Big Ears just dropped its 2027 lineup. The Knoxville festival never bothers with traditional headliners, but Jeff Tweedy sits at the top of the bill, and if you've followed Wilco since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002, you know the guy can shapeshift into any room. This year's roster is a stunner.
Robert Glasper, Natalie Merchant, Brad Mehldau, Weyes Blood, Courtney Barnett, Dinner Party, Kronos Quartet, and Thundercat all made the cut. Wednesday is on there too, fresh off the killer run of Rat Saw God. Oneohtrix Point Never brings the glitch. Sylvan Esso bring the pulse. Gustavo Santaolalla performs Ronroco, Chucho Valdés holds down the piano, and Jim James wanders in for good measure.
Rosanne Cash plays with John Leventhal, Hannibal Buress cracks jokes between sets, and Mon Rovîa rounds out a bill built for genre-blind wanderers. Penguin Café adds a gentle moment.
This is a festival for people who follow the thread wherever it goes. Big Ears