Despite a week filled with some uncertainty over its lineup, the new R&B and hip-hop festival Lovers and Friends has added a second show that will feature many of the same artists as the first, including headliners Lauryn Hill, Usher, TLC, Ludacris and Lil Jon.
Lovers and Friends was initially slated to be a one-day event, taking place May 9th at the Grounds at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. The promotions giant Goldenvoice, which is also behind Coachella, said in a statement that “overwhelming demand” had prompted them to schedule a second show for the day before, May 8th, at the same venue. Tickets for both concerts are on sale now.
While the lineups for the two shows are largely the same, acts that have been added to the May 8th show are Doja Cat, Akon, Donell Jones and Mya. Among the artists set to only play the May 9th show are Megan Thee Stallion, Next, Monica and Ginuwine. Along with the aforementioned headliners, both installments of Lovers and Friends will feature Jhené Aiko, Summer Walker, Nelly, Sean Paul, T-Pain, Lil Kim, Brandy Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Mase Cam’ron and Montell Jordan.
The announcement of the second date of Lovers & Friends caps off a somewhat bizarre and tumultuous week for the new festival. Following the lineup announcement, several artists — including Lil Kim, Mase and Twista — suddenly took to social media to claim they knew nothing about the festival or hadn’t been paid yet. In a post-Fyre Festival world, their remarks raised plenty of eyebrows and concerns, though as Rolling Stone reported, the issues were quickly resolved, with most of the holdouts officially confirmed to perform.