Posted on: January 17, 2023, 02:13h. 

Last updated on: January 17, 2023, 02:13h.

The “Lovers & Friends” festival announced today its return to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on May 6 with a massive and stellar lineup of old-school rap and R&B artists including Usher, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, 50 Cent, Christina Aguilera, Nelly, and Pitbull.

More than 45 artists will perform during the second annual Las Vegas event, which promises “a massive collection of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest artists, highlighting the ongoing evolution of the genres,” as per a statement from the festival.

Presale tickets go on sale 10 a.m. PT Friday, Jan. 20 through loversandfriendsfest.com.

With Lovers & Friends Like These

“Lovers & Friends” was initially scheduled to happen in May 2020 in Los Angeles but ran into problems. After its initial announcement, both Lil’ Kim and Mase stated that, despite being billed, they were never committed.

“This is so fake!” Kim posted via Instagram. “I’m not a part of this.”

Ultimately, the festival was postponed for two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and relocated to Las Vegas, where it debuted on May 14, 2022. But all did not go smoothly even then.

Three people were injured during that performance when, according to the Hollywood Reporter, a large group of attendees stampeded out of the venue after gunfire was reportedly heard at about 10 p.m. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released a statement calling the rumor a “false alarm.”

Still, the festival was halted, then resumed at 11:50 p.m. with headlining sets from Usher, Lil Jon, and Ludacris that many audience members missed due to the stressful incident.

Out of the Ballgame

“Lovers & Friends” is now the third yearly music festival taking place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, which has also booked the first “Sick New World” metal festival (headlined by System of a Down and Korn) on May 13, and the second “When We Were Young” punk/emo festival (headlined by the reunited Blink-182) on Oct. 21.

Look for even more outdoor music festivals to become a permanent fixture  at the site, now that the 40-acre Festival Grounds property is no longer in consideration for a potential Oakland A’s baseball stadium.

Talks have reportedly gone quiet between the Oakland Athletics and casino magnate Phil Ruffin, owner of the Festival Grounds, who had been offering to sell it to the MLB team to build a new stadium.

Ruffin’s executive assistant Alicia Crockett recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there has been no recent contact between Ruffin’s group and the A’s.

Should the team decide to leave Oakland, only the Tropicana Las Vegas is apparently in the running as a new stadium site.