Macy's Music Festival announces lineup

Earth Wind and Fire, Patti LaBelle, Frankie Beverly and Team Cincinnati Choir are some of the stars who will headline this year’s Macy’s Music Festival, July 25-26.

Festival organizer Joe Santangelo is counting on star power to help boost the two-day festival at Paul Brown Stadium, an extravaganza of R&B, jazz, hip-hop and soul. Macy's Music Festival will again be part of Music Fusion Week, July 19-27.

"I have at least two headliners on every night," Santangelo says.

Earth Wind and Fire and Patti LaBelle will share Friday night's bill with three other hot young stars: Keyshia Cole, Chrisette Michele and Raheem DeVaughn.

"What we tried to do this year is to make a mix of young and old," Santangelo says. "Keyshia Cole, even though she is extremely hot right now, she's liked by everybody. Most people are calling her the next Mary J. Blige."

On Saturday, Team Cincinnati Choir, winners of NBC's "Clash of the Choirs," will open – without their music director, Nick Lachey. But, Santangelo says, they will do the tune that brought down the house on national television – "Flight of the Bumblebee."

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Jill Scott will headline Saturday. Scott, who is returning for the first time since 2001, is regularly selling out her shows these days. Saturday's lineup also includes R&B soul singer/songwriter Kem and J. Holiday, famous from his single, "Bed."

All city parking will be $1 during the festival, Santangelo says. As in the past, he plans to meet with restaurants to arrange special menus and deals for festival-goers.

Between sold-out hotels, restaurants and retail spending, music lovers plunk down an estimated $25 million in tourism dollars during the festival. The Regional Tourism Network will announce the lineup of Music Fusion events soon.

Organizers hope that this year's music festival will top 40,000 in attendance. Last year's suffered when headliner Blige was a no-show on Friday, and weather was rainy.
Despite that, says Santangelo, attendance was in the high 30,000s.

"I sense that this will be bigger than last year," he says. "If this is the year that people can't afford big vacations because of the economy, it might be time to stay home and make a mini-festival here."

Macy's Music Festival has attracted avid music fans from all over the country since 1962, when it was an all-jazz event. The festival was absent from 2002-05, when lead promoter Coors pulled out after the 2001 riots.

Two years ago, the Santangelo Group Inc. partnered with Ohio Valley Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Shows will start at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ticketmaster Ticket Centers or at 513-562-4949. Information: macysmusicfestival.com, 513-924-0900 or 800-452-3132.