Hey everyone!
Food, booze, a few thousand people, and MUSIC!!! All of this with the backdrop of the midtown Atlanta skyline. This is what defined Music Midtown 2012.
With festivals becoming an even more attractive way for many people to see great artists in one space, Music Midtown’s reappearance in Atlanta could not have come at a better time last year. This year’s festival started off without a hitch. The weather was beautiful, and the people all had one thing in common: We all wanted to hear good live music. Music Midtown pulled in quite a few people to see acts ranging from Atlanta’s own T.I. to Garbage. Food stands were ample, and with people selling beer throughout the crowds, alcohol could be acquired pretty much wherever one was standing. There was no shortage of spirits in general, with a wine garden and margarita stands peppered around the park. Vendors sold art and crafts, as the music played at all times. As for music, the performances did not disappoint. Musical acts performed one at a time, alternating between the Electric Ballroom stage, and the Great Music Hall stage. While it may have been nice to have more stages spread out through the park, it was nice to be able to see every act if you so desired.
Day one’s acts included T.I., who although somewhat censored, gave a great performance. The Avett Brothers provided some great mixed tempo tunes, along with awesome musicality and beautiful harmonies as the sun set. My favorite act of the night, the Foo Fighters played to a massive crowd, which stretched from the stage to the back gate. The performance held some surprises for the audience, including an impromptu performance of Bad Reputation with Joan Jett, as well as an unplanned change in the set-list in response to very special singing from the audience. All-in-all, day one ended with a bang!
The second day of Music Midtown brought much bigger crowds and more beautiful weather. As Garbage rocked out under clear and sunny skies, Ludacris prepared for his upcoming show. He did take some time to sit down with reporters, where we asked him whether there were any up-and-coming artists that he thought we should be looking out for. The Georgia rapper said to keep an eye out for new group, Untitled, which is signed under his own Disturbing Tha Peace label. Luda later took the stage, and gave a crowd-pleasing performance of all of the chart-topping hits of his career. Shortly after, Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine had people singing along and dancing to her powerful voice, while Girl Talk kept the dancing going past nightfall. The final performance was given by Pearl Jam who played to Saturday’s entire sold-out crowd. Eddie Vedder was stronger than ever, and led the band and the festival to a glorious end.
From the energetic masses to the beautiful midtown skyline, Music Midtown 2012 was a wonderful experience! Now, all that we the people of Atlanta can do is anxiously await next year’s festivities, and hope for yet another success.
~EDB
(photo credit to CatMax Photography)