ARMOUR SQUARE — An anti-violence music festival featuring music stars Macklemore and Lupe Fiasco at Guaranteed Rate Field has abruptly been canceled, organizers announced.
The Get In It Music Fest was billed as an all-day music fest set for Sept. 16, featuring a hip-hop heavy lineup Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Lupe Fiasco, Fat Joe, Jeremih and Fifth Harmony. Festival organizers announced on Friday that the fest was canceled.
The festival was set to be produced by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which controls Guaranteed Rate Field, and Get IN Chicago, an organization that counsels community-based groups and funds anti-violence initiatives focused on the most at-risk kids in the city. It was to be the first concert produced by the sports facilities authority, the group said at the festival's announcement.
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Anthony J. O'Neill, chief executive officer of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, said that the group wanted to do more community work and outreach before hosting the event. Instead, organizers now plan to host a series of concerts in 2018.
"We need more time to work with the community, to involve the agencies serving Chicago's high-risk youth and to expand our outreach to fans across Chicago who we know want to be a part of this fight," O'Neill said in the statement. "Our 2018 concert series will provide fantastic entertainment while having a meaningful impact on the community development and violence prevention needs we continue to see in Chicago."
Those who bought tickets for the festival can receive refunds through Ticketmaster, a spokesman said.
The Get In It Music Fest has been canceled, organizers said. [Illinois Sports Facilities Authority]
