The Hangout 2019 lineup is here — and it’s pretty disappointing.
The Gulf Shores festival is celebrating its 10th year of existence and will do so with a rather underwhelming bill. Rather than list three headliners, they’ve listed six names atop the poster. Travis Scott, The Lumineers, Khalid, Vampire Weekend, Cardi B, and Kygo are the names.
Travis Scott, Vampire Weekend, and Kygo I can semi-justify being among the top six names. The Lumineers, Khalid, and Cardi B have not earned that positioning in the slightest.
The festival will take place Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19 at its usual location in Gulf Shores, Ala. A Thursday kick-off lineup will be announced later, but that carries its own price. It has fully pivoted to booking only mainstream acts. This is a far cry from the festival that booked Sigur Ros two years ago, even though it was already a pretty mainstream bill by then.
The festival also features The 1975, Diplo, Hozier, GRiZ, Walk the Moon, Jimmy Eat World, Bebe Rexha, Alison Wonderland, Jungle, Gorgon City, Bishop Briggs, Mura Masa, SOFI TUKKER, Sir Sly, King Princess, and Elohim. Further down the bill are names like Superorganism, Jade Bird, Pale Waves, Gang of Youths, Grandson, Elley Duhe, and morgxn.
There are good names on this lineup, but the lack of creativity is alarming and hopefully not indicative of what the 2019 festival landscape will be. But let’s get this straight — Hangout knows their audience. I went to the festival from 2015 until 2017 and it had one of the worst vibes of any festival. It’s basically a southeast frat and sorority weekend. As LA-based writer Katie Bain tweeted Thursday regarding the lineup, “I guess when the people want Bud Light Lime, you give them Bud Light Lime.”
Tickets to Hangout 2019 go on sale Tuesday, December 4. Three-day general admission tickets are $259. VIP three-day passes are $1,099. Three-day Super VIP passes are $1,699.
