With the battle for festival supremacy in New York City looming, the colonizers have announced its battle plan. Panorama, the new festival from Coachella producer Goldenvoice/AEG Live being held at Randall’s Island Park in New York City, released the lineup of performers for its inaugural weekend, Friday, July 22-Sunday July 24. Kendrick Lamar, who just picked up Grammys for his 2015 opus To Pimp a Butterfly, is headlining the Saturday date, and LCD Soundsystem, back from its 5-year hiatus, will close out the festival on Sunday night.
The rest of the lineup is rounded out by Arcade Fire, who will headline the Friday date, as well as Sufjan Stevens, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, Sia, Blood Orange, FKA Twigs, Algiers, Anderson .Paak, the Julie Ruin, recent Grammy-winners Alabama Shakes, and even new Roc Nation signee DJ Khaled. James Murphy’s absurd Despacio sound system will also be in attendance, pumping out the oonst oonst all weekend.
The first year for the festival will be crucial; as we’ve noted, AEG Live is looking to wedge themselves into the New York City festival market, which has been occupied for the last several years by Governors Ball, independently produced by Founders Entertainment. AEG Live’s original plan was to host the festival in Flushing Meadows Park in June—the same month as Governor’s Ball—but were unable to secure the permits. As the two competing festivals bid on talent,AEG Live holds an impressive portfolio that can be packaged in offers, making it difficult for Founders to secure marquee talent. This year, the two festivals pit the biggest names in hip-hop—Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West, who will headline Governor’s Ball—against each other.
Last year, Founders produced a country music festival, Farmborough, on the Randall’s Island site, not unlike how Goldenvoice created Stagecoach in Indio, CA. But with the impending threat of AEG Live’s NYC colonization, Farmborough was cancelled this year, with Founders admitting that “conditions dictate that we redirect our energy at this time.”
Passes to the festival go on sale at noon Friday, March 4, with general admission passes starting at $369. Vox technology site The Verge is the festival’s “media partner,” which its editors explain in more detail here.