This past weekend, 30 artists and an estimated 70,000 people convened in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park for Music Midtown, a two-day, multi-genre music festival. The event included acts from Atlanta natives like Future (who brought along his son, Prince, and Young Thug for his performance), lesser known artists like Lizzo, a plus sized artist who promotes self-love and feminism in her music and employs an almost all female crew for her performances, and long time favorites like 1990s act Weezer, who performed a list of their classic hits and a few covers of more recent songs, including Outkast’s “Hey Ya.” Music Midtown is Atlanta’s premier music festival and this weekend’s event rocked. From start to finish, there was excitement in every show we saw and the mood was electric. VOX reporters Kaylynn and Evie took on the festival and reported on the hits and take-aways.
Kaylynn: Honestly, I don’t think there’s a such thing as a bad show at Music Midtown. All of the artists, even the lesser known ones, come with such energy and talent that it’s hard not to like them, even if they’re not an act that would usually be on your radar. My favorite show was probably Weezer since I’m a huge fan. One band that I discovered and now really like is COIN, a pop rock act from Nashville, Tennessee. Their lead singer, curly blonde haired Chase Lawrence, was an awesome, high energy performer and their songs were super catchy. They remind me a bit of The 1975, in both music and aesthetics. The one thing I’m disappointed about, however, is missing when Tove Lo, singer of “High,” who flashed the audience during her show. But she apparently does that during every show so I’ll just have to catch her the next time she’s in Atlanta.
Evie: I have to agree with Kaylynn that every show was exciting, but a big moment for me was definitely seeing Massachusetts-based rock trio PVRIS. I’ve followed their music for years, and even seen them live before, but the atmosphere at Music Midtown was totally different. With the crowd jumping and screaming in the sunlight, it was so much more intense. Later in the afternoon, I saw a clumps of people just relaxing on the shady sides of hills, enjoying the more chill sounds of a distant performance, and I think that’s a great way to get your energy back up for the evening concerts.
Music Midtown was everything we expected to be, and sometimes a little more. There was an insane amount of people, a plethora of great acts, and the weather was great, unlike last year. The level of stage effects, talent, and obvious customer satisfaction made the festival amazing. The bar is certainly set high for Music Midtown 2018!
Kaylynn and Evie are both seniors attending Atlanta International School.
Photos by Kaylynn Parks
