disappointment to many frustrated fans trying to purchase tickets and to Farm Aid who wanted the process to go smoothly. Based on the excitement around our announcement, we knew there was great demand for tickets. We did not anticipate that the ticketing system would let us down.
We do everything that we can to make sure that Farm Aid extends the best hospitality in every possible way. It pains us that many people who wanted to purchase tickets to hear these extraordinary artists and to support family farmers encountered technical issues in the purchasing process today.
Despite ticketing challenges, many fans were able to get tickets and we are grateful to say that Farm Aid 2023 is sold out. We hope you’ll stay tuned for more ways to experience Farm Aid 2023 at home. We deeply appreciate all who have supported Farm Aid’s work to build a system of agriculture that values family farmers, good food, soil and water, and strong communities.”
Farm Aid’s lineup includes Young, Mellencamp and Nelson, plus Margo Price, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, the Grateful Dead’s Bobby Weir & the Wolf Bros. featuring the Wolfpack, Lukas Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident, Particle Kid and more.
Since launching in 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $64 million to support programs that help family farmers.
This year’s event will honor Indiana family farmers and others who are taking on climate change using regenerative, organic and sustainable farming practices.
English metal legends Judas Priest are playing Power Trip festival in Indio, California, after rocker Ozzy Osbourne announced Monday that he would not be performing at the metal-themed festival produced by Goldenvoice.
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Osbourne had been scheduled to perform alongside AC/DC, Guns N Roses, Tool, Metallica and Iron Maiden Oct. 6-8 but pulled out of the festival Monday, telling fans in an Instagram message “My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, and when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward. Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-assed.”
He continued, “The band that will be replacing me on Power Trip will be announced shortly. They are personal friends of mine and I can promise that you will not be disappointed.”
Power Trip is taking place at the Empire Polo Field, the same site used to host the annual Coachella music festival, as well as the annual Stagecoach country music festival. It follows the Goldenvoice-produced Desert Trip festival in 2016 that was headlined by the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The Who. Ticket prices start at $599, covering all three days. Single-day tickets are not currently for sale.
Judas Priest toured extensively in 2022 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that year, but does not currently have any shows on the books for 2023. The band is booked to play a European tour in spring 2024. Led by vocalist Rob Halford, Judas Priest has toured extensively with Osbourne and had been scheduled to tour with him in 2022 before that tour had to be postponed for health reasons.
Osbourne’s health struggles also led to a March announcement that he was canceling his upcoming 2023 U.K. and European tour dates due to a spinal injury.
“My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak,” Osbourne wrote on Instagram at the time.
Ozzy Osbourne will no longer be performing at Power Trip Festival in Las Vegas this October. The rocker shared a statement to Instagram on Monday (July 10), revealing why he decided to pull out of his first performance since announcing that he will no longer tour due to health reasons. “My original plan was to […]
Some fans wish to meet their musical idols, and others apparently wish to get punched by them. Machine Gun Kelly found himself in an unusual situation during his performance at Rock Werchter festival in Belgium over the weekend, when he saw a fan holding up a sign that read, “I just came from Mexico for […]