by Nick Lingerfelt
The Mempho Music Festival kicks off Friday, Oct. 6 at Shelby Farms Park for two days of music, food, and new this year: camping!
The 2018 lineup features artists like Beck, Post Malone, Phoenix, Nas, Janelle Monáe and Mac DeMarco. Beck, Phoenix and Janelle Monáe will perform Oct. 6 while Post Malone, Nas and Mac DeMarco will take the stage Oct. 7.
This year, Monáe, one of the festival’s headliners, came out as queer in an April interview with Rolling Stone, during
which she said, “Being a queer black woman in America, someone who has been in relationships with both men and women, I consider myself to be a free-ass motherfucker.”
Monáe’s new album, titled “Dirty Computer,” has been considered an homage to women and the spectrum of sexual identities, exploring themes reckoning, celebration and reclamation.
The festival gates will open one hour before show time and close at the end of the final performance each evening. Each ticket purchase includes parking, but where you park depends on the type of ticket bought, and only people who camp can park overnight.
Mempho had its inaugural event last year with their first festival that had about half the acts of this year’s and included
performers such as Cage the Elephant, Cold War Kids and Bishop Briggs.
Mempho was created to blend Memphis’ place in music history with today’s contemporary sounds. Hosted at Shelby Farms Park, Memphis’, and one of the United States’ largest urban parks, the festival will have live music stages, art
installations, dining options and an interactive dome that brings together the worlds of music, art, science and design. Mempho is the first music festival to be hosted there.
Chuck Leavell, keyboardist and The Rolling Stones’ musical director, will host a “Stones Throw” set, a performance exploring the extensive catalog of The Rolling Stones and featuring current and former backing band members of the
pioneering rock act, including Bernard Fowler, Darryl Jones, Tim Ries and Karl Denson.
Tickets went on sale in June, and instead of having a physical ticket, all passes to Mempho are RFID wristbands. The bracelet is also linked to the owner’s credit card and can be used at all vendors and merchandise booths, all as a part of the festival’s effort to be “cashless.” Festival goers must wear their wristband at all times and can only re-enter the festival if they are wearing it. If not, they must buy a new ticket.
Single-day general admission tickets are $89 each, plus tax and shipping, while two-day general admission tickets are $159 each, plus tax and shipping. Children under 10 years old can enter the festival for free with an adult who has already paid for admission.
More information about tickets that include camping, RV parking, VIP access and glamping, or the tour bus experience as well as frequently asked questions are available on Mempho’s website at memphofest.com.
Diego Winegardner, Mempho’s founder said, “We couldn’t be more excited (about) this year’s lineup, which includes an
extraordinarily diverse roster of today’s hottest artists, legends of rock, funk, and soul, as well as a healthy dose of local Memphis talent.”
NEW FOR 2018: FESTIVAL CAMPING
This year, Mempho Music Festival is offering a camping option from Friday through Sunday nights! General Admission (GA) ticket buyers can purchase primitive camping passes, while VIP/SVIP ticket buyers have the choice to purchase RV rentals or tour bus rentals through CID.
PRIMITIVE CAMPING
With General Admission (GA) Car Camping, you supply your tent and gear. GA camping includes:
- 20×30 tent site (you supply tent/gear)
- -or- RV camping (GA/VIP) includes a 20×50 site. RV
Camping spaces are extremely limited and and do not
include power or septic. - Bathrooms, and fresh drinking water are closeby.
Showers are $10.
ALL CAMPERS & RVers SHOULD NOTE:
Every camper in a campsite requires a camping pass. Campgrounds are close to showers
($10), bathrooms, hand-washing stations and fresh drinking water. There will be security check points coming in/out
of the event and camping areas to ensure maximum security at all times. To see all camping options and to purchase
packages, go to Memphofest.com and click on LODGING
