LoveLoud musical festival returns to Utah

1263
Imagine Dragon’s LoveLoud concert is moving from Orem to Salt Lake City this year. (Love Loud Foundation)

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 10 for the second annual LoveLoud music festival, which will be held in Salt Lake at the Rice Eccles Stadium on July 28 this year.

This year’s lineup includes Imagine Dragons, Zedd, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, Grace Vanderwaal and Neon Trees’ Tyler Glenn.

The festival was created by Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds in response to growing suicide rates among LGBTQ+ teens. The press release states, the festival aims to “encourage greater love, communication and understanding for our LGBTQ+ community.”

According to the American Association of Suicidology, in 2015 42.8 percent of LGBT youth seriously considered suicide, compared to 14.8 percent of heterosexual youth. The American Association of Suicidology sites support from family and peers as one of the top preventative measures to combat LGBTQ+ suicide. This is exactly the kind of preventative action LoveLoud seeks to create.

Reynolds also recently created a documentary film, Believer, which centers around LoveLoud and Reynold’s quest to promote acceptance in LGBTQ+ communities. The film was the “Festival Favorite” runner up at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and will air on HBO in June.

Last year’s festival was held at Brent Brown Park in Orem and drew a crowd of more than 17,000 people. The inaugural festival included performances from Neon Trees, Mindy Gledhill and Walk the Moon.

All proceeds from the festival will go to local and national LGBTQ+ charities including Encircle, Trevor Project and the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

“We at LoveLoud are determined to help create a more loving and accepting environment for them, while also hoping to raise more than $1 million for local and national LGBTQ+ charities,” Reynolds said in the press release. “We look forward to a day celebrating their diversity while listening to great music and inspiring speakers.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email