2018 Lineup Announced
Today, Middle Waves Music Festival announced the initial lineup for the 2018 festival, happening at Headwaters Park in downtown Fort Wayne on September 14 and 15. Volunteer opportunities are also now available and listed on the website.
Presented by Sweetwater, Middle Waves is a destination music festival boasting an eclectic mix of 25+ performers on three stages, two of which are free. With food trucks, beverages, music, interactive art installations, events, fun and games around every corner—people of all ages, all backgrounds and all music preferences are bound to have the time of their lives.
Previous headliners included The Flaming Lips and MGMT. Every year, Middle Waves is committed to showcasing great music and bringing national acts to Fort Wayne that might not otherwise come to our community.
“Middle Waves, as an entity, is committed to jaw-dropping, pride-inducing and diverse music and art experiences, and we’re putting our money where our mouth is with this lineup,” said festival chair, Katy Silliman.
The festival will be headlined by indie rock band, Dr. Dog. Philadelphia six-piece Dr. Dog have released ten critically acclaimed studio albums, but it’s their live shows—which Rolling Stone calls “full of electric enthusiasm and sharp proficiency…swaggering and giddy”—where they’ve made their reputation and built their “jam-band-like cult following.”
NPR Music lauds the band’s “upbeat, ebullient-sounding tunes, with big sing-along choruses and radiant major chords.” Dr. Dog has toured with The Lumineers, The Black Keys, Wilco, The Raconteurs and The Strokes. They’ve performed at Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza.
Friday headliner GoldLink, from Washington D.C., is a hip-hop artist described by impresario Rick Rubin as “connecting progressive rap styles with cutting edge dance music; he bridges the electronic DJ culture with hip-hop in a way we haven’t heard before.” His 2017 single “Crew” was nominated for a Grammy® Award and has been streamed 118 million times on Spotify.
Singer and rapper Lizzo, from Minneapolis, has been hailed by NPR Music as a “purveyor of self-affirmation and charismatic confidence” with a “joyful and explosively stole the show” at SXSW in 2017. Her single “Good As Hell” has been streamed more than 3.5 million times on YouTube.
Portland, OR’s Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks are led by Malkmus, who was the singer and leader of influential indie rock icons, Pavement—who Rolling Stone said, “transcended temporal limits, showing up as a Biblical influence on indie-rock bands from every subsequent generation.” Malkmus and the Jicks’ 2018 album, Sparkle Hard, has been glowingly reviewed by all major music publications and websites, cited as the best of his seven-album solo career.
Wave One performers include:
Friday, September 14
GoldLink (hip-hop, Washington, D.C.)
Betty Who (synth-pop, Sydney, Australia)
Chives (rock, Indianapolis, IN)
The Bergamot (indie folk, Fort Wayne, IN)
Lightlow (rock, Fort Wayne, IN)
Saturday, September 15
Dr. Dog (rock, Philadelphia, PA)
Lizzo (hip-hop, Minneapolis, MN)
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (indie rock, Portland, OR)
IDLES (punk rock, Bristol, England)
Flint Eastwood (dance-pop, Detroit, MI)
David Wax Museum (American and Mexican folk, Charlottesville, VA)
Tunde Olaniran (pop, Flint, MI)
Unlikely Alibi (reggae-rock, Fort Wayne, IN)
Best Sleep (rock, Fort Wayne, IN)
T-Zank (rap, Fort Wayne, IN)
Lalo Cura (latino rock, Goshen, IN)
The Snarks (rock, Fort Wayne, IN)
Wave Two performers will be announced at a later date.
“We’re proud to feature everything from indie rock to hip hop, and strong female voices like Lizzo, Betty Who and Flint Eastwood, who was a crowd favorite last year,” said Corey Rader, booking chair.
Middle Waves’ three stages include St. Marys Stage, presented by Parkview Health, St. Joseph Stage and Maumee Stage. A ticket is required for entry into St. Marys Stage. Maumee Stage and St. Joseph Stage are free to the public.
Tickets can be purchased online at MiddleWaves.com. Two-day GA passes are available for $75 and two-day VVIP passes are available for $155. Two-day GA and VVIP prices will increase $10 on June 1.
VVIP passes include a catered dinner by The Deck on Friday and Saturday night, two free drink tickets, deluxe restrooms, premium viewing experiences, Thai massage experiences, an ice cream party catered by Just Cream and more.
Single-day Friday tickets are available for $35. Single-day Saturday tickets are available for $65.
Nearly 300 positions are needed to execute the festival the weekend-of. Free or discounted tickets are available to individuals who volunteer for the festival. Positions include admissions, merchandise, green team, set up and tear down and more. Signup information is available at MiddleWaves.com.
Middle Waves, Inc. is a volunteer-run, non-profit corporation operating in partnership with Arts United, who serves as its fiscal agent. The festival relies on the financial support of local businesses.
The 2018 festival is sponsored by Sweetwater, Parkview Health, Lincoln Financial Group, NIPSCO, Steel Dynamics Inc., Strahm Building Solutions, Fort Wayne Metals, WANE TV and United State of Indiana. Sponsorships are still available. More information is available by contacting sponsorships@middlewaves.com.
The festival’s Board of Directors is:
• Katy Silliman, festival chair, sponsorship chair, operations co-chair
• Alec Johnson, Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation
• Beth McAvoy, One Lucky Guitar, volunteer chair
• Brad Hartman, Ash Brokerage, ticketing chair
• Corey Rader, The Brass Rail, booking chair
• Dan Ross, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, Cultural Advancement Projects LLC
• Jasmine Bejar, One Lucky Guitar, marketing chair
• Nicholas Weaver, Sweetwater, operations co-chair
• Melissa Twitchell, hospitality chair
• Ryan Holquist, Sweetwater, logistics chair
• Sanee Lombardi, finance chair
For more information on this year’s festival, contact info@middlewaves.com or visit MiddleWaves.com.
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