J. Cole, Kaskade and Incubus will headline the Air + Style festival when it returns to Los Angeles in February.
The global music and sports festival -- think X Games meets Coachella -- made its U.S. debut last year at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. Set for Feb. 20-21, this year’s two-day event will be anchored at Exposition Park.
L.A. sister trio Haim, Big Grams (the experimental collaboration between Outkast’s Big Boi and electronic rock duo Phantogram) and pop punk band All Time Low also top the bill for the festival, which is produced and hosted by extreme sports champion Shaun White.
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Action Bronson, Rudimental, A-Trak, Gramatik, Netsky, A$AP Ferg, Flatbush Zombies, Travis Barker, the Struts, Migos, Allie X, Kaneholler, Bas, Cozz and Omen also appear on the bill.
Aside from two stages of music, the festival also showcases art, fashion and technology.
The world’s top snowboarders will also compete on a 16-story jump for Big Air Snowboarding, the new Winter Olympic event established by Air + Style.
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Madonna performs at the Forum in Inglewood on Oct. 27, 2015. Read the review.
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Don Henley performs at the Forum in Inglewood on Oct. 9, 2015. Read the review.
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Los Lobos perform at El Gallo Plaza in East Los Angeles on Sept. 29, 2015. Read the review.
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Silversun Pickups perform at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Masonic Lodge on Sept. 28, 2015. Read the review.
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R. Kelly, cigar and mike in hand, performs at the Forum in Inglewood on Oct. 10. Read the Times review.
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Grace Jones in concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Sep. 27.
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Lauryn Hill performs at the Greek Theatre on Sept. 14, 2015. Read the review.
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Little Big Town band member Phillip Sweet performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 10.
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Miguel performs at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Sept. 4, 2015. Read the review.
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D’Angelo and the Vanguard performs at FYF Fest at Exposition Park on Aug. 23, 2015. Read the review.
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Morrissey takes the stage at FYF Fest on Aug. 23, 2015. Read the review.
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Solange onstage at FYF Fest on Aug. 23, 2015.
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FKA Twigs performs at FYF Fest at Exposition Park on Aug. 23, 2015.
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Kanye West performs during FYF Fest on Aug. 22.
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Jehnny Beth performs with Savages at FYF Fest on Aug. 22, 2015.
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Taylor Swift performs at Staples Center in August.
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Shania Twain at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 20.
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Aretha Franklin at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 2.
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The Weeknd performs during Hard Summer at the Fairplex in Pomona on Aug. 1, 2015. Read the review.
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Mötley Crüe celebrates the end of another concert, at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on July 22.
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John Famiglietti, left, front man Jake Duzsik, and Jupiter Keyes of the L.A. experimental band Health performing at the Echo in Los Angeles on July 22, 2015.
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Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie performing at the Hollywood Bowl on July 12.
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Kendrick Lamar performing at the BET Experience at Staples Center on June 27.
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Underworld performs at the Hollywood Bowl on June 21. Read the review.
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Brian Wilson at the Greek Theater on Saturday, June 20. It was also his 73rd birthday.
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D’Angelo performs at Club Nokia on June 8, 2015. Read the review.
U2 guitarist The Edge, left, and lead singer Bono perform at the Forum on Tuesday, May 26. It was the first night of five at the venue.
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Guitarist Ron Wood, singer Mick Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones play Petco Park in San Diego on May 24, on the opening night of their 2015 American tour.
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Neil Diamond performs at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, May 23, 2015.
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Steve Aoki, EDM DJ, producer and recording artist, performs on Broadway between 4th and 6th streets in downtown Los Angeles, May 16, 2015.
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Rapper Big Sean performs at Rock in Rio in Las Vegas on May 16.
Sia performs during the Wango Tango concert at the StubHub Center on May 9, 2105, in Carson.
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Justin Bieber performs during the Wango Tango concert at the StubHub Center on May 9, 2105, in Carson.
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Kanye West performs in shadowy lights during the Wango Tango concert at the StubHub Center on May 9, 2105, in Carson.
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Ne-Yo performs in front of a full house during the Wango Tango concert at the StubHub Center on May 9, 2105, in Carson.
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Nick Jonas performs during the Wango Tango concert at the StubHub Center on May 9, 2105 in Carson.
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James Hatfield fronts Metallica at the Rock in Rio Festival in Las Vegas on May 9.
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Chester Bennington and Linkin Park play the Rock in Rio fest in Las Vegas on May 9.
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Tim McIlrath, lead singer for the Chicago-based, melodic hardcore band Rise Against, wades into the crowd at Rock in Rio on May 9.
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Gwen Stefani fronts No Doubt at Rock in Rio in Las Vegas on May 8.
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Janet Weiss, left, and Corin Tucker perform during the Sleater-Kinney concert at the Palladium in Hollywood on April 30. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Carrie Brownstein performs during the Sleater-Kinney concert at the Palladium in Hollywood on April 30. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Swedish-born soft-indie-rock artist Jose Gonzalez performs at the Regent on April 30. (Adam Della / For The Times)
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Miranda Lambert performs on the Mane Stage at Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 25. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Bassist Dusty Hill, left, and guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top perform on the Palomino Stage at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on April 25. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Rumer performs at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetary in Hollywood on April 23. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Kanye West makes a surprise appearance during the Weeknd’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 18. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Marina and the Diamonds perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 18. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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FKA Twigs performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 18. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Barry Manilow performs at the Staples Center on April 14. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Florence + The Machine perform during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
El-P, left, and Killer Mike of Run The Jewels perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 11. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 10. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Ariana Grande performs at the Forum in Inglewood, April 8, 2015.
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Rivers Cuomo of Weezer performs with his band at Burgerama on March 28. Weezer was one of the headliners for the two-day festival at Santa Ana’s Observatory.
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Lead singer Zac Carper of FIDLAR performs with his band at Burgerama, the two-day Santa Ana festival thrown by OC DIY impresarios Burger Records.
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Experimental artist Lustmord makes his Los Angeles debut on March 21 at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.
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R&B singer Chris Brown performs at the Forum in Inglewood. The March 8 show was a stop on his tour with Trey Songz and Tyga.
Alan Jackson performs at the Nokia Theatre on Feb. 27 as part of his Keepin’ It Country tour. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)
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Brandy Clark performs as part of Alan Jackson’s Keepin’ It Country tour at the Nokia Theatre on Feb. 27. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)
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Caribou performs at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood on Feb. 26. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Roots rocker Bob Seger performs at the Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on Feb. 25. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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Tegan and Sara perform with the Lonely Island during the 87th Academy Awards on Feb. 22 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Sarah Barthel of Phantogram performs at the Air + Style concert and snowboarding event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Feb. 21. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Kendrick Lamar performs at the Air + Style concert and snowboarding event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Feb. 21.
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John Legend performs during a rehearsal for “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Tribute” on Feb. 9 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Read the review(Christina House / For The Times)
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Beyonce performs during the 57th Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 8. See Grammys 2015 show highlights(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Madonna interacts with a dancer during the 57th Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. Read the review(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Patti Smith at the Roxy on Feb. 2. Read the review(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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R&B singer Tinashe sings to a packed crowd at the El Rey Theatre on Jan. 22. Read the review(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Eric Church rocks the house while performing at Staples Center on Jan. 23. Read the review(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue performs at the Grand Plaza during the 2015 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center on Jan. 22. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Sam France of Foxygen performs at the Roxy on Jan. 2. Read the review(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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Foxygen at the Roxy on Jan. 2. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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Festival organizers also plan on transforming Exposition Park into an interactive all-ages playground that will include a mini ski slope where festival-goers can snowboard and ski on man-made snow, bungee trampolines and a drop tower.
Produced by Shaun White Enterprises, Air + Style originated 22 years ago in Innsbruck, Austria, with a second event in the series added in Beijing six years ago. The Beijing event took place in early December, with the Innsbruck event scheduled for Feb. 6.
The action sports icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist brought Air + Style to the United States for the first time last year but the inaugural event was anything but gold-medal-worthy after Kendrick Lamar cut his 90-minute headlining set in half after technical issues.
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Day one “opened as gracefully as White flying and spinning through the air -- but ended like a Wile E. Coyote thud and a poof of powdery snow,” Los Angeles Times writer Randall Roberts wrote in his review that took organizers to task for a litany of logistical failures.
Fans were equally miffed, with some petitioning for the festival to make up for first day jitters.
“The ‘cuisine’ boasted about by Air + Style in advance literature was a fancy term for food trucks and taco stands. An Umami Burger cost you about an hour. That the 24-ounce can of Pabst Blue Ribbon ($10) wasn’t described as an American-style Wisconsin lager seemed a missed opportunity, given that the $14 ‘premium’ beer was a 24-ounce can of Tecate (about $2.25 retail),” Roberts wrote. “The event also had promised ‘art,’ but the most impressive piece to be found was the jumbo Rose Bowl sign affixed to the stadium — unless you consider the long queue for portable toilets to be a performance piece on the tyranny of bodily functions.”
General admission, VIP and single-day tickets are on sale now.
Gerrick D. Kennedy is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. He covered music and pop culture from 2009 to 2019. In 2012, Kennedy was named Emerging Journalist of the Year by the National Assn. of Black Journalists and in 2014 the Advocate featured him in its annual 40 Under 40 list. He is also the author of “Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap.”
