RiverBeat Music Festival: These are the 6 performances you won't want to miss
Music in Memphis has had a home every May at Tom Lee Park for decades. After 40 years, the long-running Beale Street Music Festival is no more, and this week brings the start of a new era, with the inaugural RiverBeat Music Festival.
Taking place Friday through Sunday at Tom Lee Park, RiverBeat is being presented by promoters Forward Momentum/Mempho and will be headlined by reunited hip-hop icons the Fugees, Grammy-nominated electronic duo Odesza and country chart-topper Jelly Roll.
Fans can expect a different footprint for the festival in the park, as well as a different feel, with organizers promising an “elevated” experience different than what’s come before. With more than 50 acts — including live music and DJ sets — to choose from, here are our picks for six performances you won’t want to miss.
Charlie Musselwhite
4:15 p.m. Friday, Zev Pavilion Stage
A true blues legend and Mid-South music icon, Charlie Musselwhite will serve as RiverBeat’s opening act on Friday. A 15-time Grammy nominee, a multiple Blues Music Awards winner, a member of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Mississippi-born, Memphis-raised Musselwhite began his career as part of the mid-'60s blues renaissance in Chicago and continues to make vital music, including his most recent album, 2022’s “Mississippi Son.” The 80-year-old singer and harmonica player will be performing on the Zev Pavilion stage to kick off the festival on Friday afternoon.
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Take Me to The River: Memphis
8 p.m. Friday, Zev Pavilion Stage
An outgrowth of the 2013 documentary "Take Me to the River," this tribute concert will be led by Boo Mitchell, Royal Studios head and two-time Grammy winner. The revue-style show will celebrate the soul and R&B legacy of the Bluff City and will feature appearances by Stax Records greats William Bell and Carla Thomas, and the Hi Rhythm Section, among others. This marks a rare opportunity to see these legends on one stage. A true can’t-miss concert, and a perfect way to inaugurate RiverBeat’s opening night.
Killer Mike
5:15 p.m. Saturday, Stringbend Stage
Still riding high from his February sweep of the Grammy’s rap categories, Atlanta MC Killer Mike will appear as part of a strong overall hip-hop contingent at RiverBeat. Killer Mike — who began his career in the early '00s and more recently has been hailed for his work as part of the duo Run the Jewels — released one of the past year’s top rap albums with “Michael.” The project had a Memphis connection as Three 6 Mafia co-founder DJ Paul — aka Paul Beauregard — was one of the writers on the track “Scientists & Engineers,” which won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance earlier this year. Killer Mike’s album also earned the Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song awards. He will perform on the Stringbend Stage on Saturday evening.
Fugees
9:30 p.m. Saturday, Stringbend Stage
Nearly 35 years since forming, New Jersey hip-hop combo the Fugees are finally playing in Memphis. The closest the Bluff City has gotten to a performance by the Fugees was a solo Lauryn Hill show at Minglewood Hall back in 2014. This time, the whole group — Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras — will be in town making a rare headlining appearance during Saturday night’s edition of the RiverBeat festival. It's part of an on-again off-again Fugees' reunion that had originally been planned for 2021, but really only came to fruition last fall. The Fugees are a good get for RiverBeat’s first year — currently it’s the only date on the band’s calendar for 2024 — and expectations are running high for the performance (as are hopes that it will begin on time given Hill and the group’s reputation for, uh, late-starting shows).
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Big Boi
8:30 p.m. Sunday, Bud Light Stage
One half of hip-hop greats OutKast, rapper Big Boi will be back in Memphis — following last year’s cameo on L.L. Cool J’s F.O.R.C.E. Tour — for a full set at RiverBeat. This year marks the 30th anniversary of OutKast's debut LP, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” which featured classic tracks "Player's Ball" and "Git Up, Git Out." Big Boi is reportedly working on a couple new records, once again teaming with electronic rock duo Phantogram on a second album by their joint project Big Grams. The rapper — who turns 50 next year — is also working on a new solo album, a long-awaited followup to 2017's “Boomiverse.”
Jelly Roll
9:30 p.m. Sunday, Stringbend Stage
RiverBeat will cap its first year with one of the hottest acts in music, Jelly Roll. The rap-rooted country star has exploded over the last two years, winning a CMA Award, garnering Grammy nominations and scoring a string of No. 1 radio hits including “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor” and “Save Me.” The Antioch, Tennessee, native has shown his strength in the Mid-South market as well, having played a sold-out concert at the BankPlus Amphitheater in Southaven last summer, which left folks buzzing. Jelly Roll’s Stringbend Stage appearance will close the festival on Sunday night.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jelly Roll, Fugees, Big Boi: The can't-miss acts at RiverBeat festival
