YouTube and “Ellen” sensation Kalen Allen will be the host of the third LoveLoud Festival, the annual rock concert and fundraiser for LGBTQ teen advocates.
Allen tops a list of speakers announced Friday for the event, set for Saturday, June 29, at Usana Amphitheater in West Valley City.
The speakers include screenwriter and actor Lena Waithe (an Emmy winner for “Master of None”), Neon Trees lead singer Tyler Glenn, and Parkland shooting survivor and gun-control activist Emma Gonzålez.
(Andrew Harnik | AP file photo) Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., cries as she stands silently at the podium for the amount of time it took the Parkland shooter to go on his killing spree during the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control in Washington, Saturday, March 24, 2018.
A local favorite will be Matt Easton, the Brigham Young University political science graduate who came out as gay during his valedictory speech. Charlie Bird, the former BYU mascot “Cosmo,” will perform a dance routine with BYU Cougarettes and alumni.
“Matt has been incredibly courageous,” said festival founder and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds.
The speakers are what make LoveLoud, Reynolds said in an interview Friday, that “much more than a rock show or a festival.”
“The bands are great, and the music is great. It puts everybody in a relaxed, happy mood, and connects people who might be a little nervous or out of their bubble,” Reynolds said. “Then you hit ‘em hard with the speakers, and that’s really where the change happens.”
(Jordan Strauss | Invision/AP file photo) Kesha arrives at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 20, 2018, in Las Vegas.
Also added to the main stage is the alt-rock group AJR. They join a music lineup headlined by the pop icon Kesha, along with Reynolds, the Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan & Sara, pop singer-songwriter Daya, singer-rapper K.Flay, alt-rock band PVRIS, and Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers, the side project of the founder of the punk band Against Me!
DJ/producer Martin Garrix had to drop out of the show, Reynolds said, after breaking his ankle during a performance in late May at the Omnia nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
“He wishes he could be there,” Reynolds said. “We’ll get him next year.”
(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Dan Reynolds performs with Imagine Dragons at the Loveloud Festival at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, July 28, 2018.
The all-day festival aims to raise more than $1 million for groups that help LGBTQ youth, including The Trevor Project, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, Tegan and Sara Foundation, and Encircle.
Allen, the festival’s host, made his name with his viral “Kalen Reacts” videos, which got the attention of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who made him a featured contributor on her show and her digital platforms. He’s set to make his acting debut in an untitled comedy starring Seth Rogen, due out later this year.
Other speakers joining the lineup are:
VINCINT, R&B singer
Parson James, singer-songwriter
Gnash, rapper/DJ/producer
Andy Allo, singer-songwriter and guitarist
Aja Volkman, singer/musician (and Reynolds’ wife)
Ty Herndon, country singer
Brandon Stansell, country singer
Paul Cardall, Salt Lake City-based Christian musician/composer
Miya Folick, folk-rock singer-songwriter
Shannon Beveridge, YouTube personality, actor and LGBTQ advocate
Vivek Shraya, Canadian musician, writer and visual artist
Shamir, indie-rock singer-songwriter
Foreign Figures, indie alternative band
LoveLoud Festival Powered by AT&T — that’s the full name — begins at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. Tickets, starting at $29, are for sale at Smith’s Tix.
