Four stages and dozens of bands make inaugural Blessing in Disguise Festival
The lineup for the inaugural Blessing in Disguise Music Festival, which will be held July 11 across four stages at ONE Spokane Stadium and the surrounding area, has been released.
Headlining the event will be Washington state’s own Macklemore. The chart-topping rapper from Seattle has deep ties to the Lilac City, including previous collaborative partner/producer, Ryan Lewis, who is from Spokane.
Macklemore also filmed the music video for the platinum single, “Downtown,” in Spokane in 2015, and is known for other hits such as “Thrift Shop,” “Can’t Hold Us,” “Glorious,” “Same Love,” “Good Old Days” and more.
“The festival was created to bring Spokane the kind of full-scale, music experience the community has long been missing,” the festival website reads. “Inspired by music festivals of the early 2000s, the lineup leans into the future of rock, pop, and genre-bending sounds – spotlighting breakthrough talent alongside major headliners.”
Alt-pop band AJR is set to co-headline the festival. The trio consisting of three brothers from New York in known for their distinct sound and a slew of platinum singles such as “Bang!,” “Burn the House Down,” “World’s Smallest Violin,” “100 Bad Days” and more.
California rock band AWOLNATION, led by lead vocalist and founder Aaron Bruno, is on a short list of artists with an RIAA-certified diamond hit for “Sail.” Other favorites by the band include “Panoramic View,” “Run,” “I’m on Fire” from the “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack and more.
Official festival ambassador Allen Stone will perform with an array of special guests. The soul and R&B artist was born and raised in Chewelah and now calls Spokane home. He also holds his own festival annually, Stone Family Field Trip, in Liberty Lake.
Stone has become known for songs like “Unaware,” “Brown Eyed Lover,” “Consider Me,” “Is This Love” and more.
Canadian band Mother Mother has spent over 20 years and 10 albums making indie-rock music. Songs by the group include “Hayloft,” “Hayloft II,” “Body,” “Verbatim” and “Problems.”
Portland alt-rock band Everclear found mainstream success with albums like 1995’s “Sparkle and Fade” and 1997’s “So Much for the Afterglow.” They are known for songs like “Santa Monica,” “Father of Mine,” “Wonderful,” “I Will Buy You a New Life” and more.
Since 1986, Big Head Todd and the Monsters have spent four decades bringing many variations of rock, ranging from alternative to the blues with hints of country. The Colorado band was initially well known throughout the Rockies and Western United States before reaching national acclaim with songs like “Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior,” “It’s Alright” and “Boom Boom.”
Singer-songwriter Stephen Day will be bringing his soul and R&B sound from Nashville. Day’s modern yet sleek and nostalgic sound includes songs like “Dancing in the Street,” “On Top of the World,” “If You Were the Rain,” and “Sweet Iced Tea,” featuring Stone.
The festival will include talented risers such as Izzy Escobar, Vienna Vienna, GUNNAR and Tim Montana.
Other groups local to Spokane and Seattle are featured on the bill. These artists include Ayron Jones, Chinese American Bear, Frances Browne, the Jaws of Brooklyn, the Residency and Nothing Shameful.
The Blessing in Disguise festival map and set schedule will be posted at a later date. Headliners Macklemore and AJR will play in ONE Spokane Stadium on the Columbia Bank Main Stage along with AWOLNATION and MOTHER MOTHER. The remaining artists will be featured on the Team Gleason stage inside the Podium (where $1 from every ticket sold benefits their organization) or on one of two street stages.
A late-night DJ set will be presented by Hippie Sabotage, the electronic hip-hop and chillwave brotherly duo. They are known for songs like “Devil Eyes,” “Trust Nobody,” “Running Miles,” “Life Happens” and their remix of Tove Lo’s hit, “Habits (Stay High).”
Tickets for the Blessing in Disguise Music Festival, starting at $95, go on sale Friday through TicketsWest. VIP packages top $400 and the DJ-only set costs about $30. The festival is ran by the Spokane Public Facilities District and LiveNation.
Local vendors, food trucks, art installations and “immersive photo moments” will be available on the grounds.