BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A rising regional female country music singer will be among supporting acts for Musikfest headliners on the main stage of the festival, which starts this month.
She will join rising rock bands, a few charting future country music stars, a familiar Celtic group and a pop-punk band that had five gold and platinum hits, including one with Taylor Swift.
"ArtsQuest is thrilled to share the dynamic lineup of artists who will kick off each night of headlining performances."ArtsQuest release
ArtsQuest, the organization that presents Musikfest, which this year runs July 31-Aug.10, announced opening acts for most of the 11 headline shows.
"ArtsQuest is thrilled to share the dynamic lineup of artists who will kick off each night of headlining performances," the organization said in a release.
"From rising stars to regional favorites, these openers promise to set the tone for the biggest festival of the summer."
Kendal Conrad, a Pottstown-based country singer who previously shared the Musikfest stage with superstar Keith Urban and opened for Dan + Shay last year, will open for Darius Rucker on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Also opening for Rucker will be rising country singer Austin Willams, whose song “90s Rap Mashup” debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes country charts and No. 3 on the iTunes all genre charts.
Opening act headlined other shows
Perhaps the best-known openers will be Boys Like Girls, who will support Third Eye Blind on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
'Boys Like Girls first hit the charts in 2006 with its gold, self-titled debut album, which topped the Heatseekers chart and produced the hits “Hero/Heroine” and “Thunder,” which both went gold, and “The Great Escape,” which went platinum.
It won Spin magazine's Artist of the Year in 2007.
Its sophomore album, “Love Drunk,” in 2009 topped the Rock chart and had platinum singles with the title song and “Two is Better Than One,” which featured country star and Berks County native Taylor Swift.
The group took a hiatus from 2013-22, but released a new album, "Sunday at Foxwoods," in 2023.
Chart-topper, Celtic Classic favs
Other openers include country singer John Morgan, whose debut single, last year's "Friends Like That," featured Jason Aldean and hit No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart.
Morgan will open for country music star Riley Green on Friday, Aug. 1.
His No. 1 hits include “Trouble With a Heartbreak” and the Grammy Award-nominated, Academy of Country Music Single of the Year “If I Didn’t Love You” with Carrie Underwood.
Rising rockers The Velveteers, a Denver trio whose new single "Go Fly Away," the first from its album "A Million Knives," is a collaboration with The Black Keys, will open for them on closing night Sunday, Aug. 10.
The Velveteers are signed to the Easy Eye Sound label of The Black Keys and produce the group.
The Band Feel, a rock band from St. Louis with a classic sound, will open for The Black Crowes on Monday, Aug. 4.
The Band Feel's new sophomore EP "Into The Sun" was produced by the five-time Grammy-nominated Paul Moak, who has worked with Ann Wilson of Heart, Dolly Parton, Blake Shelton and more.
Washington, D.C.-based Scythian, a frenzied Celtic-rock band, will open for The Avett Brothers on Sunday, Aug. 3. The group is a favorite at Bethlehem's Celtic Classic festival, and has played paid-ticket shows at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.
Lily Rose, best known for her 2020 debut single "Villian," which topped the iTunes chart, will open for Jordan Davis on Saturday, Aug. 9.
She released her debut album, "Stronger Than I Am," in 2021 and also was featured on Diplo's 2023 song "Sad in the Summer."
Hip-hop and rockers
Opening for hip-hop star Nelly on Wednesday, Aug. 6, will be country-rock-hip-hop performer Don Louis, who has amassed more than 3.5 million likes on TikTok and more than 50 million cumulative streams.
His debut album, "Liquor Talkin'," was released in August.
Also opening for Nelly will be rap duo Manifest.HB whose 2016 debut album produced the singles “Sun Rise” and “Everything to Prove.” Its most recent release is “Speaking into Existence II.”
The Band Feel, a rock band from St. Louis with a classic sound, will open for The Black Crowes on Monday, Aug. 4.
The Band Feel's new sophomore EP "Into The Sun" was produced by the five-time Grammy-nominated Paul Moak, who has worked with Ann Wilson of Heart, Dolly Parton, Blake Shelton and more.
Opening acts for country star Megan Moroney on Thursday, July 31; Chicago on Tuesday, Aug. 5; and Gilberto Santa Rosa on Thursday, Aug. 7, have not been announced.
Tickets for all the shows remain available at the Musikfest webpage or at the ArtsQuest Center box office at 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.
