Rose Bowl 2017 Draws Mega Music Acts U2, Justin Bieber and More as Yet Unrevealed

The Rose Bowl is proving to be a consistently booked, world-class concert venue for some of the biggest acts in music as it rolls out confirmations for chart-topping artists U2 and Justin Bieber and prepares its very own Arroyo Seco Music and Arts Festival as calendar heavyweights for 2017 — a year of music that Rose Bowl CEO/General Manager Darryl Dunn says will be one of the Bowl’s biggest yet.

“We’ve certainly had a successful run and we’re pleased and the artists enjoy coming to our venue. It’s going to be a real exciting year for music at the Rose Bowl,” said Dunn.

The Rose Bowl’s iconic reputation for hosting some of the nation’s most anticipated college football games may soon be tied with being known as a leading international tour stop for stadium famed music performers.

Wildly successful rock band U2 recently revealed it will bring their “Joshua Tree 2017 Tour” to the Rose Bowl on May 20, pop super star Justin Bieber is set to take the stage on Aug. 5 and the debut of Pasadena’s ambitious and first of its kind Arroyo Music and Arts Festival just a taste of what concert goers have to look forward to.

Although Rolling Stone reported that Green Day will perform their first-ever concert at the Rose Bowl this spring, Dunn said the group has not yet been officially confirmed.

“We’re working on a few others,” explained Dunn.

The Rose Bowl event calendar is not expected to be filled with large scale concerts on a frequent basis.

“We’re not forecasting a lot of concerts for the long term; that is one of the reasons why the music festival is important for us,” explained Dunn.

The Arroyo Seco Music and Arts Festival is expected to be held over a two to three-day period on the same weekend each June, and is planned to feature a diverse range of musicians and artists on stages both in the Stadium and on the surrounding land, according to the Rose Bowl website.

The Rose Bowl partnered with concert promoter AEG, one of the world’s largest event promoters, whose successful festivals include the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, British Summer Time Hyde Park in London, and the Coachella Music & Arts Festival.

“The music festival is a go. In the near future there’s going to release some information about the acts and so forth and we are looking forward to it coming in June,” said Dunn.

The music festival is a prime example of how the Rose Bowl plans to compete with other local competition.

“We are cognizant though that when the L.A. Rams stadium is built in 2019 that it’s going to be a big competitor,” explained Dunn.

That state of the art stadium, located in Inglewood, broke ground in early November last year and will be surrounded by a development that includes a performance venue, hotel, hundreds of thousands of square feet for retail and offices, homes and a lake with waterfalls, according to the L.A. Times.

It is expected to seat 70,240 and be able accommodate 25,000 extra people.

But bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, according to Dunn, who said the Rose Bowl’s location, character and legacy are what keep crowds and artists coming back for more.

“It’s an iconic facility and its a great setting that’s kind of like the Hollywood Bowl, but bigger. Our artists are really enjoying coming here and we’ve had strong success. When acts have come here they have done very well in terms of ticket sales and it just works,” Dunn said.

For more information, visit http://www.rosebowlstadium.com.