Some of the biggest acts on the music scene today are playing at this year’s iTunes festival. Here’s a full list of the lineup and what you can expect to hear at the event.
The festival is on its eighth run this year, and the performers range from pop to indie rock to R&B to something in-between. The 2014 iTunes Festival is held in London this year, with a huge list of artists ready to rock in September.
Check out the full list of performers here:
iTunes Festival 2014
09/01 deadmau5
09/02 Beck
09/03 David Guetta
09/04 5 Seconds of Summer
09/05 Kasabian
09/06 Tony Bennett
09/07 Calvin Harris
09/08 Robert Plant
09/09 Sam Smith
09/10 Pharrell Williams
09/11 Maroon 5
09/12 Elbow
09/13 Paolo Nutini
09/14 David Gray
09/15 The Script
09/16 Blondie + Chrissie Hynde
09/17 Gregory Porter
09/18 Jessie Ware
09/19 To be announced
09/20 Rudimental
09/21 Ryan Adams
09/22 Jessie J
09/23 Placebo
09/24 Ben Howard
09/25 Mary J. Blige
09/26 Lanny Kravitz
09/27 Kylie
09/28 Nicola Benedetti
09/29 Ed Sheeran
09/30 To be announced
If you’re unfamiliar with the festival, it doesn’t follow the typical formula. You don’t have to buy tickets months in advance only to find out they sold out two hours ago. You don’t have to hope there’s enough space in your mom’s van to trek you, your three friends, their dates and that one weird guy you met at a college party halfway around the country. You don’t even have to worry about sunburns.
You can watch the entire festival while you curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Fans can get tickets to the live show and experience it up close, or they can download the concerts online from iTunes and stream the whole thing from their computers. It’s a festival especially designed for a generation that constantly bathes in the glow of a smartphone screen.
If you’re the type who would rather feel an artist’s sweat literally drip down from his forehead onto yours, this year’s performers are playing at London’s famous and historic Roundhouse venue. To win tickets to see the shows in-person, fans have to enter a number of contests put on by newspapers, radio stations and other event promoters.
The lineup this year breaks away somewhat from the pattern of previous years. While previous years showcased music industry juggernauts such as Lady Gaga, this year’s set mixes fresh, upcoming artists with established and seasoned industry behemoths.
Maroon 5 and Pharrell Williams are nestled in slots next to Elbow, a more obscure indie rock group. Classical violinist Nicola Benedetti performs between Kylie, an artist who has made her mark as a singer and actor since the 1980s, and budding singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.
Fans who are unfamiliar with some of the artists in the lineup can sample and explore some of their tunes on the official iTunes website before the festival.