Our festival dudes! Lincoln Calling is finally here, and with more than 100 bodacious acts filling the weekend, we want you to radically ace your musical exam. In service of that mission, we ordered two of our own Wyld Stallyns — Sam (Lincoln Calling booker Sam Parker) and Stelly (HN managing editor Andrew Stellmon) — to find out just which path you should take to a prosperous festival future. Hop into the time machine with us for seven Lincoln Calling festival routes to fit your fancy.
(By the way: as Bill once misquoted Socrates, “The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.” This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one way to enjoy the festival. Map your own with our printable schedules and, on the day of the fest, our handy guide.)
Buy tickets here. Map below for reference:
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The “Git Down” route
CupcakKe
Thursday
Hakim — 9 p.m. at Bodega’s
R.O.E. — 11:30 p.m. at Bodega’s
Stik Figa — 12:45 a.m. at Bodega’s
Friday
Ria Gold — 6:10 p.m. at The Bay
Kemba — 9:15 p.m. at The Bay
Saturday
Cupcakke — 12:30 a.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
The Route: This path takes you through some of the region’s best hip-hop acts and a pair of up-and-comers from Nebraska to one of the nastiest and well-equipped emcees of the midwest in Cupcakke. She’ll close down the festival Saturday night on the Duffy’s Outdoor stage. The route itself is beginner-level, as Bodega’s and The Bay both have great hip-hop acts Thursday and Friday, respectively. Hang around downtown Thursday, take the bus from the Night Market to The Bay on Friday and party with the entire festival crew Saturday at Duffy’s.
Top-billing: Cupcakke
Locals: Hakim, Ria Gold
Must-read: How CupcakKe, Former Church Poet, Became a Fearless, Sex-Positive Rapper (Rolling Stone)
Must-hear:
Must-watch:
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The “Milk Run” route
Cakes da Killa | courtesy photo by Justin Eisner
Thursday
Palehound — 8:15 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Mount Moriah — 12:45 a.m. at Zoo Bar
Friday
Screaming Plastic — 7:45 p.m. at 1867 Bar
Cakes da Killa — 8:10 p.m. at The Bay
Saturday
Boner Killerz — 5:10 p.m. at The Bay
Plack Blague — 7:15 p.m. at The Bourbon
The Route: Our LGBTQIA route is also one of the most sonically diverse, tracing through indie rock, country, experimental noise, hip-hop, punk and industrial. Cakes da Killa will crush as part of the hip-hop lineup Friday at The Bay, to where you’ll need to take the bus between 8-8:15 p.m. to catch his set. On Saturday, start down at The Bay and bus back or bike across campus to downtown and The Blague.
Top-billing: Cakes da Killa
Locals: Screaming Plastic, Plack Blague, Boner Killerz
Must-read: Plack Blague: Nebraska’s Leather Daddy Dance Freaks (Out Magazine); Q&A: Palehound’s Ellen Kempner On Loss, Love, And Her New Album A Place I’ll Always Go (Stereogum)
Must-hear:
Must-watch:
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The “Shut Up, Kiss Me” route
Angel Olsen | photo by Lauren Farris
Thursday
Artichoke Hearts — 10:15 at Zoo Bar
McCarthy Trenching — 11:30 at Zoo Bar
Friday
Julie Byrne — 8 p.m. at The Bourbon
Pleiades & the Bear — 9 p.m. in the Night Market
Angel Olsen — 9:30 p.m. at The Bourbon
Saturday
John Moreland — 10 p.m. at Zoo Bar
The Route: From new local country band Artichoke Hearts to indie darling Angel Olsen to outlaw country songwriter John Moreland, this customized list will have you in tears. Camp at Zoo Bar late Thursday night. Catch Pleiades & the Bear, some fresh air and perhaps a Lagunitas in the Night Market between Bourbon sets Friday. And get back to the Zoo early Saturday for what is sure to be a heartbreaker.
Headliner: Angel Olsen
Locals: Artichoke Hearts, McCarthy Trenching, Pleiades & the Bear
Must-read: Q&A: Julie Byrne On Vulnerability, Fighting The Pull To Start Over, & Her New Album Not Even Happiness (Stereogum); Angel Olsen Is Awesome (New Yorker)
Must-hear:
Must-watch:
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The “Melted Rope” route
PUP | press photo by Ryan Faist
Thursday
Cayetana — 8:50 p.m. at The Bourbon
Crease — 10:40 p.m. at 1867 Bar
Wand — 12:30 a.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Friday
Bogusman — 1 a.m. at 1867 Bar
Saturday
David Nance — 6:45 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Pile — 8 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Pup — 9:10 p.m. at The Bay
Ghost Foot — 12:30 a.m. at Bodega’s
The Route: Headbang all the way through our guitar-rock-oriented playlist with some of the loudest and most energetic fest performers. It starts Thursday evening in the main room with Cayetana, then takes you across the street for Omaha feminist punks Crease. End Friday night with the breakneck instrumental acrobatics of Bogusman. Saturday’s skull-splitting route starts with a Duffy’s double dip, asks you to catch that bus from 14th & O down to The Bay to fly high with Toronto punks Pup, then gives you enough time to hoof it back to Bodega’s for Louisiana rockers Ghost Foot.
Top-Billing: Pup
Locals: Crease, Bogusman, David Nance
Must-read: Cayetana Hits Reset (Noisey)
Must-listen:
Must-watch (video game edition):
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The “Manhattan Loverboy” route
Future Punx | press photo courtesy of the band
Thursday
Cult Play — 11:50 p.m. at 1867 Bar
Friday
Closeness — 12:45 a.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Future Punx — 1 p.m. at Bodega’s
Saturday
John Freidel — 9:20 p.m. at 1867 Bar
Nation of Language — 11 p.m. at Bodega’s
The Route: It ain’t no disco, it ain’t no rave, this is post wave! Future Punx anchors this new wave and synth-laden route, which features a few budding local electronic artists trading in the mysterious, theatrical and danceable. This path is high difficulty, with overlapping sets Friday and Saturday. Luckily, these venues are all within a block of each other, but you’ll be ripping yourself away from one to get to the other. Worth it, we say.
Top-billing: Future Punx
Locals: Cult Play, Closeness, John Freidel, Digital Leather
Must-read: Future Punx: This is Post-Wave (Frontrunner Magazine)
Must-hear:
Must-watch:
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The “Outside with the Cuties” route
Best Coast | photo courtesy of the band
Thursday
Ian Sweet — 7 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Twinsmith — 7:40 p.m. at The Bourbon
Frankie Cosmos — 9 p.m. at The Bay
Best Coast — 10:10 p.m. at The Bourbon
Friday
Beach Fossils — 11 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Saturday
(Sandy) Alex G — 10:45 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
The Route: For the festivalgoers looking to chill the hell out, this schedule includes artists touting some of the most laid back tunes around. They’ll be moving around a lot on day one, though, starting outside for Brooklyn trio Ian Sweet, passing through Duffy’s and across 14th St for Omaha indie pop band Twinsmith, then catching the bus to The Bay for Frankie Cosmos. Step out a minute early to make it back for Thursday headliner Best Coast.
Headliner: Best Coast
Locals: Twinsmith
Must-read: Catching Up With Beach Fossils, New York’s Resident Daydreamers (Fader)
Must-listen:
Must-watch:
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The “After the After Party” route
Charli XCX | press photo by Bradley and Pablo
Thursday
Mad Dog & the 20/20s — 7:45 p.m. at Bodega’s
Post Animal — 11:15 p.m. at Duffy’s Outdoor
Friday
Umm — 6:50 p.m. at The Bourbon
I Forgot To Love My Father — 9 p.m. at Bodega’s
Saturday
Flint Eastwood — 8:15 p.m. at The Bourbon
Charli XCX — 9:30 p.m. at The Bourbon
The Route: We get it — life is stressful and you’re just looking to lose your mind at Lincoln Calling. This is the party playlist, one we covered a couple weeks ago but that merits rehashing for your scheduling purposes (and because these acts will move you). Easily enough, it’s all on 14th St, and includes ska, indie rock and one international pop star in Charli XCX. It’s cool to think about boys, but don’t let that stop you from jamming out to “Boys.”
Headliner: Charli XCX
Locals: Mad Dog & The 20/20s, I Forgot To Love My Father
Must-read: Charli XCX Gets Extremely Real About Her Mixtape And New Music (Fader)
Must-listen:
Must-watch: