Organizers are putting the finishing touches on the first Mobile AeroFest, a two-day music festival set for March 20-21 at Brookley Aeroplex that will raise money and awareness for wounded veterans while showcasing a mix of national touring acts and homegrown Gulf Coast talent.
The festival’s stated mission is to support America’s injured service members through a large-scale live event that organizers describe as combining musical talent with staging and production values not previously seen in a festival of this size on the Gulf Coast. The event will benefit programs that assist wounded warriors as they transition back to civilian life.
Headlining the national lineup are country duo Big & Rich, reggae and hip-hop artist Matisyahu, pedal steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Los Angeles rock outfit Dawes and New Orleans funk collective Dumpstaphunk. Also on the bill is the Lt. Dan Band, the group fronted by actor and veterans advocate Gary Sinise, best known for his role as Lieutenant Dan in “Forrest Gump.” Sinise has spent years touring military bases and veterans’ events with the band, and his participation underscores AeroFest’s focus on honoring injured service members.
The national bill runs even deeper than the festival’s marquee names. Cowboy Troy, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Soul Rebels, Honey Island Swamp Band, Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, Futurebirds and Generationals are among the additional acts confirmed for the two-day run, giving festivalgoers a mix of country, funk, brass and indie rock across multiple stages throughout the weekend.
Organizers have since rounded out the schedule with an even broader mix of touring names, adding soul singer Lee Fields & the Expressions, Louisiana’s Lost Bayou Ramblers, Athens, Georgia rockers The Whigs, Nashville outfit Rosco Bandana, young blues guitarist Matthew Curry, singer-songwriter Steve Gunn and guitarist Ryley Walker to the bill. Also confirmed are jam act Zoogma, the bands The Heard and Horse Thief, 88 Ultra featuring Kingston of BSBD, and Nick & the Ovorols, giving the two-day lineup an even wider stylistic range spanning soul, folk, blues and rock.
Rounding out the bill is a deep roster of Mobile-area and regional performers. Blues and soul singer Lisa Mills, whose voice has earned her a following well beyond the Gulf Coast, will perform alongside blues guitarist Ben Jernigan, who has shared local stages with New Orleans musicians Johnny Sansone and drummer John “Jabo” Starks, a longtime member of James Brown’s band.
Also scheduled are blues-rock act Johnny No, singer-songwriter Ryan Balthrop, bluegrass group Delta Reign and the Underhill Family Orchestra, an alt-rock band drawing on Southern influences. The Real Hooks, a Southern pop-rock group that performed at the 2014 Greater Gulf State Fair, will make the trip to Brookley, as will the funk-rock-jazz trio Hotel Oscar. Pensacola guitarist John Hart and the band Dinosaur Daze round out the schedule of acts traveling in from outside Mobile for the festival weekend.
Brookley Aeroplex, the former Air Force base turned civilian airport and industrial complex south of downtown Mobile, offers organizers wide open space to accommodate large crowds, multiple stages and vendor areas — logistics that have made the site a popular choice for large public events in recent years.
AeroFest organizers are also positioning the event as one of the more technologically advanced festivals of its kind. Every attendee’s wristband will double as an interactive key to the grounds, with the option to load funds directly onto the bracelet for a cashless festival experience. Purchases can be reviewed online afterward, letting attendees track how much of their spending flowed to the Independence Fund. When bracelets are registered, festivalgoers will also fill out a brief questionnaire that shapes their experience at sponsor booths and the festival’s expo area; those planning to visit the career fair can upload a resume in advance that employers can pull up instantly when they approach a booth. Attendees who opt in can also have their bracelet tracked by cameras stationed around the grounds, allowing organizers to compile a personalized highlight video of each person’s day that can be downloaded and shared on social media.
Tickets for Mobile AeroFest are on sale now, with several pass options available covering single-day and full-weekend admission. Organizers are encouraging early ticket purchases as the event approaches, both to help finalize logistics and to maximize support for the veterans’ causes the festival benefits.
One-day general admission passes are priced at $30, while full weekend passes run $45, and VIP upgrades are also available. Attendees can pay an additional fee to add the Titan FC Championship fight card to their festival admission, giving ticket holders the option to combine live music with mixed martial arts action over the course of the weekend.