The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Who will headline the U.S. version of the Virgin Festival, presented by Virgin Mobile and set for Sept. 23 at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.
Also on the bill are the Killers, the Flaming Lips, the Raconteurs, Scissor Sisters, Gnarls Barkley, Keane, Thievery Corporation, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, New Pornographers, Wolfmother, Drive-By Truckers, Kasabian, Brazilian Girls, Tiesto, John Digweed, Carl Cox, 2Many DJs, RJD2, and James Holden.
The festival is produced by Seth Hurwitz, owner of the 9:30 Club in D.C. and president of I.M.P. “I did not want to book every band I could find and put up as many stages as I could and do a smaller version of Coachella or Austin City Limits or these other great festivals,” says Hurwitz, who will produce the U.S. Virgin Festival under the I.M.F. banner. “My concept was to book the absolute best, most power-packed, quality-versus-quantity lineup I could. I wanted to make this the most prestigious festival to play on for bands.”
The event will include six mainstage performances, six second stage performances and a dj tent. Hurwitz booked the stage talent and promoter Andrew Dreskin booked the DJ tent.
“The first year I felt it was important to make a statement and that statement is ‘the Virgin Festival, if I’m booking it, is going to be the best bill possible’,” Hurwitz tells Billboard.biz, adding that he anticipates the festival coming back every year and making money out of the gate. “I’m as big a capitalist as anyone in this business, but no one says you can’t be a capitalist and a music lover at the same time.”
Tickets go on sale July 22. Capacity at the Pimlico in-field will be 60,000, and general admission tickets are $97.50. A very limited number of VIP tickets will be available.
The Baltimore V Fest and a similar event in Toronto Sept. 9-10 mark the first time the longstanding U.K. festival leaves its shores. The U.K. fests are to be held at Hylands Park in Chelmsford (Aug. 19) and Weston Park in Staffordshire (Aug. 20).
