Music Midtown 2019
Guide to the 2019 festival
About Music Midtown
With its initial run from 1994 to 2005, Peter Conlon and the late Alex Cooley's Music Midtown earned a reputation as Atlanta’s definitive outdoor, large music festival. Following a six-year hiatus, the event, powered by Conlon and LiveNation, has reached cruising altitude, growing heftier with each successive year, presenting established and rising mainstream musical acts. Sign up online for this year’s lineup, schedule, and contests. The festivities unfold in the heart of Piedmont Park. PRO TIP: It’s an urban festival, so take advantage of the transportation systems the city has to offer. Take a ride on MARTA or stroll to it on the BeltLine. Avoiding the nightmare traffic situation that backs up at the intersection of 10th and Monroe through Midtown will improve everyone’s festival experience.
History of Music Midtown
In the summer of 1994, Atlanta concert promoters Peter Conlon and Alex Cooley put together a two-day outdoor music festival in the middle of the city, partially as an experiment. They wanted to gauge the public's interest in such an event, and within a few years Music Midtown became an annual weekend festival featuring six stages that drew as many as 300,000 concertgoers at its peak. Acts as varied as Bob Dylan, James Brown, Devo, Hole, Funkadelic, Wilco, Iggy Pop and hundreds of others were all part of the annual lineup.
Music Midtown is the largest music festival in Atlanta, attracting thousands of concertgoers from around the country. The 2018 Music Midtown took place the weekend of September 15-16, and once again makes its home in Piedmont Park. The 2018 lineup boasted an assorted mix of monolithic mainstream pop and hip-hop artists, as well as various rising but lesser-known performers. Headliners Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy, and Post Malone are joined by the likes of Janelle Monáe, Portugal. The Man, Sylvan Esso, Mattiel, Gucci Mane, Arthur Buck, and more. As with every year, concertgoers flock to the city in droves. Atlanta denizens may be well advised to take MARTA to the Midtown station and walk to the park, or simply stroll along the Beltline right into the heart of the park to avoid the soul-crushing traffic situation, not to mention finding a place to park — parking passes can be purchased through Music Midtown’s website for $20.
From a 2018 Interview with Peter Conlon - "We’re the biggest music festival in Atlanta. Historically, we’ve built a brand. A lot of acts in the history of the festival that went on to be meaningful acts in this market, their first play was Music Midtown. There’s a lot of focus on certain acts at the mid-level. As recently as 21 Pilots, who headlined Music Midtown a few years ago — we just put them on sale at Philips Arena, and they sold out in one day. We were one of the first festivals to have them.
The original concept of Music Midtown was to have an eclectic enough lineup where we brought people in for certain artists but exposed them to other artists, to all different kinds of music. That’s what we’ve tried to maintain. We aren’t as eclectic as we used to be, but maybe we’ll get that way.
The other thing we’ve tried to do is keep it affordable. The first festival back in ’94 was $25, but we can’t do that anymore. Even the current price of $145, for the acts you are seeing, it’s extremely affordable. In an arena, you pay that much just for one night. The other thing is the economic benefit for Atlanta. It generates around $50 million for the city. And we pay for everything.”
Music Midtown Events By Day
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
Events for Saturday, September 14, 2019 - Day One
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
Events for Sunday, September 15, 2019 - Day Two
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
$160-$1,250 [click here for more]
Creative Loafing Stories About Music Midtown
PHOTOS: Music Midtown 2018 Article
Check out a gallery of images from Music Midtown 2018. Photographer Perry Julien was in the pit and on the stage capturing images of K.Flay, Gucci Mane, 30 Seconds to Mars, Imagine Dragons, and more.
| more...From Mattiel to Kendrick Lamar: Music Midtown returns Sept. 15-16 Article
Music Midtown 2018 lineup announced Article
First Slice 8-29-17: Music Midtown releases its 2017 schedule Article
First Slice 8/29/17: Music Midtown releases its 2017 schedule Article
For your planning purposes: The schedule for Music Midtown came out yesterday. The question is, how will you decide between catching Wiz Khalifa and The Naked and Famous?
Two unknown Georgia counties may join the controversial 287g program, which allows local law enforcement to act as immigration officials and question people about their citizenship status.
This won't end well: The Trump...
| more...Music Midtown top 6 Article
Music Midtown returns Sept. 16-17 Article
First Slice 9/27/16: Music Midtown has not contributed to Piedmont Park Conservancy since 2014 Article
%{data-embed-type=%22image%22 data-embed-id=%2257ea7b8639ab46993a144fd1%22 data-embed-element=%22span%22 data-embed-size=%22640w%22 contenteditable=%22false%22}%Music Midtown organizers have not contributed cash to the Piedmont Park Conservancy since 2014, says Maria Saporta.
Downtown's old Oxford Industries building has sat vacant since 2012. Now it's becoming a private high school. ...
| more...Music Midtown 2016 weekend schedule announced Article
Music Midtown adds final round of artists for 2016 Article
Music Midtown 2016 lineup announced Article
Time and Place: Music Midtown crowd Article
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? Music photographers sometimes forget that while we are capturing images of the band standing on the the stage, there is another world with thousands of fans behind us. This photograph was taken on the first day of Music Midtown right before Kodaline took the Electric Ballroom Stage. The band had allowed me to photograph their first few songs from on the stage. While waiting for them...
Scenes from Music Midtown 2015 Article
Music Midtown’s 2015 schedule revealed Article
Music Midtown's leader speaks Article
Hall & Oates, Vance Joy, Metric, and Vinyl Theatre added to Music Midtown Article
Alice In Chains added to Music Midtown lineup Article
Music Midtown offers first look at 2015 lineup Article
Music Midtown, day one: 'If this were 1985... these guys would be huge' Article
- Perry Julien
Thousands of people have packed Piedmont Park for this year's Music Midtown, the two-day tunes festival featuring the Foo Fighters, Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers Blackhearts, local crisis prevention expert T.I., and many other acts. Check out CL's round-up of the soiree's first day and Perry Julien's photos. Pearl Jam, Florence and the Machine, Garbage, and other bands...
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