David Byrne, St. Vincent
A big event named for the two interstates that cross paths in the state capital gets underway tonight.
Audio: Listen to report from Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis (runs 1:03)
The is the sixth year for the 80/35 Music Festival, which involves more than 40 acts playing on three outdoor stages over two days in downtown Des Moines.
Amedeo Rossi is one of the organizers of 80/35 — an event that’s coordinated by roughly 500 volunteers. He says planning for 80/35 takes several months.
“Like vending, for example, we started that in January. I have about a dozen people who help with the various aspects of booking and we started in November,” Rossi said.
Tonight’s headliner is David Byrne and St. Vincent. David Byrne was the leader of The Talking Heads, a band which enjoyed commercial success through the 1980s. Influential hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, on their 20th anniversary tour, will headline Saturday night.
Some smaller acts round out the lineup. They include Deerhunter, Yeasayer, Umphrey’s McGee, and Wavves. A host of bands from Iowa are part of the lineup as well, including House of Large Sizes from Cedar Falls and Euforquestra from Iowa City.
In past years, 80/35 has drawn 30,000 music fans to downtown Des Moines. Learn more about the lineup at www.80-35.com.