Cincinnati Music Festival: Charlie Wilson & Mary J. Blige – 2 Day Pass at Paycor Stadium

Cincinnati Music Festival July 23rd-25th 2026

A 3 day festival with the main concerts held on Friday and Saturday. Thursday is a Hip Hop tribute with Talib Kweli, DJ Spinderella and many more. The Friday night concert will feature the legendary Charlie Wilson, the former lead singer of The Gap Band. The Saturday night concert will feature the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. She will perform all of her hits along with other top R&B and Hip-Hop Soul artists. 

Charlie Wilson

Legendary singer Charlie Wilson will bring the high energy performances of his R&B and funk music to Paycor Stadium on Friday night as the headlining act for the opening night of the Cincinnati Music Festival. Wilson is known for his performances of such classic songs as “Charlie, Last Dance,” “There Goes My Baby,” and many more. The lead singer and guitarist of The Gap Band, Charlie Wilson is a soul singer and is widely regarded as one of the most influential soul singers of all time. He has won multiple Grammy Awards and multiple Soul Train Awards, and continues to tour and perform to crowds everywhere. 

Mary J. Blige

Get ready for Saturday night as we celebrate the return of Mary J. Blige to Cincinnati as she is sure to bring the same passion and excitement she always delivers to her fans as she blends the Hip Hop sound with her inimitable voice to deliver a mix of classics and recent hits such as ‘No More Drama’, ‘Family Affair’, ‘Be Without You’, and her classic ‘Real Love’ to name just a few. Mary J’s incredible repertoire of songs deliver high quality emotion and depth through her vibrant voice and lyrics which have garnered her multiple Grammy Awards. Recently the iconic singer and actress was even nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in the movie ‘Mudbound’. 

Nelly

At this Friday night event, Nelly will take the stage as well as receive a lot of praise from his fans. As a Grammy Award winning R&B, Soul and Hip Hop artist from St. Louis, MO, he has made a career by successfully merging multiple genres of music such as Pop, R&B and Hip Hop. Fans will enjoy songs from his diverse music library as well as several of his hits that reached the top of the Billboard charts such as ‘Hot in Herre’, ‘Dilemma’ and ‘Country Grammar’. 

Paycor Stadium Information

Paycor Stadium is a 65,515 capacity venue and is located at 1 Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH 45202-3204, in downtown Cincinnati and is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals. As an outdoor Venue it hosts entertainment events in addition to Football games at Paycor Stadium. There are 7,600 club seats as well as 114 premium suites and party decks throughout the Venue.

Guests of all ages will find that there are 56 concession stands found throughout the Venue in which they can acquire a wide array of food and drinks. Many of the high-end premium restaurants found within the Venue are open for lunch and dinner. Contact Paycor Stadium by calling (513) 455-4800 for more information.

places to park your car

Advance parking passes are on sale. A number of garages and lots throughout downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offer parking with shuttle service to festival venues.

Ticket Purchase Information

Tickets for this event are currently being offered for purchase starting at $142 for the 2 day pass event. These tickets can be purchased for this upcoming festival online through Ticket Squeeze or at the venue’s box office. To place an order for your tickets for this highly anticipated and extremely popular festival click the link to “buy tickets” and be redirected to the Ticket Squeeze website.