Getting to know Firefly's 5 headliners

When headliners prepare to strut onto the main stage at Firefly Music Festival later this week, the pressure will be on.

Not only will there be up to 90,000 people looking back at them, but nearly all of the festival 's 10 other stages will be dark, giving the festival's full attention to the big-name acts.

In the crowd, anticipation will be palpable as super-fans jockey for spots along the rail and more casual observers stream to the stage from across the grounds, ready to be wowed.

If you ask Firefly diehards what their favorite musical moments have been, a headliner is most likely involved. Maybe it was Paul McCartney's fireball-assisted, knock-out nostalgia buffet or Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters running into the crowd and chugging a fan's beer?

This time around, Firefly has five headliners for the first time and three are slated for a super-sized Saturday. (The festival runs Thursday June 15- Sunday June 18 in The Woodlands near Dover International Speedway. Both four-day, $309-$2,499, and single-day, $89-$249, passes are still available.)

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With the biggest of the festival's 140-plus acts ranging from a 76-year-old rock legend to a 24-year-old rapper taking hip hop by storm, it's time to get to know (or get reacquainted) with the headliners before they shake it under the stars.  

FRIDAY, 10:45  P.M.

Act: Twenty One Pilots

Genre: Rock/hip hop/pop mash-up

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Years active: 8

Biggest single: "Heathens"

Breakthrough album: "Vessel" from 2013 peaked at No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard charts, leading to the success of 2015's "Blurryface," their No. 1 follow-up.

Grammy hardware: They won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the song "Stressed Out" earlier this year. 

In the news: After the May terrorist attack in Manchester, England, the duo released a video message paying their respects. "Since the beginning of our journey, music venues have become a second home to us. We felt first-hand the power of live music in the UK and in this city, Manchester. We know nothing's ever going to take that away. We stand with Manchester,” drummer Josh Dun said.

First time at Firefly? They performed in 2013 and 2014.

SATURDAY, 8:30 P.M.

Act: Bob Dylan

Genre: Rock/folk

Hometown: Born in Minnesota; lives in California.

Age: 76

Years active: 55

Biggest single: "Like a Rolling Stone"

Breakthrough album: "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" from 1963 -- packed with now-iconic folk tunes such as "Blowin' in the Wind," "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" -- put Dylan on the charts for the first time.

Grammy hardware: The bard has earned 10 Grammy Awards, most recently taking home the Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album for "Modern Times" in 2007.

In the news: Audio of Dylan's much-anticipated Nobel Prize lecture was released last week, allowing fans to hear his 30-minute speech, which touched on his musical influences and the literary works that helped form his own songs. He closed by saying, "Our songs are alive in the land of the living. But songs are unlike literature. They're meant to be sung, not read. The words in Shakespeare's plays were meant to be acted on the stage. Just as lyrics in songs are meant to be sung, not read on a page. And I hope some of you get the chance to listen to these lyrics the way they were intended to be heard: in concert or on record or however people are listening to songs these days. I return once again to Homer, who says, "Sing in me, oh Muse, and through me tell the story."

First time at Firefly? Yes

SATURDAY, 11 P.M.

Act: The Weeknd

Genre: R&B/pop

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Age: 27

Years active: 7

Biggest single: "Starboy" off November's release of the same name.

Breakthrough album: In 2015, "Beauty Behind the Madness" and its smash single "Can't Feel My Face" put The Weeknd on track to being a festival headliner. 

Grammy hardware: None

In the news: Earlier this month, The Weeknd donated $100,000 to the Suubi Health Center, a Ugandan maternity and children’s medical facility. It was made in support of Moroccan rapper French Montana's #Unforgettable dance challenge campaign to benefit the center.

First time at Firefly? Yes

SUNDAY, 12:30 A.M.

Act: Chance the Rapper

Genre: Hip hop

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Age: 24

Years active: 6

Biggest single: "No Problem" featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz from last year's "Coloring Book" mixtape.

Breakthrough album: The critically-acclaimed 2013 mixtape "Acid Rap" put this socially conscious rapper on the map, but last year's "Coloring Book" made him a star.

Grammy hardware: Chance took home three awards in February, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance. In the process, he trumped some of music's biggest names who were also nominated, such as Kanye West and Drake.

In the news: Last week, Chance announced that his Chicago-based non-profit SocialWorks is teaming up with audio engineering start-up LANDR to offer audio mastering classes to 75 children this summer.

First time at Firefly? He performed in 2014.

SUNDAY, 9:15 P.M.

Act: Muse

Genre: Rock

Hometown: Devon, England

Years active: 23

Biggest single: In terms of the U.S. charts, "Uprising" peaked at No. 37 in 2009.

Breakthrough album: While the power trio caught ears with their 1999 debut "Showbiz, it was their follow-up -- "Origin of Symmetry" -- that really blew the Brits out of the water for the first time.

Grammy hardware: Two – Best Rock Album ("The Resistance") in 2011 and again in the same category last year for "Drones."

In the news: With a new album not slated until 2018, Matt Bellamy & Co. gave fans an appetizer last week in the form of a new song ("Dig Down") from the as-of-yet untitled upcoming record.

First time at Firefly? Yes

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU GO

What: Firefly Music Festival

When: June 15-18

Where: The Woodlands near Dover International Speedway, Dover

Tickets: Four-day passes ($309-$2,499) and single-day passes ($89-$249)

Information: fireflyfestival.com