In celebration of the NCAA’s championship game in early April, the sports organization’s free, three-day NCAA March Madness Music Festival this year will feature performances by Rihanna, Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Kacey Musgraves and Bleachers.
The performances will take place at Indianapolis’ White River State Park from April 3rd to the 5th. Organizers are still lining up musical acts for Friday’s AT&T Block Party, though Rihanna, whose new single “American Oxygen” will be used for March Madness promos, will headline the Coke Zero Countdown Concert on Saturday alongside Bleachers.
Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum and Kacey Musgraves will close out the weekend Sunday night at the Capital One JamFest. Part of Zac Brown Band’s set will also be broadcast on television, prior to the National Championship game.
Each day of concerts, which begin in the afternoon and run until 9:30 or 10 p.m. depending on the day, will stream live on NCAA’s website. That site will also contain updates on performers.
Last year’s March Madness Music Festival featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, the Killers, fun., Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw. During his performance, Springsteen covered Van Halen’s “Jump,” asking the crowd, “This has something to do with basketball, am I right?”
Rihanna’s performance this year, along with the inclusion of “American Oxygen,” dovetails into the release of her upcoming album. Although she has not announced a date yet, the record’s executive producer, Kanye West, has confirmed that another recently released song will appear on the LP: “FourFiveSeconds,” which also features Paul McCartney and West. Speculation has also run rampant recently that Rihanna and West will tour together this year, following Live Nation posting and deleting an equal-billed concert in Tallinn, Estonia slated for July. [Rolling Stone]