Middle Waves Announces 2022 Lineup

Middle Waves lineup including Young the Giant, Big Boi, ROSIE, repeat repeat, Kiwi Jr and more.

Fort Wayne, IN—Today, Middle Waves Music Festival announced the initial lineup for the 2022 festival, happening at the Foellinger Theatre campus on June 17 and 18. Volunteer opportunities are also now available and listed on the website.

Presented by Sweetwater Sound, Middle Waves is a destination music festival boasting an eclectic mix of performers on three stages, one of which is 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 a great time. Previous performers included The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Lizzo and Dr. Dog. 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.

After being postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival is excited to bring back jaw-dropping and diverse music and art experiences.

“We are thrilled to be back! It’s been a long two years in waiting. We are grateful for our sponsors and 2020 ticketholders for sticking with us,” said festival co-chair, Sanee Lombardi. This year’s festival will be headlined by Young the Giant, an alternative indie rock band from Los Angeles. Performing on Saturday, Young the Giant first broke through with their 2010 self-titled debut album, which featured the RIAA-gold certified hits, “My Body” and “Cough Syrup.” They’ve had commercial and critical success prompting The New York Times to call [Lead singer Sameer Gadhia] “one of the great contemporary rock voices.”

Young the Giant has sold out performances at historic venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, The Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, and more. They have become a mainstay at high profile festivals such as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and Governor’s Ball among others. Closing out Friday night is rapper, songwriter and producer Big Boi, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo Outkast alongside André 3000. Big Boi, a six-time Grammy Award winner, has also fledged a prolific solo career. He released the album Big Sleepover with veteran singer-songwriter and producer Sleepy Brown at the end of 2021.

“We’ve always been committed to bringing incredible music from a variety of genres to provide something for everyone,” said Beth McAvoy, festival co-chair. “Our booking team does a great job of identifying talent. For example, we had Lizzo in 2018!”

Additional performers include:

Rosie
*repeat repeat
Kiwi Jr
Debutants
Necromoon
Thematic
Overlook
Mic strong
Rogues and Bandits
Swimming into View
stay outside
Uncle Muscle
Atomic Sharks

Some additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

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 & Maumee Stages. The St. Joseph Stage is free to the public.

Tickets can be purchased online at MiddleWaves.com. Two-day GA passes are available for $95 and two-day VVIP passes are available for $175. Single-day Friday GA tickets are available for $40. Single-day Saturday tickets are available for $70. Prices will increase on June 9.

VVIP passes include a catered dinner on Friday and Saturday night, swag bag, free drink tickets, deluxe restrooms, premium viewing experiences, and more.

Over 200 positions are needed weekend-of to execute the festival. Free or discounted tickets are available to individuals who volunteer. Positions include admissions, merchandise, set up and tear down, and more. Signup information is available at MiddleWaves.com.

Middle Waves, Inc. is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The festival relies on the financial support of local businesses.

The 2022 festival sponsors include: Sweetwater Sound, Parkview Health, Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation, Three Rivers Credit Union, Lincoln Financial Group, Lunar Distribution, Steel Dynamics Inc., Peg Perego, Ash Brokerage, NIPSCO, Benchmark Human Services, The James Foundation, ALT 102.3 FM, SURE-TRAC, WANE TV, Kathy Callen, M.E. Raker Foundation, One Lucky Guitar, Strahm Building Solutions, Pizza Hut, Innovative Engineering Services, Wilcox & Associates, the FIND and Freedom Home Services. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact sponsorships@middlewaves.com for more information.

The festival’s Board of Directors includes:

Sanee Lombardi, festival co-chair, finance chair
Beth McAvoy, festival co-chair, volunteer chair
Sarah Aubrey, vibe art installation chair
Alex Hall, VVIP chair
Justin Jones, logistics chair
Sean O’Leary, marketing chair
Katy Silliman, sponsorship chair
Melissa Twitchell, booking chair, hospitality chair
Nick Weaver, operations chair

For more information on this year’s festival, contact info@middlewaves.com or visit MiddleWaves.com. Be sure to follow Middle Waves on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.