The festival runs September 17 to 19
By Jason R. Latham
With its musical guests locked in, the 2021 Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival is unveiling its lineup of buzzworthy, and wonderfully subversive, comedic talent for its “The Kicker: Comedy and More” program. At the top of the list: 2020 breakthrough Sarah Cooper.
The comedienne, who shot to fame with all-too-real lip-sync impressions of one-time President Donald Trump, has been working nonstop since the world first took notice of her TikTok feed. Cooper’s Life is Beautiful booking comes on the heels of numerous talk show appearances (including a guest hosting gig on Jimmy Kimmel Live), a Netflix special, Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine, her own 2021 day calendar, Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, and an avalanche of accolades that includes Breakthrough Entertainer of the Year honors by the Associated Press and a place on Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch list.
Also on “The Kicker” lineup: the stars of the Sibling Rivalry podcast, Bob the Drag Queen and Monet X Change; Ziwerekoru “Ziwe” Fumudoh; Sam Jay; Nico Santos; Whitmer Thomas; Annie Lederman; Rachel Sennott; Marcella Arguello; and Brady Matthews. Comedians Trevor Wallace and Jackie Schimmel will also record live episodes of their respective podcasts, Stiff Socks and The Bitch Bible.
“The Kicker” stage is located at Vegas Venue within the Life is Beautiful festival grounds, a massive 18-block segment of Downtown Las Vegas. After the comedy talent takes their turn, festival organizers will transform “The Kicker” into what’s described as “every millennial’s dream party” with nightly themes that include the 1990s, Y2K, and Emo Night dance parties.Life is Beautiful tickets sold out quickly after going on sale in March, but eager fans can try to find a way in through the waitlist and verified ticket exchange. The festival runs September 17 to 19 with a concert lineup featuring Billie Eilish, Green Day, Ludacris, Modest Mouse, HAIM, Megan Thee Stallion, and A$AP Rocky, among others. The complete lineup and schedule of performances can be viewed on the festival’s website.