Sepultura to Headline Red Bull Zhangbei Music Festival July 18

Brazilian death metal pioneers Sepultura will headline the first night of the 2014 Zhangbei Music Festival, set for July 18-20 on grasslands near 2022 Winter Olympic candidate city Zhangjiakou, along with Xu Wei and Wu Bai and China Blue closing the second and third nights, respectively.

The annual event remains true to its format of mixing veteran bands with newer talent, with a line-up that includes Tang Dynasty and Zhang Chu, with more recent successes like Nova Heart and Pet Conspiracy. The full schedule is here.

Rumors that Lorde would headline have proven to be false. The "line-up subject to change" disclaimer certainly worries us about potential line-up changes, especially in a music environment where every major act seems to be pre-cancelled. However, festivals have generally fared better. Zhangbei does not appear as a confirmed date on Sepultura's official website. Also, be aware that the average set is about 40 minutes. Sepultura and the other headliners get an hour. Manage expectations accordingly.

Think of this is as a camping trip with live music. You'll need to bring your own shelter and quite a bit of your own food, although there will be some vendors (Red Bull is the title sponsor, so there will be some of that). Long-distance buses go from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, with further buses on to the grasslands. The festival itself also usually organizes some transportation. Some sources will say that the site is "two hours northwest of Beijing," but it can take as long as five or six, even though it's only about 300 kilometers as the crow flies.

Tickets are available here and are on sale now. TheBeijinger.com will have more detailed information on transport shortly.

Photo: Wikipedia