Three Sides of The Triangle is a column by music aficionado Maisie Moylan, celebrating music, people and places.
Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh has historically had a relationship of blind trust with its patrons. Festivalgoers have purchased tickets before the lineup is released for years, trusting their commitment will be rewarded with an array of artists worth both their time and money. This confidence is not only out of love for the Triangle’s music scene but has been built on years of legendary lineups.
Looking through their past lineups, I was reminded of why people are able to give their implicit trust and hard-earned dollars to the Hopscotch gods. In the past 3 years, their stage housed performances that made up the entirety of my 2025 Spotify Wrapped. In Hopscotch’s history, there are simply too many bucket list artists to write about, but to name a few… Erykah Badu, Japanese Breakfast, Wednesday, Earl Sweatshirt, JPEG Mafia, Charlie Crockett, King Krule, My Morning Jacket, Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, Young Thug, The Roots, and so many more.
They hosted King Krule, Alvvays, and Pavement all on the same day in 2023. In 2024, MJ Lenderman performed the same day he released Manning Fireworks, arguably his best album yet. Last year Geese performed just 21 days before the release of their Getting Killed album, which quadrupled their fan base and has them pegged to be the next all-time legendary alternative band. Not only have their past lineups been awesome, but the foresight of those booking the artists has been Simpsons-level prediction.
Past lineups have been cause for celebration for music lovers in North Carolina as they prepare to see some of their all-time favorite artists in the state’s capital city. This year, many feel their trust has been broken, their money has been wasted, and their time is better spent doing just about anything else. The lineup is filled with artists who are not only unknown but also lacking in the typical spunk and musical diversity the festival is known for. Under the Instagram post releasing the lineup, the comments were overwhelmingly negative, with people inquiring about the refund process and reminiscing on past shows… and I can’t say I blame them.
Although there are some noteworthy performances, this year’s lineup leaves me wondering ‘what happened?’ In full honesty, I only recognized seven of the artists in the 100+ listed, and two of them I have been verbally opposed to in the past. This is not meant to be a diss to the artists in the lineup — just because it is not my type of music in no way makes it inherently bad. Additionally, it is hard to compare to the icons that have preceded them. It’s even harder to compete with their memories. But regardless of how it is framed, this lineup is definitely not the Hopscotch I know and love.
All that being said, hope is not lost. I am a firm believer that live music is good music… and if it’s not good music, it’s at least good people watching. Fun can not always be facilitated for you; sometimes you must create and pursue it yourself. In other words, if you learn how to have fun even when it is not directly put in front of you (and often it’s not), you will often find almost everything can be/is worthy of enjoyment. Also, who knows, you may find that Hopscotch’s online community and Maisie Moylan from Three Sides of the Triangle have no clue what they are talking about. You could end up telling your friends and family September 10th-12th 20206 was the best three days of your life!
So, if you already bought tickets or are interested in going to Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, this is what to expect from the headliners playing on the main stage.
Dexter and the Moonrocks
Dexter and the Moonrocks are a rock band from Texas. The group of friends is easily the most well-known headliner, with over 40 million monthly streams on Spotify alone. They have a unique spunk to their music, identifying primarily with the self-created genre of Western Space Grunge. They have the guitar of Treaty Oak Review (whom they also have songs with), but their vocals separate them from being a typical country rock band. They have an obvious pull towards grunge, with their lyrics touching on topics of angst and being accompanied by strong head-bang-worthy instrumentals. Their single Freakin’ Out reached No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart in June 2022 and No. 91 on the all-genre chart. I wasn’t very familiar with them before seeing them among the Hopscotch headliners, but after venturing into their discography and listening to their live recordings, I feel confident that all that is good about their sound will be magnified in their live performance. With their growing popularity, I would imagine their Thursday show will pull in committed fans from throughout North Carolina, which will amplify their already high-energy and emotional sound.
Cory Wong
Cory Wong will be headlining on Friday, playing on the main stage. Corey Wong is a Grammy-nominated guitarist, composer, and producer known for his unique ability to blend jazz and groove. This talent stems from his clear ability to understand both the technicalities of music and his crowd. He creates unique musical performances that not only reflect his immense talent as an artist but a mastered agency of the energy throughout the crowd. While being the least popular of the 3 headliners, he is extremely well known within the music industry for his contributions and membership to the group Vulpeck and collaborations with artists such as Jon Batiste, Billy Strings, Chromeo, and Victor Wooten. He will be joined by an equally talented accompaniment, sharing the spotlight with individual solos and collaborative improvisation. His show on Friday is sure to be an energy-filled experience, creating a space of enjoyment, movement, and interactive entertainment.
King Princess
King Princess is a singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. She is known for her contributions to the sphere of queer pop, and her shows highlight and perpetuate this norm of inclusivity. She broke through in 2018 with her platinum-certified debut single “1950” and has since become a very distinctive voice within pop. Additionally, she recorded the theme song for the television series Arcane, continuing to expand her fan base. During her live performances, she often performs renditions that separate themselves from the recorded versions and lean more heavily on raw guitar-based rock with long drawn-out solos. She, much like Cory Wong, has been credited for her control over the crowd, bringing spirit and energy into the space. She has opened for major artists such as Harry Styles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kacey Musgraves, and Shawn Mendes and has received a plethora of praise from other artists within the industry.
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Although for many the 2026 lineup was a major letdown at first, I urge all who will be attending not to let initial disappointment ruin your time. There are many worthy artists in the lineup! Beyond the headliners, my eye was specifically caught by Soccer Mommy, Thee Sinseers, and Momma, but there are a lot of musical performances waiting to be discovered. Let yourself be surprised and try not to come to any conclusions beforehand.
Finally, a bit of advice that I have learned after years of long nights at subpar musical performances. If you are not having fun, watch someone who is. I have found that for whatever reason, this tricks your brain into, at least partially, forgetting why you wanted to leave.
Featured photo via Hopscotch Music Festival on Facebook.
Three Sides of The Triangle is a column by Maisie Moylan celebrating music, people and places. Maisie is a Hillsborough native with a passion for exploring and appreciating the North Carolina music scene. Finding her roots in local radio, she has expanded her love to Colorado College, where she studies anthropology and journalism. She is currently working as the Broadcast Operations Assistant at 97.9 The Hill WCHL.
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