Oceans Calling Festival 2023 - 9/29-10/1

Totally gonna sell out now with multiple O.A.R sets.

Leading with, "multiple O.A.R sets" is setting the expectations bar buried under the sand

Man that would be fantastic. I have absolutely no idea what to expect (in the worst way). The focus on O.A.R. has me totally thrown.

Take this for what it’s worth. I said “The National” in the Facebook post they had asking “who would you like to see at Ocean Calling?”. The oceans calling Facebook liked my post. I checked, they didn’t like anyone else’s answer.

Since this is gonna be my only possible festival this year, the lineup possibilities are stuck in my brain.

I would love something involving the national or Florence but I really I think we end up with something like

Kenny chesney * OAR * beach boys * OAR * Jack Johnson * OAR

This happens at small jam festivals all the time. Upcoming third tier jam band has their own festival. They play multiple sets but there are headliners bigger than them. It could be Three headliners with a second line of OAR and OAR Plays XXX with an OAR acoustic mid day set. We don’t really know. I may be hoping just can’t see anyone building a fest around OAR as the main draw.

Even if OAR wanted to book The Lumineers as part of their partial curation, I really don't think it's in this fest's allotted budget. This whole fest feels very low stakes; I mean 30+ performances over 3 days, with presumably O.A.R. headlining one of the nights, and several other padding sets by them? I'm gonna assume there will be 2 stages, 3 tops. O.A.R are a huge draw in MD, but they're a dirt cheap headliner pricetag-wise. I'm pretty sure they've sold out Merriweather, and My Morning Jacket and The Smashing Pumpkins have both either headlined or co-headlined shows at MPP recently (and repeatedly in MMJ's case). That's why I suggested The Smashing Pumpkins and My Morning Jacket, they're both subheadliners that could easily headline a smaller startup fest like this, and would honestly be optimal, imo.


.. I would also like to remind everyone here that I called MCR as a Friday night headliner for Firefly this year back in December of last year, and so it is. Soothsayer, bitches

I realize you were joking, but The Lumineers as headliner are one of the worst case scenarios for any festival. Also, the Lumineers headline major festivals and play venues like BB&T, something neither The Smashing Pumpkins nor MMJ are currently doing.. The Smashing Pumpkins are huge but haven't had a hit in almost 25 years, and MMJ has a strong cult following but arguably never had radio hits.. Which is, sadly, what matters when it comes to bands drawing live.. There's a reason all these nostalgia fests list the bands' hits below their names.

Also, according to Billboard The Lumineers cost just shy of $600k to book, so.. yeah, pretty sure Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds co-headlining tour w/ SP wasn't pulling in anywhere near that kind of money, and SP wasn't even the top headliner. Not saying SP isn't a headliner, because they did headline Sea Hear Now last year (probably to counterbalance the cost of booking Pearl Jam), just saying they're a cheaper and more niche headliner than a band with The Lumineers current popularity.. and MMJ is only a subheadliner at Sea Hear Now this year (which, again, The Lumineers headlined this same fest). Also, The Lumineers are headlining over Stevie Nicks (who is also headlining Sea Hear Now and Bonnaroo) at Sound on Sound this year.. Unless Billboard miscalculated The Lumineers guarantee, it's not even a debate about who costs more.

I’m laying on my couch drinking bourbon and watching Coachella on YouTube. Man I’d LOVE to know if this festival will have anything for me or not.

Wouldn’t take a ton to get me there but I think this lineup could be absolutely anything so who knows.

Skip Marley is playing Friday.

skip marley seems to be the only sign that this festival is actually happening

OAR - OAR - OAR
OAR - Skip Marley - OAR
The Lumineers - OAR - OAR

I can smell that lineup