Festival organizers have made the first announcement about the 2008 City Stages lineup. Acts playing on nine stages in downtown Birmingham June 13, 14 & 15 include:

Diana Ross
The Flaming Lips
Old Crow Medicine Show
The Roots
Buddy Guy
Citizen Cope
Sean Kingston
Galactic
Marc Broussard
Ledisi
Dave Barnes
Will Hoge
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Israel & New Breed
Martha Munizzi
Toubab Krewe
Fredy Omar Con Su Banda
L’Angelus
Rosie Ledet
Michael Warren
Jon Black
Ford Turrell
Act Of Congress
Blues Old Stand
Beyond Me
The Basement
Within Reason

Weekend passes for City Stages will go on sale in May.

The 2008 festival marks the first time that Knoxville, Tenn.,-based A.C. Entertainment, which co-produces the wildly successful Bonnaroo Music & Arts festival, has handled booking talent for City Stages. Bonnaroo takes place the same weekend as City Stages and acts that perform at the Manchester, Tenn., festival sign a non-compete clause that precludes them from playing both festivals. While having A.C. Entertainment involved in City Stages won’t eliminate the non-compete clause, it does connect the Birmingham festival with a significant talent pool: Musicians who already have a working relationship with Bonnaroo organizers.

Popularity: 47% [?]