Music News

IYKYK Music Festival has been canceled. Here's why

The new hip-hop festival featuring Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin and Rico Nasty has been axed by its promoters.

September 7, 2023

Lil Uzi Vert was scheduled to headline the IYKYK Music Festival. Atlantic Records

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IYKYK Music Festival, a new outdoor hip-hop festival that was set to debut this weekend at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, has been canceled.

Concert promoters Relentless Beats and Universatile Music pulled the plug on the event, which was scheduled for Sept. 9, because its stage was damaged by a recent monsoon storm.

A cancellation announcement posted to social media on Thursday stated high winds from the severe thunderstorm that rolled through the Phoenix area on Aug. 31 caused “irreparable damage” to the mega-structure stage Relentless Beats uses for many of its outdoor concerts.

The one-day festival was to feature sets by Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin, Rico Nasty, Denzel Curry and Jeleel.

The announcement read in part, “Last Thursday, our stage structure suffered irreparable damage due to a severe monsoon storm. Despite all efforts to clear the debris, it's clear that the process will take much longer than originally anticipated and reconstruction of a safe site for fans will not be possible before Saturday. We have exhausted all alternative venue options suitable for the planned production and the number of tickets sold, therefore, we must unfortunately cancel IYKYK Music Festival scheduled for this Saturday, September 9.”

Damage to the stage from the storm also caused Relentless Beats to postpone the Basstrack music festival, which originally was scheduled to take place Sept. 2 and 3 at Phoenix Raceway, until later this month.

According to the announcement, refunds for IYKYK will be processed in the next seven to 10 days. Anyone with questions can e-mail [email protected].

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