The month-long Lucca Summer Festival, one of the most anticipated musical events in the Italian summer has confirmed its stellar line-up for 2023 which will see legendary artists performing across the city in historical venues. This year’s line-up features Blur, Robbie Williams, Bob Dylan, Lil Nas X, Norah Jones, KISS, The Chemical Brothers, Placebo, Jacob Collier & Snarky Puppy, OneRepublic, Simply Red, Sigur Rós, Pat Metheny and Generation Sex. The festival takes place just west of Florence between June 29 and July 28. Tickets for all concerts are available now from https://luccasummerfestival.it/.
The festival’s history boasts some incredible names since it’s inception in 1998. The Rolling Stones took to the Lucca stage in 2017 to a sell-out crowd of 55,000 marking their emphatic return to Italy during their No Filter tour. The prestige of the festival continues with icons such as David Bowie (2002), Elton John (2019) and Bob Dylan (2015) previously gracing the Tuscan city, giving this festival a wealth of history and importance in the Italian and European concert calendar.
Legendary Britpop band Blur will be performing a very spectacular show next to the breath-taking City Walls on Saturday July 22 as part of one of the year’s most anticipated tours. It will be their only concert in Italy this year and the first show in the country since 2013. The event will see Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree reunite to perform iconic songs such as Parklife, Country House and Song 2. With all shows in the UK sold out, this could be the only opportunity for British fans to see one of the most influential bands in history.
Robbie Williams will also be gracing the stage by the historic City Walls on Friday July 28 as the English pop star returns after triumphant sold-out performances at Lucca in 2015 and 2017. Amassing over 85 million albums sold worldwide, 13 number one albums in the UK (the most for any solo artist, matched only by Elvis Presley) and 18 unprecedented and unmatched BRIT Awards, he has cemented himself as one of the greatest performers of his generation.
The festival continues in the beautiful Piazza Napoleone, Lucca’s main square. Bob Dylan, who featured in the very first edition of Lucca Summer Festival in 1998, will perform on Thursday July 6. He will entertain audiences with songs from his recent critically acclaimed album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways”, amongst favourites from his impressive catalogue.
The line-up welcome multi-platinum rapper with billions of streams and winner of two Grammy Awards, Lil Nas X. He shocked the music world with the debut single with Billy Ray Cyrus, Old Town Road which holds the record for the most weeks at #1 in the history of the Billboard chart Hot 100. The iconic hip-hop singer and songwriter will be in concert on Thursday 20 July.
Norah Jones celebrated the 20th anniversary of “Come Away With Me” last year, her album that brought her into the limelight again, earning five Grammy Awards.
Since then, Norah has sold more than 50 million albums and totalled six billion streams worldwide. She will return to the festival on Friday July 14.
Thursday June 29 will see KISS rock the Piazza Napoleone who are known for their jaw-dropping performances. They have proven for decades why they are arguably rock’n’roll’s most iconic live performers, climaxing their ‘End of the Road’ tour and bowing out in style. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the band has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide throughout their career. Skid Row, one of the symbolic bands of American hard rock and heavy metal will support in what is set to be a fantastic masterclass of rock.
The Chemical Brothers will bring their electric live show on Sunday July 23. The historic duo of Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands will unleash their impressive repertoire of legendary hits such as Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Block Rocking Beats, Galvanize and Do It Again
The show-design is curated by the famous Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall who will accompany the sound of The Chemical Brothers with their spectacular visuals, making it an immense experience for all the senses.
Placebo, one of the most influential alternative rock bands of the last 25 years, will take the stage on Thursday July 13. Over the course of their career, Placebo have seen all eight studio albums reach the UK Top 20 chart and have collaborated with music legends such as David Bowie, Robert Smith and Michael Stipe.
Jacob Collier and Snarky Puppy will perform in a joint headline night on Tuesday 25 July. British multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, discovered by Quincy Jones and winner of five Grammy Awards will close the evening after Snarky Puppy demonstrate why they’ve become the world’s best jam bands. The joint billing will offer fans the ultimate night in jazz, funk and harmony.
Sunday July 16 hosts American pop band OneRepublic who came to fame with Apologise in 2007 and saw further success with 2013’s Counting Stars and last year’s single I Ain’t Worried, earning them over 16 million record sales worldwide,
Mick Hucknall returns to the festival with Simply Red on Saturday July 1. Audiences will be able to hear all of their best-loved classics, including Stars and Holding Back The Years, making for a groovy, energetic evening.
The dreamy and psychedelic sounds of Icelandic band Sigur Rós will hit Lucca on Wednesday July 12 with support from New York multi-instrumentalist King Princess.
Pat Metheny also joins the line-up, showcasing his skills that have earnt him the accolade of one of the world’s greatest guitarist on Monday July 17. He will bring his project “Side-Eye” to the stage which launched last year and involves talented young developing musicians.
British punk legends Billy Idol and Tony James of Generation X and Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols join forces to form Generation Sex, performing for the first time in Italy on Tuesday July 4. This extraordinary new musical project brings together the two bands that have defined the boundaries of punk to play their great classics.
Lucca Summer Festival is a must-see festival for music fans across the continent. With travel as easy as a short flight to Florence from London terminals, the festival offers a unique concert experience like no other. Accompanied by the luscious Italian coastline and surrounded by the infamous Tuscan wine region, visiting the festival can be combined into a magical summer escape.
LINE-UP
JUNE 29 KISS WITH SUPPORT FROM SKID ROW
JULY 1 SIMPLY RED
JULY 4 GENERATION SEX
JULY 6 BOB DYLAN
JULY 12 SIGUR ROS WITH SUPPORT FROM KING PRINCESS
JULY 13 PLACEBO
JULY 14 NORAH JONES
JULY 16 ONEREPUBLIC
JULY 17 PAT METHENY
JULY 20 LIL NAS X
JULY 21 CHECCO ZALONE
JULY 22 BLUR
JULY 23 THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
JULY 25 JACOB COLLIER & SNARKY PUPPY
JULY 28 ROBBIE WILLIAMS
