Hop To It
Hopscotch Music Festival returns
by Jessie Ammons
photography by Bryan Regan
The chance to hop, skip, or dive into this month’s live music season arrives with Hopscotch Music Festival’s eighth iteration Sept. 7 – 10. The annual jam-packed roster was founded to introduce music lovers to eclectic genres and bands. Today, the tunes are still diverse, but the names have gotten more familiar, and the weekend has become a must for many local alternative and rock fans. This year’s headliners include folk singer Angel Olsen, rapper Big Boi, synthpop band Future Islands, and soul singer (and Beyonce’s sister) Solange.
Hopscotch isn’t the sort of event you buy a single ticket to: The lineup is intentionally crammed full of performances – more than 120 in a dozen venues – to encourage bopping around downtown, checking in on concerts and happening upon others in the process. Along with the headliners, there’s always a solid representation from the local music scene. For instance, you can hear Raleigh electronica band BODYKIT and Durham indie rockers Mount Moriah, as well as musicians from Wilmington, Greensboro, and Asheville. For pre-festival jams, there’s also a Hopscotch 2017 playlist available to stream for free on Spotify. Rock on.
