If you already bought your tickets to this year’s Life Is Beautiful, you’ll be happy you did. The Weeknd, Arcade Fire and Florence + the Machine will headline the sixth installment of the Downtown music and arts festival, which returns September 21-23.
The lineup also features Pharell-led hip-hop group N.E.R.D., eclectic indie rocker St. Vincent and rapper Travis Scott. DJ Snake, Odesza, Death Cab for Cutie, Tyler the Creator, Miguel, Blood Orange, Justice, Chvrches, Santigold, Sylvan Esso and others round out the undercard.
“If you look back at the last few lineups, we really try to cover all genres,” says Craig Nyman, LIB’s head of music and live performances. This year meant doubling down on that mission and booking some of the biggest artists across the musical spectrum. “We try to give people something for everyone," adds Nyman. "We recognize that fans do like all sorts of music.”
These days, it’s not unlikely to find someone who likes the incandescent pop-rock of Florence + the Machine—the fest’s first female-led headliner—but also likes the howling, classic rock tones of Wolfmother and the synthy hooks of Superorganism, both also on this year’s roster. “Music tastes vary and change,” says Nyman. “When you come to LIB, [our goal is to] make people have that moment where they’re like, ‘Who do I go see next?’”
And while online outlets like Consequence of Sound and UpRoxx have proclaimed that rock is dead following this month’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which reportedly drew small crowds for its guitar-forward acts, Nyman says that’s not part of his mindset. “We’ve always had a rock component to our festival, starting with The Killers and Kings of Leon. Rock is a leader for us, and it’s not something we’re going to sway from.”
That said, the lineup is stacked with some of the best in hip-hop (Lizzo, anyone?), EDM (RL Grime), indie-folk (First Aid Kit) and more—not to mention N.E.R.D.’s first Vegas show since the group opened for Kanye West at Red Rock Resort in 2008. And once again, this year’s Life Is Beautiful lineup features a local component, with blues-rock trio The Dirty Hooks—who played 2013’s inaugural edition and have been touring with Stone Temple Pilots—rapper Mike Xavier and pop-rock band O Wildly set to rep Las Vegas.
“We’re about being inclusive, welcoming everybody and encouraging everyone to chase their dreams,” says Nyman. “We want people to come to Downtown Las Vegas and revel and celebrate, but also leave feeling encouraged and empowered and inspired.”
Didn’t get your early bird tickets? Passes ($295 for general admission and $655 for VIP, with other premium options also available) go on sale Thursday, April 26 at 10 a.m. For more information, visit lifeisbeautiful.com.
Full lineup:
The Weeknd
Arcade Fire
Florence + the Machine
Travis Scott
DJ Snake
Odesza
N.E.R.D
Death Cab for Cutie
Tyler, the Creator
Justice
Bastille
Galantis
Miguel
Chvrches
RL Grime
Foster the People
St. Vincent
French Montana
Santigold
A$AP Ferg
Sylvan Esso
Cold War Kids
Daniel Caesar
Alison Wonderland
The Neighbourhood
GoldLink
Jungle
T-Pain
Blood Orange
Cashmere Cat
First Aid Kit
Wolfmother
What So Not
Blackbear
Gramatik
Flight Facilities
Sabrina Claudio
Sofi Tukker
Lizzo
LAUV
3LAU
Bazzi
Lane 8
The Drums
DVBBS
The Presets
Robert DeLong
Tribal Seeds
AJR
Party Favor
Denzel Curry
Sir Sly
Ravyn Lenae
Sam Feldt
Superorganism
Welshly Arms
Elohim
Two Feet
Elderbrook
Hinds
Fletcher
Mt. Joy
Yungblud
Amy Shark
Mikky Ekko
Wallows
Chet Porter
Knox Fortune
lovelytheband
Graves
Harry Hudson
Brasstracks
Morgan Saint
Neil Frances
Young Bombs
The Dirty Hooks
Mike Xavier
O Wildly
