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Where to go. What to do.
Churchill Downs's HullabaLOU Music Festival lineup disappoints
Looking for live updates and information on getting to Hullabalou? Visit Louisville.com's HullabaLOU roundup page.
When I first heard that Churchill Downs was hosting HullabaLOU Music Festival July 23-25, my immediate reaction was to contact the folks I went to Bonnaroo with this year and see if they wanted to go.Then I read the festival's lineup.
As Louey Ville posted on her blog, "You've gotta wonder who these folks consulted with when planning this festival."Not only did I not see any act that appealed, but if I did, I probably wouldn't want to admit it to my friends.(And, as Churchill Downs's homepage makes no mention of HullabaLOU, you can't help but wonder if someone there is embarrassed about the lineup too.)
If you are interested in attending HullabaLOU, tickets go on sale today at noon at Ticketmaster.It doesn't sound like Derby City Espresso will be going though: "$169 for this crap??? COUNT ME OUT," it Tweeted.
The racetrack can accommodate 160,000 fans at HullabLOU, so clearly Churchill Downs Entertainment (CDE) is banking on people traveling to Louisville. But the festival's three headliners--Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews Band--tour regularly. Is anyone but their most hardcore fans going to travel here to see them perform when they probably caught one of their shows a few months earlier in their hometown? And does Louisville really want an influx of hardcore Bon Jovi fans, assuming any exist?
While the headliners are big-enough names, none of them come across as a popular draw for festival crowds. Bon Jovi and Kenny Chesney, for example, are big with white women in their 30s and 40s; a demographic better known for liking nice meals and spa treatments than traveling to music festivals.The kids won't be coming out for this one: "I love Louisville but this is pathetic," Tweeted 21-year-old Jiggle Billy shortly after HullabaLOU was announced.
It seems as if the promoters saw that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Phish headlined last year's Bonnaroo and set out to find an act from Jersey and a jam band to front HullabaLOU. But Bon Jovi ain't Springsteen and the constantly touring DMB ain't a just reunited Phish--ticket sales probably will make the difference clear to Churchill Downs Entertainment (CDE), the event's producer.(But props to the promoters for at least effectively mimicking Bonnaroo's name.)
The supporting acts, however, is where the lineup falls apart: it's heavy on came-and-went performers rather than up-and-coming ones. The Doobie Brothers, Steppenwolf, the Steve Miller Band, Kansas and 38 Special have me wondering if CDE's booker recently got thawed out after having been frozen since 1979. As for Richard Marx to use ESPN's Bill "Sports Guy" Simmons's catchphrase, "He was still available?"The lineup has Erin Keane wondering "Will there be a halfway to HullabaLOU show? Featuring Hall & Oates, Al Jarreau and the Spin Doctors?"
And, in case I haven't been harsh enough on this lineup, I'm going to play the race card too: why are just two of the 28 performers blacks under the age of however old they O'Jays are (Chrisette Michelle and Musiq Soulchild)? Is it because there aren't many young black musicians out there? And why are there no black performers on the main stage? Is it not accessible through the back entrance? (For the record, I'm not accusing CDE of racism, just of being out of touch with the music scene.)
It's the Christmas season though, so I'll wrap up this article with the positives: HullabaLOU isn't for seven more months and four main-stage acts are still TBA. And as the festival's website promises more than 65 acts, only 28 of whom have been announced, CDE has plenty of opportunities to find some relevant performers (and maybe even some black ones too).Otherwise HullabaLOU might be Churchill Down's version of North Haverbrook's monorail.
For more information: Read how to profit from Churchill Down's marquee event by renting out your home on Kentucky Derby weekend.
HullabaLou Music Festival
Just wanted to let whoever wrote this article on the festival that Kenny Chesney was #1 in 2009 for sales on his tour he made a little under 70 million dollars. I along with 50,000++ saw him in Indy last year and there was alot of people who traveled great distances to see him. As for the other bands there are a lot of 30 to 40+ people who go to concerts and have the $169 a ticket along with spending money. I will travel several states to see this line up (mainly for Kenny Chesney)
LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FESTIVAL
I am 26 and my husband is 27.. as soon as we seen the line up for Hullabalou we instantly started looking for hotels in the area.We are from Virginia and now we are louisville bound in July. We cant wait
Shut your pie hole
Zach, if you wanted to see Phish...you should have driven to Cincy. If you are bored by the Hullabalou lineup, stay home and shut your pie hole. You are truly Debbie Downer.
Looking forward to this festival.
This 40-year-old female will be traveling from Washington State to attend this festival and would rather do so than going to spa treatments. It is the festival stage acts rather than the main stage acts that appeal to my taste. There are legends that are scheduled to perform!
I beg to differ with the author. The lineup has multi-generational appeal - including young people (yes, not all youths are into Britney, Taylor, Jonas bros, Miley or whatever is promoted by MTV or the Disney channel).
Quit Complaining
You are entitled to your opinion, but regardless of what you say, this is an AMAZING line-up of major stars, at least on the main stage. Bon Jovi has been playing since the early 80s, and is still releasing hit records. They have fans from middle aged women down to younger children. I am in my 20s and have been a HUGE Bon Jovi fan since I can remember. I am at the stores buying his new albums the morning they come out...sometimes even at Wal-Mart at midnight on that date to get it immediately. I also have a friend whose 11 year old daughter absolutely loves Bon Jovi too. His music reaches across genres and across generations and reaches a huge crowd of millions of fans. And ask any female, young or old, there is no denying he gets better looking every day!!
Kenny Chesney puts on one of the best concerts I have ever attended, and I have been to A LOT of them in my lifetime. If you don't like country music and are going to complain that it is being played at this festival, then get out of Kentucky and go to a festival somewhere like NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. with rowdy, unruly hard rock and rap crowds with the cops patrolling and arresting people left and right. That is not the kind of crowd I want to be a part of, or that I want brought to our area.
I can take or leave Dave Matthews, but he too has a huge following of fans of all ages. Sorry if you don't approve of this lineup, but for some of us, this is FINALLY a music festival whose lineup we do approve of and are excited about. There are other festivals that cater to the type of music you want...no one can help they aren't at your back door and you would have to travel a good distance to attend them. Don't ever spend too much time in Nashville...I'd hate to hear your opinion every year of the CMA Music Festival (aka Fan Fair) lineup!
Finally, A Festival That Celebrates...Mediocrity?
Jon Bon Jovi is the K-Mart equivalent of Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews is frat boy music, and Kenny Chesney...Well, bring on the beer and wrinkly, toothless women in cowboy hats.
I was excited when they first announced this, thinking maybe they would get the Stones to come back...Hell, there are plenty of bands that aren't as big as the Stones who would have been better than the mass of mediocrity presented by the present line-up. None of these acts scream "AMAZING FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE" to me.
What's the next addition? At this rate, I'm gonna bet on someone like Ted Nugent or Kid Rock. Bleh.
Quit being so negative.
Quit being so negative. There are concerts all year long that cater to the younger generations including blacks. I say let the adults play please. I bet if you could find a positive hat to wear you could go and learn something about real music. Quit thinking everyone's out to get the black man please. We DO have a black president remember.
HullabaLou... Hullabawho... Hullabawhat... Hullabawhy?
The name right off the bat is a big turnoff. It's yesterday, not today. It's excluding and not inclusive. Who is the genius that chopped off the legs of this great idea for Churchill Downs with the name HullabaLou?
You said it
HullabaLOU is HullabaLAME!
DISAGREE
I am 26 years old. Two of my 3 absolute favorite acts of all time will be at this event. Bon Jovi has been my #1 since I was old enough to know what music is...and I know NUMEROUS others, both women and (straight) men who love the band too. Kenny Chesney is another favorite of mine. I have seen him at least once every summer for the past 7 or so years. I was quite disappointed when he announced he wasn't going to tour in 2010, but luckily, those of us near the Louisville area will have a chance to see him anyway. He puts on one of the greatest and most upbeat, style shows I have ever seen, and I'm sure there will be people traveling from a pretty far distance to see him. Their fans are not all 30 and 40 year old women. If you have ever seen a Kenny Chesney performance, most of his crowd is college aged and 20-something...yes, a lot of women, but also plenty of men too. I have never been so excited for a concert as to see a line up like this. The only thing that could make it better would be to add Dierks Bentley and Sugarland to the mix.
Instead of goo-balls &
Instead of goo-balls & breast painting booths - HullabaLOU will feature Viagra, metamucil, and free prostate exams. Is this event going to be sponsored by AARP? Any chance we could add Kenny Rogers & Michael Bolton to the lineup?
Ummm...
If you have ever seen a Kenny Chesney show, there are plenty of young, college aged and 20-something year old women wearing short skirts and bikini tops, bodies painted, etc. You all are drawing conclusions without knowing facts. I have attended between one and three KC shows every summer for the past 7 years. His shows are the ultimate summertime party-scene.
race card
NO! do not need more blacks, Just watch T.V and see all you want as they take up 90% of the tube and are not that good either.
Good line up with a mix of good singers.
I totally agree that just
I totally agree that just possibly they want to put on a show that brings mature, fun for all ages, non-fighting, easy to get along with no matter what your race crowd. Who knows maybe they will have black entertainers but by the looks of it, it will probably be some that have a good positive background. It would be nice to go to a concert of many groups and not worry about any troubles regardless of race. I think this sounds like good summertime fun for everyone where EVERYONE CAN JUST GET ALONG AND ENJOY!
race
I am by no means a racist. I have black friends/acquaintances and respect them very much. However, quite unfortunately, many of the "young black performers" that you say the festival needs are probably going to be found in the rap scene. If you like rap music, that is great. But, face it, it is FULL of vulgar language, girls on stage wearing next to nothing, etc. The others in the lineup at Hullabalou are not like that, and are pretty much okay for the entire family to enjoy, which I'm sure is something that festival planners considered and were hoping for when they planned the line up. There isn't much that parents are going to have to shield their children from. If they added more blacks by putting Darius Rucker into the lineup, who is a wonderful performer and also family friendly, you would complain that they added another country act.
if ya don't like it...
if you don't like the acts,,don't friggin go!!!
i however do, and have seen some of them before...and i guarantee i'll be ready for a 3 day party come mid july;)
Lineup
The lineup for day 2 "Chesney" isn't as good as day 1 or 3. Do we know when additional acts will confirm and be announced?