Get ready for another black rose superbloom in Pasadena this May! It’s the royal return of Cruel World Festival to the Rose Bowl on May 11th, presented by Goldenvoice. In similar darkwave style, this third installment is chock full of apathetic bands spanning from the early days of post punk all the way to today.
There’s only so many bands that could fit the bill, so fans of the fest have wondered what 2024 could bring.
Previous years have seen Morrissey, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie Sioux, and Bauhaus… but who is left? Was this year’s top dog going to be Danny Elfman? Tears for Fears? Depeche Mode? The Talking Heads on their rumored reunion tour??? What no one saw coming was pop icons Duran Duran, who — albeit Top 40 of the 80s — still exist well within the ‘synthwave’ arena. More fun new twists for 2024 include ‘newer New Wave’ names like Interpol and Dreamcar, made up of AFI‘s Davey Havok and the No Doubt boys (Tony Kanal, Tom Dumon, and Adrian Young). Davey actually was included for the first year of Cruel World Fest in 2019, performing his other-other side project, Blaqk Audio.
More returning names are Blondie, Gary Numan (performing his breakout solo album The Pleasure Principle in full!!!), and TR/ST. Plus, Adam Ant is finally making his Cruel World debut — something originally planned for 2022. No jinxies this time around! And, of course, there will be tons of first-time-to-the-fest talent to tune into during the day like Simple Minds, Placebo, Soft Cell, Ministry, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Faint, The Stranglers, The Mission UK, French Police, General Public, Heaven 17, and so many others! Even The Motels are making an appearance! Cruel World is for “Only the Lonely”, after all…
Tickets for this mega fest will be going on sale this Friday, December 8th at 12pm PT. With this artist announcement, passes are sure to sell out. Luckily, if general admission is taken off the table quick, there are awesome upgrades to GA+, VIP, and the ultimate Clubhouse level with access to a centrally located, indoor air-conditioned hideaway (which you’ll want when it gets HOT) plus exclusive access to an intimate, upfront guest viewing area at both stages. Explore what pass fits your budget and/or lifestyle at www.cruelworldfest.com, with registry for early access open now through Friday. Cheers to another year!
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