This weekend, Life is Beautiful returns to Vegas with all the grills, guitars, and gusto. For three days the festival takes over a large chunk of Downtown, bringing big-name bands and chefs in a celebration of food and music. They’ll be joined by a cadre of local artists painting murals, as a nice homage both to the cultural relevance of the festival, and to the emerging art scene of Downtown.

The festival comes at an important time for Downtown. The Downtown Project has been under fire recently under rumors of mismanagement and under-performance. The most hyperbolic of critics are already referring to Downtown’s attempted rejuvenation as a failure. Life is Beautiful may be the defibrillation that brings it back from the brink.

There’s some heavy-hitters for headliners this year, with Foo Fighters, Outkast, and Kanye leading the charge. Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex, Lionel Richie, and Vegas’ own Panic! At the Disco round out the top slots nicely, with the appearance of alt-rockers Flaming Lips making Gen Xers scream with robot-fighting joy.

The solid lineup continues throughout, and we’ve made a playlist for you to check out some of the deeper seeded bands that will be rocking the festival. Check out the compelling almost Bee Gee’s-esque vocals of Broken Bells. The hypnotic melodies of Nostalghia. Russian protest-punk band Pussy Riot will be speaking at the festival instead of playing it, but you should definitely give their politically-fueled offering a listen.

Now, to get ready for a Beautiful weekend…
 

 
Written and curated by: Ryan Myers

35

Add to the story...