2014 Main Stage Bands Announced
Returning after the smash success of its inaugural year, the Center of the Universe Festival will rock Tulsa’s Brady Arts District Friday July 25 and Saturday July 26,2014.
Friday night, the popular rock band AWOLNATION will headline the main stage, with twenty one pilots opening and Fitz & the Tantrums playing second in the lineup. Saturday night will open with Cold War Kids, followed by Capital Cities, then headliner Young the Giant. Additional bands will be announced later for the other outdoor stages and club venues.
Festival co-founders Philip Kaiser and Chris Lieberman say they are excited to deliver another great experience for attendees in 2014.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the overwhelming positive feedback we received after last year’s festival,” Kaiser said. “The fans had a great time and the Brady Arts District business owners enjoyed a strong boost in sales.”
Kaiser and Lieberman say the 2014 will expand offerings while remaining within the same size area of the Brady Arts District.
The 2014 festival will add one outdoor stage for a total of three, including the main stage, Guthrie Green Stage and the new Tulsa World Stage, which will feature a variety of artists with an emphasis on bands from Oklahoma. The number of live bands playing the festival will increase to more than 100, compared to 71 in 2013.
“For the festival’s second year, we really wanted to give fans more of what they loved the first time,” Lieberman said. “More outdoor stages and more bands equals more fun and that’s our goal.”
Gates open at 5 p.m. and the club venues start at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Tulsa World Stage at 6 p.m., the Guthrie Green Stage at 6:30 p.m. and the Main Stage acts beginning at 7 p.m. The Main Stage After Party, presented by Subkulture, is on the Main Stage from 11:40 p.m. to 1:30 a.m both Saturday and Sunday.
“EDM is one of the hottest trends in music right now,” Lieberman said. “It is not uncommon for the largest dedicated EDM festivals to attract well over 100,000 people. We are happy to be able to add this genre to the 2014 Center of the Universe Festival and can’t wait to announce who is coming soon.”
Kaiser and Lieberman say the timing allows people to start their evening indoors while enjoying dinner or drinks, and then move between outdoor stages and other clubs throughout the night. As with 2013, artists also will play in multiple indoor venues, located inside existing restaurants, bars and clubs within the Brady Arts District.
Beyond live music, Center of the Universe features a street market with a variety of vendors. Festival attendees can view and purchase pieces from local artists and sample cuisine from Tulsa’s best food trucks.
An estimated 80,000 people attended the 2013 festival, which featured main stage headliners OneRepublic and Neon Trees. More than 70 bands played on two outdoor stages and multiple club venues.
About the Main Stage Bands
AWOLNATION, Friday Main Stage Headliner
California alt-rockers AWOLNATION have ruled the airwaves worldwide with their hit single “Sail,” selling more than 5 million singles. The band’s debut album, Megalithic Symphony, topped the charts with hits including “Not Your Fault,” and “Kill Your Heroes.”
Fitz and the Tantrums, Friday Main Stage
Brimming with imagination, energy, and genre-smashing scope, Fitz & The Tantrums are a chart-topping, show-stopping modern pop combo. Their major label debut, More Than Just A Dream, produced songs like the impossibly catchy “Out of My League” and “The Walker.”
twenty one pilots, Friday Main Stage Opener
The duo twenty one pilots has earned widespread applause for their energetic live sets and distinctive fusion of piano-driven schizoid pop and lyrical uplift. The band’s most recent album, Vessel, includes popular songs “Holding On To You” and “House of Gold.”
Young the Giant, Saturday Main Stage Headliner
From their albums, Mind Over Matter, and self-titled 2010 debut, Young the Giant earned acclaim for popular songs “It’s About Time,” “My Body” and “Cough Syrup.” Known for exhilarating live shows, the band is one of the most exciting new acts to come from Southern California in recent memory.
Capital Cities, Saturday Main Stage
Los Angeles duo of composers Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian formed the indie electro band in 2010. The band’s debut album, In a Tidal Wave of Mystery, includes popular hits “Safe and Sound,” “Kangaroo Court” and “Patience Gets Us Nowhere Fast.”
Cold War Kids, Saturday Main Stage Opener
Most known for hits “Hang Me Out to Dry” and “Miracle Mile,” this indie-rock band of 5 members crosses the genres with rock, soul and punk.
