The September event at Arcadia Creek Festival Place expands to two days for 2017, leans toward hip hop and math rock acts, plans to add another ‘special headliner.’
Returning to Downtown Kalamazoo: Audiotree Music Festival expands to two days in September. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
JULY 27 UPDATE: Lizzo has been added to the lineup for the 2017 edition of the Audiotree Music Festival.
As the Audiotree Music Festival settles into Arcadia Creek Festival Place for its second straight year, the fifth-year fest looks to fill two days with a more tailored approach than it has in years past, focusing on hip hop and math rock with the hopes of drawing a younger crowd to downtown Kalamazoo on Sept. 22-23.
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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
The festival — which has brought in acts such as Blues Traveler, The Fall of Troy, Big Gigantic, Greensky Bluegrass, Robert DeLong and Ra Ra Riot over the years — will be headlined in 2017 by Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, along with another special headliner yet to be announced.
Other acts included on the initial 2017 lineup announcement, released earlier today, include Twin Peaks, Noname, Badbadnotgood, Chon (which also played in 2015) and Smino. Pinegrove, Sales, Charly Bliss, Hoops, Active Bird Community, Liz Cooper & The Stampede and Campdogzz also are on the bill.
“I think we have curated a lineup that is better thought out than any other year we have done,” said Adam Thurston, director of operations and co-founder of Audiotree. “After making the decision to go to two days this year, we really spent the time thinking about which bands fit well together so that we could really create a flow throughout each day.”
The result of that thinking is one day more focused on hip hop and up-tempo music and the other day designed to draw more of an Indy or math rock crowd.
CONTINUING TO GROW, THRIVING IN DOWNTOWN KALAMAZOO
The festival started as a one-day gathering in the Wings Stadium parking lot in 2013, then moved to District Square in 2014 and 2015. Entering its second year in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo, Thurston says organizers have been able to put the logistical hurdles and concerns that existed in year one at Arcadia Creek behind them, and focus more on elevating the festival experience for attendees.
Noname
“We know that as we continue to grow that the experience around the festival is just as important as the bands we have on the stage,” he said. “We are just really excited about being centrally located in downtown. The infrastructure was already there to walk right in and host a festival setup. Everything as far as the layout, the view of the city skyline, was exactly what we wanted to do. There’s a grassy area back by the trees if people want to sit down, a playground for the kids and it’s a site we can really grow into and have 4,000 or 5,000 people a day.”
For the second consecutive year, there will be a 40’ by 32’ stage built under the existing band shell, as well as a VIP area off to the left of the stage that will include a private viewing patio and lounge, drink tickets, premium food and beverage selections and private bathrooms. Food trucks and vendors will be set up throughout the site, giving attendees plenty of options.
Two-day tickets, which are on sale now, are $60 for GA and $125 for VIP. Doors will open at 1 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday. Children under 10, accompanied by an adult, will be free. Details online here.
The daily schedule will be announced July 11, at which time single day tickets will go on sale. Friday tickets will be $32.50 for GA and $65 for VIP, and Saturday tickets will be $37.50 for GA and $75 for VIP.
For those looking to stay the night, discount rooms will be available at the Radisson. More information on the festival, including vendors and discount rooms, is available at audiotreemusicfestival.com.
VIDEO: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
VIDEO: Smino
VIDEO: Twin Peaks
Check out a photo gallery from the 2016 Audiotree at Local Spins here.
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