Riverbend Festival, Chattanooga’s original music festival, announced their entire lineup for this year’s festival. With performances scheduled for the Coca-Cola, Bud Light, and Chevrolet stages, this year’s lineup features over twenty acts from local fan favorites, to legendary performers.
Country duo Brothers Osborne will kick off the festival on June 3. The duo recently won ‘Best Vocals Duo’ from the 2021 Country Music Association. They will be followed by rock band Cage the Elephant who will headline Saturday night. Cage the Elephant has won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album twice, in 2017 for Tell Me I’m Pretty and in 2020 for Social Cues.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will be closing the festival on June 5. Isbell’s musical roots are in Muscle Shoals and he notes, "The soul music that came out of there, and a lot of the soul-influenced rock and roll and country music that came out of the studios in north Alabama in the 1960s and 1970s had a big influence on me."
Each act will bring their own unique sound to the festival on a stage that will allow festival goers and performers to be in closer proximity to each other.
Mitchell Hall, Director of Operations for the festival noted, “We heard loud and clear from both the performers and festival goers that they wanted a more intimate experience. Because of this, the Coca-Cola stage has been reworked and we have VIP areas at each of our three stages to allow for an up-close experience we know our audience will love.”
Additional performances will cover alternative rock, country, disco, gospel, jazz, and soul music. The lineup includes Indie rock vocalist Jenny Lewis, as well as BEXAR, who has accumulated over 25 million streams to date and is set to release new music later this year.
The Shindellas performance will feature playfully poised choreography attired in tailored velour, vinyl and sequined jumpsuits as they swing from futuristic sensibility vocals to throwback supper club gestures.
Since his debut in 2016, Devon Gilfillian has performed with the likes of Anderson East, Keith Urban, Gladys Knight, KALEO, The Fray, Mavis Staples, and will bring his blend of R&B, hip-hop, rock, blues, and soul to the stage.
Strung Like a Horse features a signature Americana sound and fiery hot high energy show, while one of Nashville’s hottest duos, The War and Treaty, described as “two lovebirds without reverb”, has shared stages with Brandi Carlile, Elvis Costello, and performed at the 2020 Grammys.
Moon Taxi was originally booked for last year’s festival and not only will be on stage this year but will also be playing a set with surprise guests that is an ode to Rage Against The Machine. Another fan favorite is Gov’t Mule, or Mule, featuring Southern rock jam music. Los Amigos Invisibles will bring a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk to the stage through their mixed Latin rhythms.
Lenox Hills’s music focuses on rock influences from the 1970s to the 1990s and is guaranteed to keep the crowd on their feet.
Kendell Marvel, country singer/songwriter to the likes of Gary Allan and Chris Stapleton, draws from the country sounds of the 70s, as well as his own lifetime of experiences in country music.
Elle King will bring her unique blend of country, soul, rock and blues to the festival. She recently recorded a new track called Drunk (And I don’t Wanna Go Home).
The Magi will take the stage bringing a positive and encouraging musical experience to uplift souls and inspiration to a wide-variety of audiences. Their sound mixes bass grooves, beatboxing, acoustic guitar and soul-felt vocals to create an organic sound all their own.
Ayron Jones’s music combines elements of grunge, rock, hip-hop, soul and other genres. He has opened for Run DMC, Public Enemy, Rahkim, as well as Guns ‘N’ Roses, and the late B.B. King.
Country singer/songwriter Niko Moon’s track “Good Time” will set the stage for a performance by an adventurous artist, writer and musician with an enduring optimism and a flair for challenging boundaries.
Grace Potter will bring her bluesy rock vocals to the stage with a voice that is often compared to Bonnie Raitt or Lucinda Williams.
An act that should be on the ‘not-to-be-missed’ list is Brittney Spencer, named by Spotify Hot Country as an ‘Artist to Watch’ and by CMT as one of the Next Women of Country. Her recent single, Sober and Skinny has drawn praise from the New York Times and Rolling Stone.
The legendary Tanya Tucker is celebrating 50 years of performing country music this year and will be gracing the Riverbend stage. Her While I’m Livin’ album is described by the Wall Street Journal as one that both reaffirms her range of abilities and reclaims her many sides.
Winding up the lineup are local favorites Rick Rushing & the Blues Strangers and The Communicators Present “That 90s Show”.
Friends of the Festival CEO Mickey McCamish noted that there are many changes coming to this year’s festival. “We sent surveys out to over 20,000 individuals about Riverbend and general festival experiences. While some of the responses provided us with information we already knew, there were many that underscored the direction we’re going in for the future.”
He noted that the Friends of the Festival has limited the number of wristbands to 15,000 and decreased the overall footprint of the venue; however, the amenities and overall experience will increase. “We believe that the Riverbend experience is more than music from the stage. It’s artisans offering items at our specially curated market, healthier food options and craft beer to accompany some of our more traditional fare. Our corporate village will bring folks right down to the river’s edge and buskers will be on site to provide another level of entertainment experience.”
Listen to the full Riverbend Spotify Playlist.
Wristbands are on sale now at $95 for 3-Day General Admission and $295 for 3-Day VIP. All tickets are non-refundable, shows are rain or shine, and all sales are final.