Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine, Stevie Wonder Headline Grandoozy Music Festival
DENVER (CBS4) - Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine and Stevie Wonder will headline Grandoozy, the massive music festival that will take place at a Denver golf course later this year.
"I think it looks awesome," said Cassandra Rodriguez, a Denver resident. "It looks like it's going to be so much fun. Kendrick Lamar is amazing so that looks exciting for me."
The full lineup was released on Tuesday morning. The lineup also includes The Chainsmokers, De La Soul, The War On Drugs and Phoenix.
Grandoozy will take place on Sept. 14-16 at Overland Golf Course on the west side of Denver.
"I'm really excited for at least 10 people on the lineup," said Kelsey Smith, another Denver resident. "St. Vincent, Kendrick Lamar, Mavis Staples."
The group Superfly made the big lineup announcement on Tuesday morning, along with food and drink offerings. The food includes creations by those behind Snooze, Big Red F, Linger, Rioja and Hop Alley. There will also be a selection of Colorado breweries with spirits and cocktails.
Rodriguez and Smith were some of the people outside the Denver Central Market in the RiNo district just learning about the festival and reviewing the lineup. They were impressed the festival could draw such big names in its first year.
"For the amount of musicians that you're getting and the lineup, I think that's a pretty OK amount," said Smith. "I think that's reasonable."
Three day passes will cost around $225 with a VIP package available for just under $600 per person. Others outside the market were excited for the new festival and some of the older acts but were not sure they would spend that kind of money to attend the event.
"I guess De La Soul cause I'm an old school hip hop head, I'm more about that boom bap rap," Robin Munro. "I'm kind of excited for the festival to some degree, it's great that Denver is growing and evolving."
Last year the Denver City Council approved a plan to hold the festival. That was after many residents brought forward concerns about noise and traffic from the festival. Superfly along with the City of Denver are continuing to work to address those concerns.
Some neighbors living across the street from the festival told CBS4 they were glad to see the lineup that they think will draw a crowd from Denver and beyond.
"We don't have anything else like this that can compare to this," said Rob Lovell, an Overland Park resident.
"One show at Red Rocks will run you like 100 bucks easily and many of these artists aren't playing at Red Rocks anyway," said Amy Razzaque, Lovell's wife.
Superfly is the concert promoter responsible for the successful large-scale festivals like Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Outside Lands at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The city's contract with the promoter is for five years and Denver stands to make approximately $2 million from ticket sales. More money is expected to come into city coffers from tourists who attend the event.
A portion of the money Denver raises will go to a nonprofit set up to help with projects like building sidewalks or improving the South Platte River in the neighborhoods around Overland Park and nearby Ruby Hill. Organizers believe Grandoozy may have an attendance of around 40,000 people per day in the first year, in the future attendance could double. Visit Denver plans to promote the event to people outside of Colorado in the months ahead.
Back outside the Denver Central Market, those working in the local music scene say this is a welcome addition to their city.
"I think music festivals are a great way to build community," said Daniel Aid. "Denver is already exploding, there are a lot of reasons to be in Denver already."
Organizers still have to finalize plans to make the event a success and have a minimum impact on the neighborhood. Some residents say the larger test will be if Superfly and city officials can keep the energy going beyond the first year so it becomes a staple in Denver.
Aid says the potential for Grandoozy is to add a new layer to the arts scene in Denver that is still missing in his view.
"Having something like this is pushing the edges culturally of maybe something we don't already have," he said. "So I think it is yet another reason that people will be attracted to the city."
A presale begins Wednesday morning and general admission tickets will be available Friday at 10 a.m.
LINK: Grandoozy
Shawn Chitnis reports for CBS4 News at 10 on weekends and CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the week. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.
