MATI MUSIC AT THE INTERSECTION 09.12-09.14

Sept 12-14, MATI (Music at the Intersection) Festival and Conference returns for its fifth year with a diverse, roots-inspired and decades-spanning artist lineup. 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. See the full lineup at MATIstl.org. 

MATI weekend – now expanded to three days, Sept 12-14 – features more than 100 national, regional and St. Louis-based performances and presentations across 19 stages and venues throughout Grand Center Arts District’s festival footprint – with Washington Avenue being the main activation area. Weekend and single-day passes are available at MATIstl.org. 

FESTIVAL PASSES

All MATI Main Stages passholders will have access to indoor restrooms, expanded seating, lounge areas, shade structures and curated food and beverage options. 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. Weekend (Sept 12-14) and single-day MATI Main Stages passes are available at MATIstl.org. MATI is donating $10 from each MATI pass to 4theVille for St. Louis tornado relief.

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. Join the MATI Movement at MATIstl.org 

2025 FOOTPRINT AND PROGRAMMING

Headliner performances will take place across four MATI Main Stages: The Big Top, The Sovereign (3300 Washington Avenue), Field Stage and Sophie’s Artist Lounge. The former Washington Avenue stage is being removed to create a barrier free, fully-connected Grand Center walking experience. 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.

Additionally, MATI is activating more than a dozen stages and venues throughout Grand Center and Locust Business District, called MATI Places. Access to all MATI Places is included with a MATI Main Stages pass. 

For those looking for a lower barrier to entry – to experience the festive atmosphere, support a favorite St. Louis-based artist or poet, attend the conference, or participate in a community workshop – MATI Places ONLY single-day passes are available for $20.

MATI Places include Central Stage, High Low, Jazz St. Louis, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, The Dark Room, The Key (3221-3225 Olive), Work & Leisure x Kre8 Space, and .ZACK, as well as non-ticketed, publicly-accessible spaces including CAM (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis), Counterpublic, Golden Gems and Hidden Gem, Metro Theater, The Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Sally’s Rooftop Garden, and Strauss Park. Programming at MATI Places includes a wide variety of community curations: everything from musical performances, DJ sets, poetry slams and family-friendly raves to rooftop yoga, artist workshops, industry panels and keynote speakers.

ARTISTS AND ACTIVATIONS BY DAY

MATI weekend features more than 100 national, regional and St. Louis-based performances and presentations across 19 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.

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.

Since its inception, 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.

For updates and additional information, visit Music at the Intersection at 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).

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