Saturday gallery featuring Hippo Campus, Middle Kids, Ron Gallo, Cage the Elephant. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and Snoop Dog.
Sunday gallery featuring Future Thieves, Mondo Cozmo, The Record Company, Lizzo, Noname, and Weezer.
A glimpse at the perfect weather at Loufest
Nashville based quartet Future Thieves have been working the last couple of years on a follow up to their debut album Horizon Line, out in 2015. The band kicked off the second day of Loufest at The Enterprise Stage to the early festival goers by performing a lot of their new songs off the upcoming record. Their newest single "Sucker" got the crowd grooving early on in the day with it's catchy chorus perfect for driving with the windows down on a summer day...or a music festival. Stay tuned for our interview with the group to hear more about the sound on their new record and when we can expect the new music!
Future Thieves lead singer Elliot Collett performing on The Enterprise Stage
Josh Ostrander, AKA Mondo Cozmo, has played just about every major US festival this summer. He played Lollapalooza last month the day his debut album Plastic Soul came out, and Lou Fest marked his 17th festival, according to his Twitter. Despite the constant stream of performances and ongoing tour this year, Ostrander and his band always manage to put on an engaging and high energy performance, and somehow Ostrander always has the energy to talk to fans afterwards. During his early afternoon set yesterday, he announced that he'd be swinging by the artist signing area later that day even though it hadn't been planned. His humble and genuine nature makes his shows that much more enjoyable to watch, and it doesn't look like his momentum will be slowing down anytime soon!
Mondo Cozmo on The Enterprise Stage
Noname performed to a packed audience in the middle of the afternoon on The BMI stage, receiving some of the loudest applause I've seen all weekend. While she performed her songs with her distinct cadence, the crowd's eyes remained glued to the stage, filled with awe and appreciation of the rapper. Noname made me proud to be from Chicago with her incredible performance, and she also showed off her own Chicago pride by shouting out Saba and Kanye at different points. Noname added some laughs to her set when she said "Kanye is a genius. Very problematic, but genius." Noname's own set, however, remained unproblematic and strictly genius. It's only a matter of time before she'll be playing even bigger stages at festivals across the country.
Noname taking over the BMI/Tunespeak Stage
Lizzo's evening set at The BMI Stage packed in so much good that it's impossible to pick just one standout moment. The energy soared to an all time high for day 2 when her backup dancers and DJ hit the stage. As Lizzo and her crew entranced the crowd for the next hour, Lizzo never shied away from using her platform on the stage to promote positivity. From having the crowd recite T-Pain and sing "You can do it all by yourself" back to her to promote being independent and fierce to preaching self-love, Lizzo was full of encouragement. She also took the time to promote unity across the country, urging the "predominantly white" audience to beat the system and not to judge everyone with a different skin color. While spreading these powerful messages, Lizzo also had a ton of fun...chugging tequila on stage and dancing with her crew. An all around feel-good and empowering show, Lizzo's set stood out as the top show all day.
Lizzo and her ladies at the BMI/Tunespeak Stage
In addition to covering the beloved "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, Weezer rocked the closing set of the weekend right out of the gate. Opening with "Hash Pipe," the sprawling crowd all echoed the words of the early 2000's song, and they continued the sing along throughout the set. Then, only a few songs in, Weezer played their own rock version of the hit "Hey Ya!" that had the crowd dancing even more than they already were. The music veterans also performed new song "Mexican Fender," which they just released last month, all while having enticing visuals and a great light show to accompany all of the hits. The lights, the classic songs, and the chemistry that the band displayed as performers made Weezer's set a close second to Lizzo's.
Weezer closing out The Budlight Stage
Joseph took the stage at 1:30 PM on Friday, right in the wee hours of the afternoon, as the crowd slowly trickled into the festival grounds to get acquainted with the lay of the land and the hidden gems of the festival. The Portland, Oregon-based Joseph immediately drew in the eager crowd with their tantalizing harmonies. The fact that the band consists of three sisters definitely plays a hand in the way that their vocals mesh so well, but besides the harmonies, all three sisters gave a stellar vocal performance. Their boundless talent impressed the early afternoon crowd to say the least.
Courtesy of Hangout Music Festival
Known to never disappoint with his live performances, Mac DeMarco warmed up the festival crowd for the nighttime sets with some of his familiar antics. After his trademark move of smoking cigarettes while performing multiple songs, DeMarco closed out his incredible set by stage diving during the last song, "Still Together." To top that epic moment, when he returned to the stage, he ripped off his own shirt with his bare hands, finishing the song sans shirt. Oh, and his drummer played the whole set in his underwear.
PS. Check out our Instagram story for a video of the stage dive.
Courtesy of Hangout Music Festival
Singer-songwriter Barns Courtney drew an eager and friendly crowd during his evening set at the BMI Stage, which happened to be clashing with MGMT. During his popular tune "Glitter & Gold" Courtney got the receptive crowd to sing the chorus back to him. The track came a few songs into his set, and after exerting his energy in the humid Alabama temperatures, Courtney took a tune-and-talk break, telling the crowd "I'm a sweaty little bitch." If you've ever been to a Barns Courtney show, you know you can expect some laughs betweens songs.
Courtesy of Hangout Music Festival
As the sun began to set during MGMT's viral hit "Electric Feel," at least a dozen blowup sharks were released into the crowd at the Hangout Stage. The crowd had already been exuding positive vibes during the set, but the energy skyrocketed during this surprise addition to MGMT's show. The additional fun fit right in with the vibes of this beach festival.
Courtesy of Hangout Music Festival
A few songs into Weezer's nighttime set, I overheard a fellow festival-goer exclaim that Weezer was the best set of the day, and I'd have to agree. The music vets took the stage with an air of rock and roll poise that comes from years and years of making and performing music. In addition to the sense of ease and comfort that flowed between the band members, their set consisted of hit after hit, the crowd singing along to nearly every word from their opening song "Hash Pipe" to their final song, "Buddy Holly." Oh, and lead singer Rivers Cuomo totally rocked a bucket hat while delivering every hit.
Courtesy of Hangout Music Festival
Night one concluded with Phoenix delivering an incredible comeback set in support of their first album since 2013. Their appearance at the festival came as last minute addition when Frank Ocean dropped out of his headline slot a week prior to the festival, citing production delays. Phoenix's energetic and fun-filled show contained a mix of older and new songs that kept the crowd moving, almost making up for the pain of Frank dropping out.
Courtesy of Hangout Music Festival
