Draft City Music Fest goes for 'cool and unique' with band lineup that includes Less Than Jake, De La Soul, Luke Combs UK
The free event at downtown's Leicht Memorial Park, a joint venture of the city of Green Bay and On Broadway Inc., will feature 10 acts across two nights as part of the NFL draft at Lambeau Field April 24-26.
De La Soul headlines the WPS Foundation Draft Kickoff portion of the festival on Wednesday, April 23, and Less Than Jake will wrap up the festivities for what is being called the 8th Round Downtown on Saturday, April 26.
The complete lineup, which also features GZA from Wu-Tang Clan, a Luke Combs tribute act and punk band Riverboat Gamblers alongside several local groups, was announced Wednesday at a press conference at City Hall.
The much-anticipated reveal is the culmination of 10 months of behind-the-scenes work for Green Bay band promoter Tom Johnson of Tom Johnson Productions, who began putting out feelers already in June after Mayor Eric Genrich asked him to be the fest's entertainment booking agent. The mission was to cover a wide swath of genres to draw people downtown and to make the fest free as a way to give back to both the community and draft visitors.
'The mayor was really about doing something cool and unique, and he wanted to do a music festival that felt a little bit like a music festival, like Lollapalooza or something of that sort that we haven't really seen in Green Bay,' said Johnson, who has been booking bands at Green Bay venues for nearly 20 years.
'We're trying to raise it to the level of this is a one-time event, let's do the coolest thing we can possibly do, and let's make sure we're hitting different genres so anybody who wants to come down is going to feel included and their musical tastes are going to be taken into consideration," he said. "Just making sure were representing the widespread cultures that reside in Green Bay and giving everybody a chance to showcase their talents and get some local love.'
The challenge was to find the right acts with availability at the right price to stay within budget. Unlike gigs where national bands already on tour in the area are booked for a night on their way through, getting acts to Green Bay for Draft City Music Fest requires they'll have to fly in special, which means higher "festival pricing," Johnson said.
All of the acts will perform on a 40-foot by 40-foot stage with a video board at the park along the Fox River. The grounds can hold as many as 30,000 people each night, Johnson said.
Green Bay native Jim Runge, who has more than 30 years of experience as an award-winning tour manager for such acts as The Black Keys, Imagine Dragons and Lucinda Williams, will oversee stage management and green room needs for the artists.
VIP tickets — which include up-close concert viewing and access to beverage sales and conveniently located portable restrooms — will be available for $35 per day or $60 for both days through an Eventbrite link set to go live at 10 a.m. Thursday.
When/where: 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at Leicht Memorial Park, downtown Green Bay. Gates open at 3 p.m. Free.
The biggest get of the festival is the first act Johnson was able to lock in last summer.
'We went after that, because that's a legacy hip-hop act — one of the best from the best eras of hip-hop. Real positive, too,' Johnson said. 'I think it's going to make a lot of people happy to see a band like that come to Green Bay.
'I never thought that would even remotely be a possibility ... The weight that they hold in that scene is incredible. The things that they've done and the people they've inspired is amazing.'
The pioneering hip-hop group was formed in 1988, and its debut album, '3 Feet High and Rising,' is considered one of the genre's most important albums, with A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah and N.W.A. among the artists influenced by it.
De La Soul had not toured for a long stretch until joining Wu-Tang Clan and Nas for North American dates on their co-headlining NY State of Mind Tour in 2023.
The Texas punk rock band is one of the acts Johnson said he's been asked to bring back to Green Bay the most in the last 10 years. The group's last appearance in the city was at the now-defunct Main Stage, where the show included singer Mike Wiebe making his way out to the middle of Main Street to sing and dance in the median as traffic went by. Learning they would be on the same bill as De La Soul was a factor in the Gamblers saying yes, Johnson said.
Who knew the world's most popular Luke Combs tribute act is from the United Kingdom or that it's endorsed by the country superstar himself, but both are true. The 'Hurricane' singer has the band playing April 16 for a week-long celebration of his new Category 10 bar/restaurant/entertainment venue that recently opened in Nashville. Luke Combs UK will do seven U.S. dates in all in April, with Green Bay being the final stop of the run.
'We would never be able to afford Luke Combs, but it's kind of the next best thing,' Johnson said. 'Country is a big thing in Green Bay and the surrounding areas, so that was a nice get.'
The local seven-piece Latin band and a 2025 Bay Area Music Award nominee blends merengue, cumbia, salsa, bachata and punta for high-energy performances that have earned the group bookings at the Resch Center, Titletown District, Capital Credit Union Park and Farmers Market on Broadway.
The band has been a mainstay of Green Bay's music scene for more than a decade, drawing its influences from the likes of Wilco, The Kinks and The Jayhawks, bouncing between alt-country, indie rock and other genres in between and often treating audiences to spontaneous jams.
Both nights of the festival are being billed as family friendly, but the Draft Kickoff in particular has several elements built into it to appeal to kids. In addition to 15 food trucks and vendors and an appearance by the Green Bay Packers drumline, there will be a Glow Zone presented by TDS with glow wands and other light-up activities. A Kids Zone will have bounce houses, playground equipment donated by BCI Burke and Lee Recreation, and face painting, magic and balloon animals from Mischief & Magic. A mobile skate park will be part of the Alternative Zone.
A container bar and beer garden presented by USA TODAY and Green Bay Press-Gazette will have 8th Round Downtown, a hazy pale ale concocted by nine Green Bay-area craft breweries that will be available for purchase exclusively at Draft City Music Fest.
A display set to music and presented by Festival Foods will go off from three barges on the Fox River between the Riverboat Gamblers and De La Soul performances, at approximately 8:30 p.m. April 23.
More: Looking for an NFL draft party near Lambeau Field? Here's what bars have planned and which bands are playing where
More: 2025 NFL draft fun: Here's a running list of all the draft-related events happening in Green Bay and nearby
More: Here are the Wisconsin supper clubs and what they'll be serving for the Taste of the Draft gala in Green Bay
When/where: 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Leicht Memorial Park, downtown Green Bay. Gates open at 4 p.m. Free.
Thirty-three years into its career, the ska-punk band with a reputation for being a rocking good time still likes to think of itself as the life of the party. The high-energy band gets to Summerfest in Milwaukee, but Green Bay visits are few and far between, maybe as long ago as a 2000 stop at the Riverside Ballroom. The current lineup features guitarist/vocalist Chris DeMakes, bassist/vocalist Roger Lima, trombonist Buddy Schaub, saxophonist Peter 'JR' Wasilewski and drummer Matt Yonker.
The rapper from legendary hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan will perform with his The Phunky Nomads band as a co-headliner with Less Than Jake. His Green Bay appearance coincides with the 30th anniversary of his solo album, 'Liquid Swords,' ranked No. 44 on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Wu-Tang's final tour, the 27-date Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber, begins in June. Fun fact: Ramsey Jones is the drummer for the Phunky Nomads and has also drummed for Rebelmatic, which is playing the same night.
Maybe not an artist that is on a lot of people's radar, but Johnson thinks he's the act that festival goers will be most surprised by. Walston who performed from 2002 to 2019 as J Roddy Walston and the Business, plays piano and guitar with ferocity and counts Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard among his influences. His fast-paced, piano-driven rock has been showcased on 'Austin City Limits,' and he has played celebrity chef Rachel Ray's block party numerous times. He'll perform in Green Bay with a band, something he hasn't done often in recent years.
'You take all the best parts of Southern gospel and '70s rock. It's an experience, and it's a party. One of the coolest live bands I've ever seen,' Johnson said.
The hardcore band from New York has played Green Bay previously for Johnson-booked shows, including at The Lyric Room and At the Tracks.
The Fox Valley band that describes its music as "jangly pop" includes Green Bay natives Matty Day and Alex Drossart and has also played Appleton's Mile of Music.
The Kids Zone and playground will remain. The container bar and beer garden will be open and serving the locally-brewed 8th Round Downtown pale ale. There will also be band and fest merchandise both nights.
The Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge on Main Street will close beginning at 2 p.m. April 23 and 3 p.m. April 26 for the festival.
Parking is available in downtown parking ramps on the east side of the Fox River, along with street parking in the Broadway District and elsewhere.
Carry-ins, including coolers, beverages and chairs, are prohibited. No pets allowed. There will be a clear bag policy in place similar to Green Bay Packers games.
Draft City Music Fest is part of the larger Touchdown Downtown series of events celebrating the NFL draft across four days in Green Bay. A complete list of festivities, along with volunteer opportunities, can be found at downtowngreenbay.com/touchdowndowntown.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Less Than Jake, De La Soul, GZA to play free music fest for NFL draft
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