This past weekend Atlanta brought back the Music Midtown festival. Headliners such as the Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam, among many others, graced the stage to the wild enthusiasm of their many fans, who completely packed Piedmont Park for the sold-out weekend of performances.
I (Heaven) arrived right when the gates opened on Friday, after riding the MARTA for the first time, and tried to get a front row seat to see Joann Jett and the Blackhearts. Fantastic even at the age of 54, Joan Jett embodied all the unabashed boldness of her youth as she and the band blazed through her hits “Bad Reputation” and “Do You Want to Touch Me?” As one of Friday’s earlier acts, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts delivered an energetic introduction to what was shaping up to be an excellent weekend of music.
Friday was eventful as I attempted to dodge beer spills and tried not to get trampled by the crowd that Van Hunt, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, T.I., The Avett Brothers and the Foo Fighters attracted. Even though all of these bands sounded wonderful, I was most excited for the Foo Fighters’ performance. I stood in the same spot for a few hours just because I didn’t want to give up my spot where I could see the stage perfectly. I ended up standing next to a fellow Mercerian whom I had just met that day which was a nice coincidence. By the time Foo Fighters came onstage, the wait was worth it. Their sound was, of course, amazing, and their two-hour set crowned the night with pieces including “These Days,” “All My Life” and “Walk.” They topped it off with the ballad “Everlong.”
Saturday was just as hectic, but still an enjoyable day. The event featured a greater variety of bands such as Garbage, Neon Trees, Ludacris, Adam Ant, Florence + the Machine and Pearl Jam. It was great to see Garbage after their six-year hiatus.
Neon Trees did great for being one of the newer bands on the line-up. Lead singer Tyler Glenn was full of life, which made it a fun show to watch and dance to. Florence + the Machine, which was one of my favorites, did an amazing job even if the lead singer seemed a little out of it. Their performance was plagued with technical difficulties. When they finally began, the band delivered one of the best performances of the night.
Pearl Jam was obviously the main attraction of the night with a sold-out show of about 52,000 people. The sheer volume of people in the park was insane but amazing to see. Even though the festival had its share of drunk and rude people it was definitely something that I would attend again, and it was a great opportunity to see bands that don’t perform very often.
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