MATI Releases Single Day Passes; Announces Conference Details, Tornado Relief Efforts
The 5th annual music festival, September 12-14 in Grand Center Arts District, features 100+ performances and presentation across 15 stages and venues
St. Louis, Mo. – June 27, 2025 – MATI (Music at the Intersection) is coming into its fifth year with a new look and a full embrace of its acronym. Additionally, the festival and conference - now expanded to three days - is reimagining its format with more stages and venues, as well as an open footprint that will welcome thousands more people into Grand Center Arts District – with Washington Avenue being the main activation area.
Musical headliners include 3x Grammy winning rapper Common with superproducer Pete Rock, the godmother of soul Patti LaBelle, New Orleans R&B singer-songwriter Lucky Daye, neo-soul R&B singer-producer Leon Thomas, legendary hip-hop group De La Soul, and jazz great Branford Marsalis.
Weekend passes are $150. Weekend four-packs are also available for $400. Single day passes are $60-$90 and on sale starting today at MetroTix or MATIstl.org.
Common & Pete Rock
Patti LaBelle
Artists and Activations: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
MATI weekend features more than 100 national, regional and St. Louis-based performances and presentations across 15 stages and venues. The daily lineups are as follows:
Pedrito Martinez (Artist-at-Large); Keyon Harrold (Artist-in-Residence) and Brenda Navarrete (Artist-at-Large) will play on multiple sets throughout MATI weekend.
Friday, September 12
Coco & Breezy; Barrington Levy; Pirulo Y La Tribu; Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time; Marquise Knox with Funky Butt Brass Band; Anita Jackson; House of Tucci: Ish Ensemble Superjam; Playadors St. Louis Superjam; Saint Boogie Brass Band; K Kudda Muzic & Friends; Materia Takeover; Noel Spiva; Branden Michael Lewis; Frankie Dowop & The Thundacats; and Scooter Brown
Friday will also feature MATI Conference sessions, as well as MATI Places community curations by: CAM, Counterpublic, Central VPA High School, Frizz Fest, Goodish, Grand Center Arts Academy, Hidden Gem, Laz Jazz Fest, Urban Harvest STL, and Work and Leisure / Kre8 Space.
Saturday, September 13
Common & Pete Rock; Lucky Daye; John Medeski’s Mad Skillet; Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe; The S.O.S. Band; The Budos Band; Leela James; The Womack Sisters; Ryan Trey; Adam Maness Trio feat. Bob DeBoo & Kaleb Kirby; Whitworth; T-Dubb-O; Drea Vocalz; Mesonjixx; Joe2morrow; Antonio Foster Trio; Enoch Ravi and the Indigenous Groove; Marc Buxton; KC Mackey; Santo; The Boogaloo Crew of St. Louis; Cassette with Charlie Chan Soprano & Rhashad La Rocka’; and DJ Sinamin
Saturday will also feature MATI Conference sessions, as well as MATI Places community curations by: APR Entertainment, CAM, Counterpublic, Central VPA High School, Frizz Fest, Goodish, HEAL, Hidden Gem, Laz Jazz Fest, Metro Theatre, PACK Dance, Poetry in Motion, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, and Work and Leisure / Kre8 Space.
Sunday, September 14
Patti LaBelle; Leon Thomas; De La Soul; Branford Marsalis; Arooj Aftab; The Baylor Project; Keyon Harrold; Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio; Butcher Brown; Jazz STL celebrates Miles feat. Danny Campbell, Keyon Harrold, Dustin Shrum, Dawn Weber, Kasimu Taylor & Brady Lewis; Blvck Spade & The Cosmos; Brothers Lazaroff Super Friends; Eldraco+FreeNation; Matt “The Rattlesnake” Lesch; Matthew Henry’s Agbara; DJ Mahf; DJ Boogieman; Papa Ray; Biko; DJ Crucial & Agile One; Chilly C; Steward Stiles; DJ Phonzeito; The Lady J Huston Show; and G.Wiz and the Time Travelers
Sunday will also feature MATI Places community curations by: CAM, Goodish, Harris Stowe State University, Laz Jazz Fest, Metro Theatre, Poetry in Motion, SlumFest, and Work and Leisure / Kre8 Space.
MATI Festival and Conference programming starts at noon daily - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - with MATI Main Stages (The Big Top, The Sovereign and Field Stage) kicking off mid-afternoon and going past midnight. A full schedule will be released in August.
Festival Footprint and Format
Format-wise, MATI is expanding from two days to three: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Headliner performances will take place across three MATI Main Stages: The Big Top, The Sovereign (set to open fall 2025 at 3300 Washington Avenue) and Field Stage. The former Washington Avenue stage is being removed to create a barrier free, fully-connected Grand Center walking experience for those with tickets and without. Washington Avenue will be lined with vendors, food trucks, buskers, pop-up performances and sponsor activations. MATI will also have a variety of family-friendly activities, including carnival-themed rides and games.
Beyond the Main Stages, MATI will also be activating more than a dozen stages and venues throughout Grand Center and Locust Business District, called MATI Places. Programming at MATI Places includes a wide variety of community curations: everything from musical performances, DJ sets and poetry slams to artist workshops, industry panels and keynote speakers.
MATI Places include CAM (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis), Central Stage, Counterpublic, The Key, Hidden Gem, High Low, Jazz St. Louis, KAF Art Yard, Metro Theatre, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, Sally’s Garden and Terrace, Scene, Sophie’s Artist Lounge, Strauss Park, ZACK, and Work & Leisure.
MATI weekend or single-day festival passes will be required to participate in MATI Places.
MATI Conference
The conference portion of MATI, previously held on Friday, is now part of MATI Places and spread throughout the weekend, allowing attendees (musicians, entrepreneurs, creative professionals and more) to sprinkle learning, discovery - and freely exploring Midtown - into their music festival schedule. Conference programming is presented in collaboration with the Recording Academy and Evntiv.
“MATI stands for more than Music at the Intersection,” said Chris Hansen, Executive Director of Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “Especially for the conference portion of the weekend, programming and speakers are strategically centered around Music, Art, Thought and Innovation. This year features new panel topics, heavy-hitting keynotes, and the opportunity for attendees to interact directly with industry influencers. We’re providing resources to artists while building capacity and attracting industry - all embedded within a fun weekend of world-class music.”
Planned sessions and panels (with more to be added) include:
Friday, September 12
Crash. Learn. Rise. - real talk on entrepreneurship, mistakes and bouncing back even bigger
Arch Grants presents: The Founders Lunch - lunch series with St. Louis’ top founders sharing stories from start-up to mega growth
How to Make Money as a Creative Entrepreneur - money-making mindsets from the region’s top creative entrepreneurs
Unscripted: Entrepreneur Spotlight (Keynote) - one business leader’s bold path from idea to impact
Content Creators Roundtable - how to leverage podcasts, TikTok and Instagram to build your brand
Saturday, September 13
Watch Me Now! - the future of video content creation: streaming, short-form, long-form and more
CAM presents: The Brown Bag Art Lunch - the brown bag lunch is a collab with the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis featuring influential artists and makers
Fighting the Power - the evolution of hip-hop protest culture
The Recording Academy presents: Built Not Bought - how indie artists are owning their sound and their business
Festival Passes and Pricing
MATI passes can be purchased at MATIstl.org or directly at www.MetroTix.com (or by phone at 314-534-1111). Weekend passes are $150. Weekend four-packs are also available for $400. Starting today, a limited number of single-day passes are on sale for $60-$90 ($60 for Friday, $90 for Saturday, $90 for Sunday).
All MATI festival passholders will have access to indoor restrooms, expanded seating, lounge areas, elevated viewing platforms, shade structures and curated food and beverage options (beyond the food trucks on Wash Avenue). The Big Top and Field Stage will feature new video elements, while The Sovereign - brand new for 2025 - will offer a state-of-the-art audio and visual concert experience. MATI weekend pass holders will be able to come and go freely from the block party to the performance areas, showing their pass at security checkpoints to gain access to the Main Stages.
MATI 2025 will not offer VIP tickets. Instead, fans looking for an elevated experience are encouraged to become a patron and join the MATI Movement. Depending on level of membership, MATI Members get access to non-public areas in the footprint, artist meet-and-greets, exclusive merch and special programming year-round.
Commitment to Tornado Relief
On May 16, a large area of St. Louis was impacted by a devastating tornado. MATI is committed, now and in the long term, to aiding in the recovery.
MATI is donating $10 from each MATI pass – that the festival has sold and will sell - to 4theVille to assist in their boots-on-the-ground efforts. MATI will also raise funds for 4theVille through a special benefit t-shirt / merch collab, to be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re designating MATI an official benefit festival and conference for 4theVille, to help fuel the incredible recovery work they’re doing in St. Louis’ northside,” said Hansen. “Throughout festival weekend, and in the months leading up to it, we’ll be leveraging MATI’s voices, stages, platforms, partners, artists and overall reach as an engine for good. This festival is about St. Louis, and we’re committed to aiding in its recovery in whatever ways we can be most effective.”
On-site during festival weekend, attendees will be given multiple opportunities to contribute through purchase round-up options at food, beverage and vendor booths; text-to-donate prompts; charitable contesting; and more. Additionally, MATI will serve as a resource drop off location (needed items and instructions will be sent via a pre-fest email), with festival plus-up incentives for those who participate.
Additionally, MATI’s 2025 community ticket program, fueled by MATI Members and festival sponsors, will focus on residents impacted by the tornado, with a goal to bring just a bit of hope and joy through music to those who have lost so much.
Join the MATI Movement
MATI is asking fans to join the MATI Movement. The new membership program asks attendees to become patrons, helping ensure that the festival - created and funded by St. Louis non-profit and civic organizations - grows and thrives for generations to come.
“This isn’t just another music festival. MATI is by St. Louis, for St. Louis,” said Chris Hansen, executive director of Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “If you’ve been to MATI, you can feel that it’s special. It’s a microcosm of the city: all ages, races, ethnicities. No neighborhood divides. People who can afford tickets and people who can’t. All joyous. All together in the streets of Grand Center. We want to keep MATI a true, representative community experience, and while Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Steward Family Foundation and Regional Arts Commission can continue to take up the mantle, we want everyone to feel ownership. That’s what the MATI Movement is about. It’s a way for everyday St. Louisans - who are passionate about music, who love art and culture - to be in this with us. It’s about giving a little bit more to achieve a whole lot more, together.”
As part of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, MATI is about more than entertainment. The festival and conference is about accessibility, community and ensuring the arts remain central to St. Louis’ identity, tourism and growth. MATI Member contributions go to fund:
Access for all. Last year, MATI provided more than 3,000 free festival tickets to community members who may not have otherwise afforded to attend.
Supporting artists. MATI fuels the work of musicians, visual artists and thought leaders. The event also creates job opportunities within the arts and entertainment sector of St. Louis, from performance to production.
Building community. The festival and conference ensures a space where ideas, creativity and connections thrive, establishing St. Louis as a premier arts and entertainment destination while building civic pride.
Fans can join the MATI Movement at a variety of levels, ranging from $200 to $2500, making them not only a generous patron of the St. Louis arts, but also a MATI Member with insider access to festival weekend and year-round programming, special perks, and more. Learn more at www.MATIstl.org.
MATI Artist Lineup: STL Made and STL Inspired
With a special focus on “St. Louis Made,” MATI pays homage to the city’s imprint on the American songbook, as well as the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River roots. The festival aims to celebrate musical heritage, from the West African coasts to the Caribbean islands, up through the Mississippi Delta. MATI honors the giants who shaped genre and sound - across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop and rock n' roll - as it also calls up and gives platform to a new wave of artists.
A majority of the lineup has direct ties to the St. Louis area. R&B artist Ryan Trey spent time growing up in St. Louis, East St. Louis and University City. Trey opened for fellow St. Louis native SZA at the Ready Room in 2017; he’s also performed and collaborated with MATI alum Jordan Ward. Marcus Baylor, of the husband-wife jazz duo The Baylor Project, is from St. Louis. Drummer Weedie Braimah was born in Ghana but raised in East St. Louis. Trumpeter (and MATI Artist-in-Residence) Keyon Harrold is from Ferguson.
Other artists hail from the Caribbean, Mississippi Delta and sister river cities, from which St. Louis shares music and cultural roots. Pedrito Martinez was born in Old Havana Cuba and began his musical career at age 11. Fellow Cuban Brenda Navarette honed her drumming skills at Havana’s Interactivo musical collective. Latin tropicale group Pirulo y la Tribu was founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Reggae legend Barrington Levy started performing in Jamaican dance halls in the mid-70s. Branford Marsalis was born in New Orleans to a jazz singer mother and pianist father; his three brothers are also jazz musicians. John Medeski's Mad Skillet is a New Orleans funk band. Lucky Daye, also from New Orleans, and has a soulful, southern influence in his R&B music.
Additional national acts are tied to St. Louis by musical genre. The influence of St. Louis-born or raised artists - like Chuck Berry, Tina Turner and Miles Davis - have had a lasting impact on the sounds of today. R&B rising star Leon Thomas, Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab, and jazz veteran Branford Marsalis all credit Miles Davis as an influence.
The 2025 lineup was chosen by a programming committee made of St. Louis tastemakers, industry leaders, musicians and event professionals - along with guidance from Artist-in-Residence Keyon Harrold. A select number of artists were also chosen via an open call for applications.
Since its inception in 2021, MATI has grown in size and ambition year-over-year, garnering rave reviews from attendees, as well as attention from The Recording Academy and national press outlets - including PEOPLE, The Source, Billboard, VIBE, Ebony, Live for Live Music, SPIN and Forbes.
MATI is presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis.
About MATI:
MATI (Music at the Intersection) is a civic-led effort presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. First held in 2021, the festival tells the story of St. Louis’ musical, cultural and artistic heritage. It celebrates the city’s imprint on the American songbook, as well as the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River roots. The festival aims to celebrate musical heritage, from the West African coasts to the Caribbean islands, up through the Mississippi Delta. MATI honors the giants who shaped genre and sound - across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop and rock n' roll - as it also calls up and gives platform to a new wave of artists.
For updates and additional information, visit Music at the Intersection at www.matistl.org or follow the festival on social media: Facebook (www.facebook.com/matistlouis), Twitter (www.x.com/matistl), Instagram (www.instagram.com/matistlouis) and TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@matistl).