Nothing warms my heart quite like thousands of sweaty people dancing in the hot sun to their favorite bands does. Music festivals have become a staple in the cultures of all genres of music. Fresh off of the coattails of Music Midtown in Atlanta, I have had my annual dosage of outdoor jams. Midtown boasted a monstrous lineup with the likes of John Mayer, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, RUN DMC, Iggy Azalea, Banks, Twenty One Pilots, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Eminem, just to name a few. The beautiful end-of-summer weather that dawned Piedmont Park last weekend set the tone for the amazing weekend that lied before us.
My friend Jordan, a couple of other pals, and I made our way to the event and b-lined for the Honda Stage that was about to display Banks and all of her dark and emo glory. When the gnarly performance ended I sprinted to the Electric Ballroom stage so I could have the honor of watching Run DMC kill it. (side note: ALL EXPECTATIONS WERE MET)The, now fifty, year olds tore up the stage like it was day one.
After leaving the Honda Stage, my friends and I ran to the stage on which Lorde would be performing very shortly. We watched as the sun set over the Atlanta Skyline and as fog draped the stage. All of a sudden we heard the dark beats begin and watched as Lorde dawned the stage. Her set was incredible. I wasn’t a huge Lorde fan beforehand but I can say now that you have to see her in concert! It was definitely a unique experience for sure.
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Lorde rocks the stage as she dances to her song “400 Lux”
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As Lorde’s set finished we heard a roaring crowd chant begin as John Mayer made his way to the stage across the lawn. His guitar began to sing the beginning notes to his song “Belief” and I was off sprinting across the lawn. His whole performance was impeccable, from his hit song “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” to his cover of the hit Beyoncè song “XO”. “There are still two nights left in summer so there is still a chance to say that you fell in love in the summer of 2014. You can fall in love with somebody, here, tonight. It’s still summer!” John enthusiastically spoke about his time living in Georgia and, naturally, followed it up with a performance of his song “Why Georgia." Mayer was a perfect ending to the night and one of the best shows of the weekend!
Day two arrived and my weekend warriors and I made our way to Midtown again, but this time, destination: Lana. We went to a couple of shows like Aer, The Strypes (who were AMAZING by the way), and Twenty One Pilots, but we had to cut it short in order to get a close view of Lana Del Rey’s performance that night. We made our way to the stage whilst Vic Mensa was performing and sat through his set and also watched B.o.B.’s as well. Finally, it was the time we had waited in the humid hot sun for. It was time for Lana Del Rey. She sang her infamous first notes of her song “Cola” and the crowd went nuts. She made her way down to the barricade and took pictures and selfies with all of her die hard fans. Her stage presence is so electric and her voice is on another level. She is definitely somebody that you have to see live.
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Lana mesmerizes the audience with her performance of “Summertime Sadness”
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The weekend was mind-blowing for sure. Every artist had something different to bring to the table and that is exactly what made it such a legendary weekend. I am already counting down the days until next years Music Midtown!
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The Strypes bring their European flare to Atlanta with their electric guitar jams
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Written by: Lyncoln Doggett
Photos by: Lyncoln Doggett