Summer concert season includes new events and question marks

Credit the upcoming solar eclipse for firing up the outdoor concert season in early April.

On April 6, two days before Indianapolis is part of the eclipse’s path of totality, MacAllister Amphitheater at Garfield Park will host a live music event titled Galactic Garfield.

Patrick Burtch, co-owner of record store Square Cat Vinyl, hired three Indianapolis bands to play the show organized by park officials to make the most of pre-eclipse excitement.

Burtch is known for his expertise in modern psychedelic music, which aligns with Galactic Garfield artists Moon Goons, Ancient Days and Shipwreck Karpathos. Moon Goons, which made an album titled “A Daydream Dark” in 2021, seems a natural fit for eclipse entertainment.

“‘Moon’ is in their name,” Burtch said with a laugh. “Honestly, that was the first band one of the managers at Garfield Park mentioned. It made a lot of sense.”

Dozens of events are locked in for the summer concert season in central Indiana, but WonderRoad and All IN—two multi-day festivals that debuted in 2022 and returned in 2023—have not announced plans for 2024.

WonderRoad placed temporary stages on baseball fields in Garfield Park and featured artists such as Weezer and Jason Isbell. But Cleveland-based Elevation Festivals has not identified dates for a potential return, said Dan Kemer, a partner at MOKB Presents, the Indianapolis-based concert company that assisted Elevation in the production of WonderRoad.

Elevation Festival also organizes the annual WonderStruck festival in Cleveland and WonderBus festival in Columbus, Ohio. It’s yet to announce 2024 details for those events, either.

The All IN Music & Arts Festival has been presented at the Indiana State Fairgrounds with headliners such as Cage the Elephant and Trey Anastasio. A spokesperson for All IN organizers said information about the status of a 2024 event is expected to be shared in late April or early May.

Whether or not WonderRoad and All IN return, music lovers will have plenty of concerts to enjoy, including a new festival set for May.

American Legion Mall will be the site of I Made Rock ’n’ Roll, a single-day Black music festival designed to honor rock ’n’ roll originators Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Janelle Monáe and Gary Clark Jr. will headline the May 18 festival organized by Indianapolis-based cultural promotions firm GangGang and concert company Forty5.

I Made Rock ’n’ Roll will accommodate up to 7,500 attendees, said Forty5 CEO Jenny Boyts.

“We’re excited about the talent that’s being brought to the city but more importantly the conversation around [Black rock originators]—which we think it’s time to have,” said Boyts, whose company presents concerts at Broad Ripple’s The Vogue venue and oversees the Rock the Ruins series at Holliday Park.

Other summer highlights include singer Morgan Wallen becoming the first artist to headline back-to-back nights at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4-5 (a feat Taylor Swift will top when she makes a three-night stand at the stadium in November) and Jennifer Lopez making her Indianapolis concert debut with a July 27 performance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Noblesville’s Ruoff Music Center will host an eclipse tailgate event in the venue’s parking lot April 8. Rock band Phish is scheduled to perform at Ruoff, central Indiana’s top venue for summer concerts since 1989, Aug. 2-4.

One Indianapolis festival taking a break in 2024 is the Back Alley Ballyhoo, a Fountain Square event founded by Galactic Garfield talent buyer Burtch and his Square Cat Vinyl business partner, Mike Angel.

Back Alley Ballyhoo, a psych rock gathering of national and local artists, debuted in 2017. Burtch said he would like to bring the event back in 2025, but box office losses in 2022 and 2023 dictated this year’s pause.

“I feel like the festival market has been so inflated,” Burtch said. “Asking prices for bands are so high at this point. It’s just very difficult to make it financially feasible unless you’re one of the big boys who have big pots of money to play with.”

Crowded calendar

Live Nation, the world’s largest concert company, owns Ruoff Music Center. Los Angeles-based Live Nation also operates Old National Centre and schedules events at Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park, the 6,000-capacity venue previously known as TCU Amphitheater.

The 2024 schedule at Everwise is launching about a month earlier than the 2023 season. Country singer Dustin Lynch will perform on April 26.

Jake Oakman, executive director of White River State Park, said he expects the final list of 2024 events to land near the 50-show mark.

Oakman said he’s looking forward to a visit by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Beach Boys. The group’s present lineup includes founding vocalist Mike Love and longtime member Bruce Johnston, who first toured with the Beach Boys in the 1960s and became a full-fledged member in 1978.

“I’m typically at the start of most of the shows throughout the summer,” Oakman said. “But I’m sure I’ll stay for most of the Beach Boys’ program.”

At Fountain Square’s Hi-Fi Annex, an outdoor venue overseen by MOKB Presents, the number of shows from April 18 to an expected season-closing date in October could reach 100, Kemer said.

“We’re not seeing anything slowing down,” he said.

The indoor Hi-Fi venue can accommodate 400 attendees, while the open-air Annex can accommodate 900. The Annex, which debuted during the summer of 2020, will host rock bands Guided By Voices (July 19) and the Afghan Whigs (June 27) in 2024.

“It was a reflex to the pandemic that allowed us to continue to do shows,” Kemer said of the Annex’s history. “Fortunately, Fountain Square merchants and the city have been super supportive, so we’re going again this year. Our goal, eventually, is to have a 12-month-a-year, 1,000-capacity space. Right now, the Annex is fitting the bill for eight months.”

Rock the Ruins at Holliday Park serves as the outdoor arm of Forty5 operations. Similar to Hi-Fi Annex, Rock the Ruins launched in 2021 as a pandemic project.

This summer, a dozen shows likely will make up the Rock the Ruins roster, Boyts said. Country singer Charley Crockett (Aug. 18) and jam band Greensky Bluegrass (June 8) joined the lineup this week.

Price of admission

Affordability is a noteworthy variable in the live music equation. Secondary-market tickets for one of the Swift dates at Lucas Oil Stadium are difficult to find for less than $1,000 each. You can attend Galactic Garfield for $15 if the ticket is purchased in advance.

In June, Forty5 will present 10 consecutive nights of free shows downtown to celebrate the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials. Lineups have yet to be announced, but Boyts said music fans can expect national and regional acts as well as a strong contingent of Indianapolis-based DJs.

Announcements are expected in coming weeks for concerts at the Indiana State Fair, which traditionally are included in the price of fair admission ($14 in 2023), and the Carb Day concert headliner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Admission to the Indy 500 weekend concert is included with a Carb Day general admission ticket, which is priced at $45 until May.

And early birds caught a deal when season passes for lawn seating at Ruoff Music Center were available. The price of the limited-time offer was $239. With at least 35 concerts scheduled so far at Ruoff, that’s no more than $7 per show.

Festival plans

An event formerly known as Haitian Flag Day Festival will make its debut at the Everwise venue May 4 under the name Midwest Cultural Fest.

The eight-hour festival features more than 30 singers and DJs, with Nigerian pop star Ayra Starr topping the bill.

The Haitian Association of Indiana organized the show in conjunction with Live Nation.

“Our vision is to celebrate diversity and unity, showcasing global cultures right in the heart of America,” said Moise Duge, executive director of the Haitian Association of Indiana, in a written statement. “This partnership aims to connect people from all walks of life.”

White River State Park will host the annual Indy Pride Festival June 8 in Military Park. The music lineup has yet to be announced. The lineup of Everwise shows includes representatives of country, rock and folk genres, plus a Spanish-language concert featuring the bands Caifanes and Café Tacvba on June 30.

“We’re kind of all over the place, and we want to be all over the place because there’s a lot of different types of music fans out there,” said Oakman, the park’s executive director. “We want everyone to experience a concert at the Everwise amphitheater.”

Because the I Made Rock ’n’ Roll festival is built upon the idea of recognizing and extending the legacy of Black musicians, the event courted headliner Monáe with a personal touch.

Boyts said she asked GangGang founders Alan Bacon and Malina Bacon to prepare handwritten notes for the 10-time Grammy Award nominee.

“I said, ‘Tell her about the I Made Rock ’n’ Roll campaign and why her voice is important,’” Boyts said. “We sent that letter, and two days later she accepted the headlining spot. After that, confirmations from other artists rolled in.”

In addition to Monáe and Clark, the I Made Rock ’n’ Roll lineup includes Robert Randolph, Joy Oladokun, Meet Me at the Altar and Inner Peace.

Leading up to the festival, GangGang and Forty5 have presented shows at The Vogue starring Victor Wooten, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Macy Gray. The Wailers will play an I Made Rock ’n’ Roll-themed show April 18 at The Vogue.

Meanwhile, I Made Rock ’n’ Roll will present a screening of 2023 documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything” March 23 at the former Broad Ripple location of Crackers Comedy Club, 6281 N. College Ave. The director, Lisa Cortés, will answer audience questions after the screening.

Boyts said events such as the “Little Richard: I Am Everything” screening will help I Made Rock ’n’ Roll sustain momentum and avoid letdowns associated with other Indiana music festivals.

“The campaign allows us to keep the energy throughout the year,” Boyts said.•