It’s a surreal experience at festivals to see thousands of people flock to a main stage to see an artist you’ve intimately known in your own time and space. It puts you in a position to really think about the impact artists have on culture and the world around us. Something that often goes unnoticed in everyday life, but not on the farm! It’s strangely exciting to see thousands of people sing and dance to the same music that influences your own groove. There’s a kind of comfort in knowing so many people can connect via a common interest in a particular artist while also being hot and sweaty.
Here’s who we saw Friday:
Moon Taxi
Remember when these guys played Forecastle 2013? They were on a smaller stage, but still attracted a decent crowd with their catchy tunes. They came back the following year to play Waterfront Wednesday and a late night Forecastle show at Mercury Ballroom. There’s love for the progressive jam band in Louisville and also here at the Roo. Friday afternoon, Moon Taxi played a main stage performance and captivated the large audience in the same way they did back in 2013 at Forecastle. They’re just fun to watch and dance to. Lots of movement on stage and jamming out. Oh, and the throwing of hundreds of silver balloons into the crowd, that's fun too. It’s clear these guys are all about having a good time and making sure their fans do too.
Sylvan Esso
I know, you’re asking yourself “Where can I find those shoes?”. While I can’t tell you the location of another pair, I can tell you the woman wearing them is well worth the listen if you haven’t already heard them on 91.9 WFPK. A two-person compilation that fills the space with a unique combination of funky electronic beats and soft, folk-like vocals. Amelia Meath (vocals) and Nick Sanborn (electronics) released a self-titled album only last year, but have managed to gather quite a following after there single "Coffee". Meath uses her vocals with the beats as if it were an instrument; meshing lyric with music. I'm always slightly worried that a combination like this won't go over well live, but it was quite the opposite here. In fact, they may be better live. Meath has a certain stage presence that adds so much more to the music. You can't help but to think "man, she's cool".
Alabama Shakes
While it was exciting to see these guys headlining a festival like Bonnaroo, it is also a challenging to get close to headlining artists unless you’re willing to wait for lengthy amounts of time or fight your way through crowds. So from a far all you can really do is do what you’re suppose to do, enjoy and appreciate the free flowing music. Even behind several thousand people Brittany Howard's soulful voice made its way back to me and soothed my festival spirit. It was a pleasure to share that listening experience with so many other people, but I’m excited to catch them in a more intimate setting at Iroquois Amphitheater in July.
