Seattle, Wash. (June 4, 2018)
~ The 2018 Upstream Music Festival + Summit drew more than 30,000 attendees to Seattle’s Pioneer Square throughout the three-day celebration of regional, national and international artists.
It concluded its second year, following three days of live performances by more than 200 artists in the heart of historic Pioneer Square. More than 30,000 people attended shows at 15+ venues throughout the weekend. This year’s expanded Main Stage experience – the Sound Lot – featured two side-by-side stages, the Amazon Music stage and KEXP stage, offering fans continuous music from headliners Miguel, Jawbreaker, The Flaming Lips, Cut Copy, Zola Jesus, Little Dragon, Valerie June and more. Pioneer Square buzzed with energy all weekend, as fans flowed from venue to venue, busker to busker, discovering their new favorite musicians with every passing block.
In addition to the wide range of music and an expanded Main Stage area, concertgoers were treated to a new food and beverage experience called Sound Bites, curated by Chef Joshua Henderson and 10 of the Pacific Northwest’s top chefs, as well as a new Speakeasy featuring themed craft cocktails. Additionally, live murals were painted throughout the weekend by artists Olo Volo and Andrew Hem. Poster designs by POSTed Studio and tiny houses from Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) were also on display at the Sound Lot.
The Upstream Summit, presented by Amazon Web Services, kicked off the weekend with workshops programmed in partnership with the Recording Academy Pacific Northwest Chapter. Sessions featured more than 30 artists and music industry professionals, including Seattle’s own ODESZA, Sango, SassyBlack, Krist Novoselic, Sub Pop’s Tony Kiewel and Amazon Music’s head of editorial Nathan Bracket.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with our second year and thank all our passionate, music loving fans for supporting us,” said Rebecca Camarda, Director of Vulcan Arts & Entertainment. “It is our goal to develop Upstream into one of the most unique festivals in the world and it is because of the artists, speakers, sponsors and entire Pioneer Square neighborhood that our second year was a strong step in that direction”
Upstream Music Fest + Summit by the Numbers
- More than30,000 attendees experienced Upstream Music Fest + Summit throughout the weekend
- Upstream’s full lineup included 241 artistsand 251 performances, featuring a diverse mix of genres from R&B, rock, and hip-hop, to electronic, punk, soul, jazz and more
o 14 artists performed throughout the weekend at the Sound Lot’s dual main stages
o 10 KEXP performances broadcasted live from The Little London Plane
o 36 buskers provided entertainment between venues throughout Pioneer Square
- 34 guest curators collaborated to create a festival lineup that encouraged music discovery and promoted emerging artists
- The Summit featured 14 sessions, hosted by 36 speakers, which were geared toward emerging industry professionals and artists, providing them with the tools to grow their music careers
- Upstream harnessed technology with the official Upstream Music Fest + Summit to deliver a great experience for artists and attendees that fosters collaboration at the Summit and music discovery at the Fest
o Users spent an average of 33 minutes in the app
o Played more than 19,500 songs, an average of 94 times per band
o Favorited more than 23,000 artists in the schedule
Key Highlights from Upstream Music Fest + Summit
- Local Seattle favorites ODESZA took the Upstream Summit stage to share their insights about the power of touring and how the development of their live show experience has catapulted them from jobless college graduates to Grammy-nominated artists
- The Amazon Music Fireside Chat with Krist Novoselic, which was focused on the theme of Artist Journey, was a clear favorite that closed out the Upstream Summit on a high note – discussing how his own unique path of social and political activism shaped his life and music career, Krist spoke to a packed house that included Upstream founder Paul Allen
- Upstream’s Main Stage, The Sound Lot, featured a strong line-up of artists that spanned numerous genres. Newly reunited Jawbreaker joined Hot Snakes, Miguel, The Flaming Lips, Charlotte Day Wilson, SUPERDUPERKYLE, Little Dragon, Tacocat, Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real, Zola Jesus, Daniel Pak, Valerie June, The True Loves, Cut Copy and The Flaming Lips
- Upstream’s newest food & drink experience, Sound Bites, curated by Seattle restauranteur Chef Joshua Henderson was a huge hit with attendees, offering unique festival eats from 10 of the region’s best chefs
Founded by philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and inspired by his love of live music, Upstream Music Festival + Summit was conceived to celebrate the sound of the region and provide the industry with an experience that fosters and supports Northwest artists at every level of their career. Read more about Paul’s inspiration for Upstream here: https://www.paulallen.com/paul-allen-on-why-he-created-upstream-music-fest-summit/.
Upstream Music Fest + Summit Corporate Partners:
Upstream is proudly sponsored by Foundation Partners, Amazon Web Services, Amazon Music, Visit Seattle, Miller Lite, Heineken, Deschutes, CenturyLink and Verizon.
About Upstream Music Fest + Summit:
Upstream Music Fest + Summit is a three-day festival and industry summit celebrating the emerging sound and culture of the Northwest. Founded by philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, the music festival includes intimate performances and unique collaborations across 15+ venues around Pioneer Square and at the Sound Lot Main Stage in CenturyLink Field’s North Lot. The Upstream Summit gathers influencers and industry experts for workshop sessions geared towards providing emerging industry professional and artists with the necessary tools to grow their music careers. Upstream offers a unique experience that fosters and supports artists at every level of their career, while offering music lovers a weekend of showcases from the Northwest and beyond.
DAY 1
- Highlights from Day 1:
- Upstream’s Summit kicked off the weekend, with more than a dozen interactive events for artists and music industry professionals.
- The Amazon Music Fireside Chat with Krist Novoselic was a clear favorite, with Paul Allen observing from the crowd; Following his session, Krist passed out Nirvana stickers to a few lucky fans.
- Seattle’s own ODESZA spoke to a highly engaged room about the power of touring to grow your fans. Among personal anecdotes, the duo shared their journey from jobless college graduates to Grammy-nominated artists.
- Returning Summit presenter SassyBlack, along with Sango and producers Eric Lilavois and Larry Crane, spoke about the mix of old and new school production techniques.
- KEXP recorded live performances by Maps & Atlases, Little Dragon and The Seshen at a packed Little London Plane, with concertgoers spilling out into Occidental Park.
- Toronto-native Charlotte Day Wilson gave a soulful performance at the Sound Lot to kick off the festival weekend.
- Sound Bites, a new addition for Upstream in 2018, offered a curated food and beverage experience by Chef Joshua Henderson; Hungry attendees were greeted with freshly shucked oysters and a selection of tasty options from the region’s best chefs.
- Washington hip-hop artists Jango and Kung Foo Grip collaborated on a new single titled “Legacy,” and performed it live for the first time at Upstream, bridging the east and west PNW hip-hop scene.
- Grace Love belted her heart out at The Lowers Quarters at 13 Coins, a stage guest curated by the Found Sound Nation, leaving concertgoers with goosebumps.
- Fans lined up early to ensure a good spot to crush on R&B rising star Miguel, who closed out the Sound Lot.
- To close out the night, R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop lovers headed to Zocalo/Heineken Hacienda to catch SassyBlack and Caela Bailey.
- Upstream’s Summit kicked off the weekend, with more than a dozen interactive events for artists and music industry professionals.
DAY 2
Hope you enjoyed Day 2! Sending along another round of highlights and reminders from a jam-packed day:
- Highlights from Day 2:
- Upstream’s second day brought equal parts sunshine and good vibes, for another jam packed day of music.
- Female-fronted Seattle punks, Tacocat, kicked off another day of stellar main stage performances, paving the way for Zola Jesus and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
- Around 8 p.m., artists and fest-goers broke out into an impromptu celebratory dance party in Occidental Park to the tune of a nearby busker.
- Post-hard core innovators Hot Snakes and newly-reunited punk legends Jawbreaker closed out the Sound Lot with a series of high octane performances. Jawbreaker gave a shout-out to Redmond’s Old Firehouse, site of some of the band’s earliest gigs, with founder Kate Becker taking it all in from the crowd.
- FKL took the newly-opened 13 Coins’ Lower Quarters space by storm, wowing the crowd with their own unique spin on electronica.
- Y la Bamba brought their indie folk pop to a packed Elysian Fields.
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