The National Independent Venue Association and YouTube Music have announced a three-day festival – streaming on NIVA’s YouTube Channel Oct. 16-18 – to benefit NIVA’s mission to save independent venues across the country.
The free, virtual event will be hosted by Reggie Watts and will feature an intimate set from Foo Fighters and performances by Brittany Howard, Dave Matthews, Dillon Francis, The Roots, Miley Cyrus and many more. These performances will take place at such venues as the Apollo Theater, Exit/In, First Avenue, and the Ryman Auditorium.
Rise Against will be playing from Chicago’s iconic Metro.
“The smaller music venues and the ones that are really struggling are not only culturally important, they are emotionally important,” said Dave Grohl in a statement.
Stephen Sternschein, NIVA’s board treasurer and executive producer of #SOSFEST, added, “Our nation’s most-loved venues are fighting to hold on because they’ve had no revenue since they’ve been shuttered by the pandemic in March. It’s been brutal to watch as scores of them go under through no fault of their own while we continue to push for the Save Our Stages Act to pass. #SOSFEST will help save many of our nation’s most vulnerable and treasured venues by providing a lifeline to make it through this devastating time as we wait for federal relief. We’re beyond grateful for the support from the artists, venues, and production professionals, YouTube, Anheuser-Busch, and the countless volunteers who are all making this possible. Now the public has the ability to make a difference, too, by donating to the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund. It’ll be fantastic to see the #SOSFEST artists back in our rooms, and I can’t wait to see their performances.”
Check out the full list of artists and venues participating in #SOSFEST below and head over to Saveourstages.com to learn more about how to help your favorite venues survive and thrive.
#SOSFEST Lineup and Locations
Adam Melchor – Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles, CA), Alec Benjamin – Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles, CA), Bea Miller – Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA), Black Pumas – The Parish (Austin, TX), Brittany Howard – Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN), Brothers Osborne – Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN), Cautious Clay – World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA), Dave Matthews – Jefferson Theater (Charlottesville, VA), Dillon Francis – Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA), Dizzy Fae – First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN), FINNEAS – Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA), Foo Fighters – Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), G-Eazy – The Independent (San Francisco, CA), Gus Dapperton – Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY), Jason Mraz – Belly Up (San Diego, CA), JP Saxe – Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Kelsea Ballerini – Exit/In (Nashville, TN), Leon Bridges – Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Little Big Town – Exit/In (Nashville, TN), The Lumineers – Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO), Marshmello & Demi Lovato – Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Macklemore – Neumos (Seattle, WA), Major Lazer – Gramps (Miami, FL), Miley Cyrus – Whisky a Go Go (Los Angeles, CA), Monica – Center Stage (Atlanta, GA), Nathaniel Rateliff – Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO), Phoebe Bridgers – Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA), Portugal. The Man – Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR), Reba McEntire – Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN), The Revivalists – Tipitina’s (New Orleans, LA), Rise Against – Metro (Chicago, Il), The Roots – Apollo Theater (New York, NY), Sebastián Yatra – Amaturo Theater (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), and YG – Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA).