Who will play RiverBeat Music Festival? A few guesses, from Foo Fighters to Post Malone

The countdown is on for Memphis' new music fest.

In about 2⅟₂ months, the inaugural RiverBeat Music Festival will get underway in Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis.

The event — which replaces the long-running Beale Street Music Festival — is being produced by Forward Momentum, the promoters of the Mempho Music Festival.

While we know the dates (May 3-5) and who is involved, little else has been confirmed about the upcoming RiverBeat fest — though an announcement of the lineup is expected soon.

Given the dearth of info about the inaugural RiverBeat — there’s been no word how many stages, how many acts and what level the headliners might be — the best we can do at the moment is ponder the possibilities.

Shaky Knees and Jazz Fest crossover?

Two other major regional festivals, Shaky Knees in Atlanta and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, are scheduled to coincide with RiverBeat. Shaky Knees will run the same weekend as RiverBeat, May 3-5, while Jazz Fest will carry over two weekends, from April 25-May 5.

Historically, given sheer proximity, there has been crossover between those festivals and what acts played Beale Street Music Festival, and it is conceivable that will continue with this year’s RiverBeat fest.

Among the big names, Foo Fighters will play Jazz Fest on May 3 before closing out Shaky Knees on May 5. If you recall Foo Fighters were scheduled to headline the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival, before the tragic death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins, which resulted in all their performances being canceled.

Could the Foo Fighters finally return to the Memphis festival stage this year with a RiverBeat appearance on May 4? As of now, the Foos' schedule could theoretically accommodate that — as they have no other commitments on that date. Though given the epic length and intensity of Foo Fighters' concert performances, is it reasonable to think they would travel and play three nights in a row?

Several other Beale Street Music Fest alums are also scheduled to perform, with Weezer set for Shaky Knees on May 4, and Neil Young and Crazy Horse confirmed for Jazz Fest on May 4. Weezer most recently played the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival, while Young — backed by Promise of the Real — headlined music fest in 2016. Young, who just announced a long tour with Crazy Horse, looks to have some leeway on RiverBeat’s opening night of May 3. Both those acts could be considerations as RiverBeat headliners.

Others notable names who have strong draws in the Memphis market, including Hozier, will appear at Jazz Fest. But Hozier will play a BankPlus Amphitheater show in late April (as part of his Jazz Fest routing). Punk rocker turned ‘80s hitmaker Billy Idol is also set for a Shaky Knees performance — and Idol has history at Tom Lee having played Beale Street Music Festival in 2011, so he could be a name to watch.

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A Mempho connection?

If we want to make guesses based on the Mempho Music Festival’s history of headliners, a couple names immediately come to mind. Multiple-Grammy winner and Americana star Jason Isbell has toplined the Mempho fest twice and would be a good candidate for RiverBeat. But, as it turns out, he will be otherwise occupied with dates on his own headlining tour during RiverBeat weekend.

Mempho’s biggest get came in 2018, with the booking of rap-pop superstar Post Malone (somewhat oddly, Malone had also headlined that same year’s Beale Street Music Festival). As it happens, Malone will be on the road playing the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Lovin' Life Music Fest, which takes place May 3-5. It’s very possible he could drop into Memphis to headline RiverBeat that weekend as well.

Another Lovin' Life performer who could have some appeal at RiverBeat is Fleetwood Mac legend and solo star Stevie Nicks. In addition to her Lovin' Life set, Nicks is scheduled to play a headlining arena show in St. Louis on May 7, so the routing works for a Memphis date in between. (Specific dates for Post Malone and Stevie Nicks at Lovin' Life have not been announced yet).

In any case, all will be revealed soon when the first RiverBeat festival lineup is announced.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Who's playing RiverBeat Music Festival in Memphis? Theories & guesses