Beale Street Music Festival lineup set
Cardi B, Khalid, Dave Matthews Band listed
Hip-hop superstar Cardi B, multiplatinum jam-pop band the Dave Matthews Band, rock hitmakers The Killers and acclaimed R&B singer Khalid are among the artists set for the 2019 Beale Street Music Festival.
The 43rd edition of the multiday concert event will take place May 3 to 5 at Tom Lee Park, and is sponsored by Bud Light, Fedex, and Coca-cola.
The music fest will host 60-plus acts and kicks off the monthlong Memphis in May festivities, which includes the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, Celebrate Memphis and The Great American River Run.
Dave Matthews Band, Khalid and Shinedown will headline the main stages on the festival’s opening night, May 3. G-eazy, One Republic and Charlie Wilson highlight the second night of the festival on May 4. Newly minted Grammy winner Cardi B, The Killers and Gary Clark Jr. will serve as the Sunday, May 5 closers.
Continuing a recent trend, the 2019 music fest has a relative abundance of hip-hop as part of the bill. In addition
to Cardi B and G-eazy, the roster includes Outkast’s Big Boi, Atlanta MC 6lack, Ohioan Trippie Redd, and Memphis stars Moneybagg Yo and Blocboy JB, among others.
The balance of the fest’s roster is a mix of genres and generations with veteran acts (Charlie Wilson, India.arie), festival circuit favorites (Gary Clark Jr., St. Paul & the Broken Bones) and rising stars (Chvrches and Lord Huron).
A key historic part of music festival, the blues tent will again highlight the greats of R&B, with headliners there including Stax Records star William Bell, soul diva Bettye Lavette and guitar great Joe Louis Walker.
Typically, Memphis in May selects and honors a foreign country each year. In the past, honorees have included Japan, Venezuela, Kenya, India and most recently the Czech Republic. This year, however, the festival will honor Memphis itself, as the city celebrates its 200th anniversary in May.
To that end, the fest also features a selection of Memphis and Memphisconnected acts, including rocker Liz Brasher, singer-songwriter John Kilzer and the Scars, and soul-blues combo Southern Avenue, among other locals.
Stage and set times for the Beale Street Music Festival have not yet been finalized. Tickets and passes for the fest are available now at Eventbrite.com.