The National Announce 2023 Homecoming Festival With Patti Smith, Pavement, Walkmen & More
The National are proving that you can go home again. Again. The group, whose members were all born and raised in Cincinnati, announced on Wednesday (May 17) that they are bringing back their Homecoming festival to the Queen City. The lineup for the 2023 event will feature the “Fake Empire” group headlining both nights — Sept. 15 and 16 — with Patti Smith & Her Band, The Walkmen, Arooj Aftab, Bartees Strange, Carriers and Ballard filing out the first night’s roster.
The second day will find them joined by Pavement, Weyes Blood, Snail Mail, Julia Jacklin, The Drin and Leo Pastel on the Icon Festival stage at Smale park on the banks of the Ohio River.
Though the sad dad quintet have scattered to the wind and all live in different cities now, their lyrics and hearts have continually pulled them back to their Southern Ohio homebase. “When we launched Homecoming in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response from the community and by our renewed sense of connection to our hometown,” they wrote in a statement in which they promised to play a unique set each night. “It was such an exciting, memorable weekend and we’ve long hoped to bring it back. We’re honored to return to Cincinnati five years later and be joined by so many of our favorite musicians and friends.
Single-day, weekend and VIP passes will go on sale on Friday (May 19) at 10 a.m. ET.
The first Homecoming took place in April 2018 and also featured two unique National sets, along with performances by Father John Misty, Feist, The Breeders, Julien Baker, Future Islands, Alvvays, Big Thief, Lord Huron, Moses Sumney and more; a 2020 edition was scotched due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National released their ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, earlier this month.
Check out the Homecoming announcement below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
