Boygenius, LCD Soundsystem and Steve Lacy are three artists that don’t have much in common — except that they each have a lot of pent-up demand for concerts that has gone unfulfilled, for different reasons. The supergroup Boygenius’ entire touring history until now has been limited to a single month in 2018; LCD Soundsystem’s itinerary in recent years has concentrated on long residencies in a handful of cities; and Lacey did a proper tour in 2022, but mostly in small venues booked before he suddenly became a star.
That commonality may be coincidental to what the three artists have in store together for this June, but what’s for sure is that they share an adventurous spirit about how to meet some of that demand on the road this summer. All three will be headlining back-to-back, multi-artist shows over the course of a weekend in a handful of cities, under the umbrella of Re:SET. The concept for the unique outing is being described as “a fresh take on the multi-artist outdoor concert,” without ever saying “festivals,” to accentuate the differences from what that F-word usually connotates.
Certainly it’s one of the few “tours” that requires a somewhat complicated grid to figure out which of three lineups is playing in which of three cities on a given weekend night. But for those who can master the intricacies of the grid, great rewards may lie in store in four distinct geographical regions during the month of June. The three headliners have each curated the undercard acts that will be traveling with them. And they’ll take turns playing the same outdoor venues every weekend — in Pasadena, San Diego and Stanford on June 2-4; in New Orleans, Dallas and Atlanta June 9-11; in New York City, Boston and Washington D.C., June 16-18; and Chicago, Nashville and Columbus June 23-24.
The support acts for each headliner have (mostly) been announced. Boygenius — the group formed by Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker — will be bringing along Clairo, Dijon and Bartees Strange for their days and nights in the 12 cities along the route. Lacy’s openers will be James Blake, Toro Y Moi and Foushee. LCD Soundsystem has enlisted support in the form of Jamie XX; Big Freedia or L’Rain (depending on the dates); and more acts still to come.
Are these shows festivals or not festivals? Not, if your definition of a festival is multiple stages. Otherwise, the experience may feel recognizable to fans who are used to attending all-day or all-weekend affairs at venues like Brookside at the Rose Bowl, the concert-friendly golf course in Pasadena that will be one of three facilities hosting all three lineups the first weekend out of the gate.
An announcement from AEG Presents promises to give the participating artists “a respite from the cookie-cutter summer itinerary of sheds and amphitheaters, while fans get a leisurely day that features full sets from every artist, on one stage with no conflicts.”
In a statement, Gary Gersh, president of global touring and talent at AEG Presents, said: “We challenged ourselves to conceive an event that would give both the artists and the fans a different experience, At the end of the day, they both want the same thing: great locations, incredible sound, fantastic sightlines, and the best local options for food and drinks. Re:SET is a very fairly priced, artist-driven weekend where you can hang with friends and enjoy an evening of amazing music.”
For ticket-seekers, AEG has set four different dates to pay attention to, which requires nearly as close attention as the artist/venue grid. Presale registration begins today, as of the announcement appearing, here. An artist presale will start Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. local time. A separate local presale will take place Feb. 9, again at 10 a.m. Finally, a public on-sale has been set for Feb. 10.
Some of the well-known venues hosting these gigs over the month of June include New York’s Forest Hills Stadium, Atlanta’s Central Park, Nashville’s Great Lawn in Centennial Park and D.C.’s Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Specific locales for all the lineups in all the cities can be found at www.ReSetConcertSeries.
The announcement finally settles at least what Boygenius’ immediate touring plans are, after the trio’s reunion album of sorts was announced in January, followed by the revelation that they’d be playing both weekends of Coachella.
PvNew had also recently asked James Murphy — at the end of an interview about his “White Noise” score — what LCD’s tour plans might be for the summer, and he did not let the Re:SET cat out of the bag, saying he wanted the group to “play in cities that we like that want to see us. We’re gonna be a normal band in 2023. You know, make some music, put some music out, and hopefully play some more shows. Nothing crazy. I’m not gonna hole up in a stadium.” Murphy is familiar with where the band will be playing on opening weekend in the L.A. area, as LCD Soundsystem previously headlined the This Ain’t No Picnic festival at Brookside just last August.
With these shows, Steve Lacy may finally catch a break from fans unhappy they weren’t able to get into the small halls he was playing last year, although he did manage to squeeze in a more audience-appropriate gig at the Greek Theatre before all was said and done.
