Music Midtown Day 2: A sold-out musical slam dunk
People rockin' in the free world at Music Midtown. All photos: Hyosub Shin/AJC
We can officially stop wondering if Music Midtown is back.
If you have a sold out crowd of more than 50,000 in Piedmont Park then yes, it’s an unqualified success.
Though Peter Conlon, president of Live Nation Atlanta, the promoter that produced the event, could have been doing a shout-from-the-rooftops victory lap at the end of the night, he simply noted that the “better-than-anticipated success” of this year’s event “has re-established Music Midtown as one of the country’s top festivals.”
While Friday’s lineup packed the park with sets from Joan Jett, T.I., The Avett Brothers and Foo Fighters, among others, the mass of humanity that endured Saturday’s sweaty temperatures (first day of fall? Ha!) for 10 hours of music had an even broader spectrum to sample.
Here’s a rundown in case you missed it or want to relive it. And also, let us know below what you thought of this year’s Music Midtown.
O’Brother:
“This has been an incredible experience,” singer Tanner Merritt said to the early-comers congregated at the Great Southeast Music Hall Stage. “We’re not used to playing in broad daylight. I think we’re much scarier this way.”
Merritt is so soft-spoken and boyish-looking that his aggressive vocals throughout the band’s 30-minute set took a moment to get used to hearing.
Though the Lawrenceville-based band might not have appealed to a mainstream audience with heavy, guitar-driven songs such as “Machines Part 1 and 2,” they’re currently riding an impressive wave with their new EP, “Basement Window.”
After their set, drummer Michael Martens, bassist Anton Dang and guitarist Johnny Dang humbly noted how excited they were to play a festival that they used to pay to attend themselves and also about the band’s continued escalation.
“Things keep happening to us in the past year that are like, wow,” Anton Dang said. “Our dream was to play the Tabernacle and we did that last year, so it was a dream come true.”
The band mentioned that they’ll head to Australia for a tour next year, “Which is insane to us,” Dang remarked.
Civil Twilight:
The South African outfit fronted by brothers Steven McKellar on bass and Andrew McKellar on guitar (plus Richard Wouters on drums) presented an impressive set that ranged from the insinuating groove and wonky guitar effects of “Move/Stay” to the soaring “River,” accented by Steven McKellar’s acoustic guitar.
The highlight of the group’s 30-minute set, though, was the cumbersomely titled “Every Walk That I’ve Ever Taken Has Been in Your Direction,” a song that started with a bit of drum sequencing, then surged into a bit of grandness, with Steven McKellar showcasing skills learned from the School of Bono.
L.P.
While I sadly didn’t get to catch all if L.P.’s set because of a timing conflict to chat with O’Brother, I did hear enough of the fabulously unconventional Laura Pergolizzi to keep her performance fresh in my mind after nearly 12 hours of other music.
Known for her songwriting skills with work for artists such as Rihanna and Christina Aguilera, L.P. is like a current-day Linda Perry, a background talent who is quirky and interesting enough to deserve her own spotlight.
The title track of her spring release, “Into the Wild,” was alternately poppy and sweet, but it was her powerful take on Beyonce’s “Halo,” with upright bass and strings, that truly resonated.
Garbage:
Shirley Manson walked onstage, arms overhead, hair in a tight knot, shades on, and rammed into “Supervixen.” A few minutes later, Steve Marker’s serrated guitar sliced through the gloss of “I Think I’m Paranoid,” drummer Butch Vig slamming the skins in the background, and Garbage was off on an hourlong tear.
“It’s good to see you, Atlanta,” the ever-enigmatic Manson said, somehow still looking cool in a black ensemble despite the searing sun (and yes, it was odd seeing Manson, with her luminescent skin, performing in daylight).
Though the band has a solid new album (“Not Your Kind of People”) to promote, they packed plenty of ‘90s nostalgia into their set, including “Stupid Girl,” which featured an underlying keyboard that sounded like Donna Summer’s “I Fee l Love.”
Throughout the band’s set, Manson paced the stage like a panther, turning sultry and playful for “Queer” and semi-jokingly taking a front-row fan to task for possibly watching a football game during Garbage’s set.
“We’re all multi-tasking!” she exclaimed, leading into the new “Automatic Systematic Habit.”
Manson might give off a coolly remote vibe, but she’s actually quite a warm presence, at one point thanking fans for their loyalty as well as all of their “ridiculous tweets.”
Adam Ant:
After giving one look to Ant in his ridiculous Johnny Depp in “Pirates of the Caribbean” getup it would be simple to write him off as a kook (and apparently someone without sweat glands).
And maybe he is.
But he’s a kook who sounded punchy on throwbacks “Stand and Deliver” and “Desperate but Not Serious.”
Backed by his band, dubbed “The Good, The Mad and The Lovely Posse,” a visually entertaining bunch including a pair of drummers, Ant sauntered through “Kings of the Wild Frontier” (“Every time I sing this song it’s like the first time I sang it,” he said), the title track of his 1980 album with the Ants.
Then he jumped forward to 1995 and his last semi-hit, the underappreciated midtempo love song, “Wonderful.”
But most in this crowd – at least the ones older than 25 – wanted to hear those New Wave classics and Ant obliged.
“Strip,” always a better song than the ubiquitous “Goody Two Shoes” (and that hasn’t changed in nearly three decades), glided along on its cheeky chorus, while “Antmusic” and, of course, “Goody,” flourished with additional percussion.
Ant has a new album arriving next year. Hopefully he’ll add a return to Atlanta to his itinerary.
Ludacris:
Before his set, the Atlanta rapper, clad in his stage uniform of black tank top with USA across the front, black shorts and also headphones around his neck, professed genuine excitement not only to be playing a festival in his adopted hometown, but also that he had a full hour to perform and could pull from his eight-album catalog.
Backed by a full band, Luda asked the by-then-sold-out crowd, “Are you ready to party tonight?”
Snippets of his high-profile work with others – Usher’s “Yeah,” Enrique Iglesias’ “Tonight I’m Loving You” (the clean version) and Fergie’s “Glamorous” – were interspersed with his own material.
The agreeable crowd put their hands in the air, waved them like they just didn’t care and followed Luda’s other cheerful instructions on tracks such as “What’s Your Fantasy” and “Stand Up.”
His fluidity as a rapper can never be overstated – he’s like verbal liquid when he gets going – but what made Ludacris’ set even more enjoyable was his obvious glee at performing.
Neon Trees:
(From my editor and helper extraordinaire, Jamila Robinson)
It’s fitting that “Animal” is one of alt-rockers Neon Trees’ hits because lead singer Tyler Glenn tries to fall squarely into that role. The magnetic front man launched into the band’s set just moments after Ludacris left the opposite Electric Ballroom stage, kicking with “1983 and “Mad Love.”
“We’re one of the newer bands, so we’re happy just to be on the bill with names like Adam Ant and Pearl Jam,” Glenn told the crowd humbly. But he proceeded to show how why the group could hold its own with the other acts. Glenn knows how to use his charisma and how to control the soulful howl in his powerful voice – as if he were channeling Freddie Mercury.
This was especially evident in “How Long ’til Your Surrender” – on of the few ballads we heard all day – and “Love and Affection.” Plus, Glenn isn’t afraid to play with a crowd, from the moshing he did in the pit, to the humorous hand-jive gestures he showed on stage.
Florence and the Machine:
Florence Welch is such an imposing figure that the thought of her getting flustered seems an impossibility. But something funky happened at the beginning of the band’s set that stuck with her until the end.
“It was a scary start to the show, but you made me feel so welcome,” she told the massive throng at the end of her hour-and-15-minute show.
Leading up to that, though, the riveting Welch led the Machine through their ethereal, artsy Brit pop with her soaring voice on songs that escalated into furious crescendos.
Her heavenly backup singers added beautiful depth to “Raise it Up,” and she decided to run barefoot into the audience during the galloping “Spectrum.”
There is something uniquely regal about Welch, with her crimson hair, ruffled clothes and distinctive voice, which echoed through Piedmont Park.
“This is for all of your hangovers tomorrow,” she joked, leading into “Shake it Out,” a glass-like pop song that built into a frenzy of screaming lights.
Naturally, she ended her commanding set with “Dog Days Are Over,” which had the super-sized crowd twirling and swirling.
Girl Talk:
There isn’t much to say about mashup artist Gregg Michael Gillis.
Either you were riveted by his highly adrenalized mixes of such interesting combos as The Ramones (“Blitzkreig Bop”) and Missy Elliott (“Get UR Freak On”) with snippets of Aerosmith (“Sweet Emotion”), General Public (“Tenderness”), Beyonce (“Single Ladies”) and Beck (“Loser”) all making ADD-like appearances. Or you took the opportunity during his set to grab a snack or a beer.
Gillis makes the most out of a genre that really isn’t suited for 50,000-plus people in a park prepared to enjoy rock, pop and rap, by adding skillful and colorful multimedia and crowding the stage with dozens of fans to equate the scene to a club environment.
Frankly, Gillis’ performance would have been better-suited to next week’s CounterPoint Festival, but points to Music Midtown organizers for including dance music in this year’s diverse mix.
Pearl Jam:
With the boom of Matt Cameron’s kick drum, Pearl Jam lunged into a two-hour set that rivaled Friday night’s Foo Fighters’ headlining slot in intensity and audience enjoyment.
Seconds earlier, frontman Eddie Vedder and the rest of the band trotted on stage, Vedder clutching a folder (likely) full of lyrics and a bottle of something, which he swigged from throughout the show.
Though Vedder looks perpetually angst-ridden, it’s easy to confuse those furrowed brows and angry spitting with passion, which is really what he was exhibiting.
After unfurling a tight “Animal,” Vedder grabbed an acoustic guitar, gave high praise to Florence and the Machine, told the crowd not to be afraid to express themselves during the performance, and strummed the introspective “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.”
On the high-octane numbers, such as the fast and furious “Better Man,” Vedder frequently leaped and whirled, seemingly overtaken by the music.
Guitarist Stone Gossard cranked the intro to “Even Flow” (somewhat unbelievably now 20 years old), which bubbled into a volcano of sound, before Vedder urged the audience to remember to vote – or at least register to vote – and the band dove into a growly take on The Clash’s “Know Your Rights.”
With “Supersonic” and the ageless “Jeremy” making the cut, it’s doubtful fans – many of whom parked themselves in front-of-the-stage spots hours before Pearl Jam arrived – could have been disappointed.
Even producer Brendan O’Brien, who worked on many of the band’s songs recorded in Atlanta, received a shout out from Vedder.
In fact, Music Midtown as a whole was executed surprisingly smoothly given the number of moving parts involved and likely left attendees “Rockin’ in the Free World” several hours later.
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106 comments Add your comment
JDubbs
September 23rd, 2012
3:02 pm
Pretty gross not having any hand sanitizer stations in bathrooms or outside of em.
2nd stack of speakers in back would have been nice as well.
Cry Babies
September 23rd, 2012
3:11 pm
I can’t believe people are complaining. Blah blah blah. Just stfu and enjoy the damn music. If all you people are gonna do is complain then go elsewhere. It was a great show. If you were smart you hunted for a shorter bathroom line… found one was less than 10 min. If you don’t wana put up with the stuff then STAY HOME!! Fregin haters man!! Call the whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaambluance!!!
Edward
September 23rd, 2012
3:17 pm
Wait, you go to an outdoor festival in a park and you complain that the portable ATMs run out of money? Did you not realize that you were going to an outdoor festival IN A PARK before you got there? Really?? And do you also not realize that when it comes to bathroom facilities, you’re at an outdoor festival IN A PARK? You people need to stay in the clubs, you don’t belong outside with real people.
Nathan
September 23rd, 2012
3:31 pm
Was the writer even at the same show as I was on Saturday? I’ve never even heard of Girl Talk and was absolutely blown away! This is why I love Music Midtown. Just with Young the Giant last year. I’ve been a life long Pearl Jam fan, and haven’t seen them live since the mid 90s. I was quite excited, but ended up being sorely disappointed. The energy was terrible. The songs were well performed, but the “performance” itself stunk. Who was running the sound board? How in the world did Garbage sound better than Pearl Jam? The overall festival was fantastic minus the horrible toilets and Pearl Jam. Foo Fighters were absolutely the best!
Vaughn
September 23rd, 2012
3:49 pm
Typical Atlanta management: Do everything as cheaply as possible and forget about how to serve the customers. It happens every time something comes here (Olympics, Final Four, Super Bowl, etc.). No wonder nobody likes coming here.
Tom
September 23rd, 2012
3:55 pm
The songs were well performed, but the ‘performance’ itself stunk?
What does that even mean???
That was my 16th Pearl Jam show and it was fantastic. Every one I was around loved it too. Sure, it’s a festival, you’re almost certainly giving up something in terms of sound or vibe, but they brought it and still rock just as hard as they ever have.
To say the Foo Fighters were clearly better than Pearl Jam just means you like the Foo Fighters more as a band, which is perfectly fine. I went to the Foos and they were decent. But to claim you’re a lifelong Pearl Jam fan and yet bash them is lame and probably a front.
The Badger
September 23rd, 2012
4:01 pm
Anyone saying that 30-45 minute lines for the bathroom is the norm for an outdoor music fest, has not been to a properly organized outdoor music fest.
PJforever
September 23rd, 2012
4:40 pm
These people complaining need their hand held in everyday life. You can’t bring enough cash for a 10 hour event? I brought enough cash to support myself and the two people I was with and I still bought 135 bucks in t-shirts…and drank 15 beers!
If you walked past the first 20 bathrooms there was almost no line. Don’t be so damn lazy!
The sound was bad? I was signing along with PJ in the portapotties.
These people complaining should stay home on their couch next year and bitch about something else on social media. Anyone mention how there was not one noticeable act of violence with 52,000 people drinking???
Overall great job and great music line-up ATL
Music Man
September 23rd, 2012
4:43 pm
Overall, M2012 was a great festival. The lines and lack of money in the ATMs was just part of having such a large crowd in a relatively small space. However, having a big crowd creates a really great environment. The lineup was also a great, eclectic mix. No one disappointed, they all put on great shows. The only complaint I have is the sound during Pearl Jam. I have been to many outdoor concerts/festivals and I have never heard anything like that before. The sound appeared to fade in and out and at times it sounded like the band was playing miles away. I left and returned during Ludacris and listened to a large part of his set from the Active Oval as I walked back through the park. I could hear him better from the Oval than I could hear Pearl Jam sitting in the field. This was a problem, as I could have a normal conversation with my wife without even raising my voice. With that said, MM2012 was a huge success and I’m looking forward to next year (just fix the sound)!
Emily
September 23rd, 2012
4:45 pm
Girl Talk was GREAT, fit the pre-PJ vibe
Sorry about porta-potties :\ guess you shouldn’t have drunk so much
Neon Trees was PHENOMENAL and Tyler Glenn definitely had the crowd going
So charismatic and real (while still being completely unreal) – “Your Surrender” was a highlight of the night
Pearl Jam was Pearl Jam – What more to say? Eddie Vedder came and went and came back again and left again and came back and played as long as they’d let him, as he promised
Great crowds – tons of people but IT’S AN OUTDOOR FESTIVAL OKAY GET OVER IT
By the end of the night, Piedmont Park was littered with beer cans and stank of weed – just as it should after any good festival
A great night
yona bear
September 23rd, 2012
5:20 pm
I came, I saw, I was blown away! Thanks be to God, I got through it safely and without losing anything! Sure blew a wad, though! Man, $13 for a beer!? Anyway, loved Adam Ant, thought Neon Trees really pounded out a terrific set; Foo Fighters was awesome, as was Flo+, but it was Pearl Jam I came to see and I was not disappointed. Saw them back in ‘96 in Charleston, and I was amazed at the strength of Eddie’s voice last night (gee, was it just yesterday?). Amazing weekend; can’t wait till next year!
Paul
September 23rd, 2012
6:36 pm
Yes, I think Pearl Jam had some sound issues. I won’t trash Girl Talk, because I just don’t get that stuff! And I wish people would stop giving credit to Johnny Depp for Adam Ant’s look. He ALWAYS wore the pirate garb!
David
September 23rd, 2012
6:44 pm
LOVED Flo and the Machine! But then…. Waited 50 minutes with my Lady for a chance to use the restrooms!!! Totally missed Girl Talk and into Pearl Jam. While in line there were 2 short Fights broke out!!?? This is a public safety issue! With this many people and most drinking…. this will happen if you don’t provide fasilities! Porta Johns are CHEEP! Their should have been at least 3 times as many. Should I have to risk a fight and maybe my Lady getting hurt just to go pee??? Not for any amount of money or Rock & Roll!
I’ve been a rocker since I first saw “The Who” (Lynard Skynard opened) in 1974 and I have never seen such disregard!
If the promoters had to go thru this they would NEVER let this happen again!
Sam I Am
September 23rd, 2012
6:50 pm
I thought Saturday was awesome. Yes, they need more bathrooms. Waiting a minimum of 15 minutes is unacceptable. Other than that, it was perfect.
Great diverse line-up, incredible weather…great event. Congrats!
Mike's Side
September 23rd, 2012
6:52 pm
Agree with PJForever about money. You bring cash to a rock concert, period. You don’t assume they’ll take credit then bitch. But I disagree about the bathrooms. They bathroom situation got better during PJ but that is because no one wanted to walk away from the show. On the “smaller” night it took 4 songs to get to use restroom during Foo Fighters. PJ show was a great “festival” show but the noise ordinance and general A-T-L B.S. shortchanged people from seeing what PJ can really do. Deluna fest got 4 more songs and they didn’t cut the jams short. I guess Kasim is worried about keeping the homeless awake and doesn’t want to interfere with the techno coming out of Blakes.
Dug it
September 23rd, 2012
6:56 pm
Friday was relaxed and easy to get around (pee, buy beer.. all that). Saturday, as much as I loved it, seemed painfully crowded and underfacilitated. Whatever, learn from the mistakes, cut the crowd by 10k and I would not hesitate to come back.
chuck
September 23rd, 2012
7:03 pm
great weekend one of the best run festival i have ever attended.the line up was great
Zoogirl
September 23rd, 2012
7:13 pm
I will have to rethink going next year. I’m not a fan of electronic dance and rap and would like some way to see something else while that is going on but due to the way Piedmont Park has to be set up, that’s just not possible. I prefer the old days when the 2 stages were set up way apart from each other, but it’s going to be hard to find a place that big anymore. And having to leave the show early to avoid the clusterf*ck that is Marta when the show lets out is not what I want to do as I loved the headliners. As a note – Conlon, have someone come in, clean out the portapotties after the first night and restock them – and NONE of them had hand sanitizer – plus you need to double the amount you had in the park. It’s not perfect yet … but please keep it up. We need a great music festival like we had in the early days of Music Midtown. If you want a wide variety of music, find a venue where the stages can be set up in various places so people can “escape” the music they DON’T want to hear …
wanted to love it
September 23rd, 2012
7:36 pm
The sound during Pearl Jam was horrible. Not only was the mix off, but the volume ranged from a whisper to overkill every 30 seconds. We were in the back left, more or less, and there were tons of complaints. This was not a problem for all the other bands, as we were in that spot since 3pm. It’s upsetting the headlining band had the worst sound quality of the entire day.
Vaughn is...
September 23rd, 2012
7:57 pm
one of those whiny kid transplants from Chicago that attends Walton or Wheeler HS, knows nothing, earns nothing, participates nothing, and does not know his/her backside from a hole in the ground
Tom Brady's Wing Man
September 23rd, 2012
8:43 pm
I liked The Motley Crüe set. Mick Mars shredded.
Tom Brady's Wing Man
September 23rd, 2012
8:55 pm
Second of all, Adam Ant has been dressing as a pirate over the last 30 years. He is like that guy from the movie Dodge Ball.
robert
September 23rd, 2012
9:20 pm
Great music but HORRIBLE bathroom situation. Wife had to use urine soaked toilet paper to wipe her self. Stood in line for 45 minutes to use the bathroom!! We will never be back after this !
Humbert
September 23rd, 2012
9:29 pm
Yes Emily, festivals should have litter everywhere. :/
Charlie
September 23rd, 2012
9:52 pm
Who was the picture of on Taylor Hawkins drum?
Corduroy
September 23rd, 2012
9:59 pm
Music was great! Lines for food and port-a-johns were unbelievable. Did they not think anyone would need to eat or pee? 1 beer 5 min, 1st pee break 30 min, 1 slice of pizza 45 min, 2nd pee break in a port-a-john that was completely overflowing 45 min, Pearl Jam live ~~priceless! I agree with the other comments that management must do a lessons learned before next time around. I was there for ~5hrs and spent all but 2hrs waiting in lines.
Lila
September 23rd, 2012
10:05 pm
Fabulous time. Great music, great people. For as large of a crowd MMT12 was overall very well put together.
There is definitely room for improvement as far as the bathrooms. There should never be a line longer than 10-15 minutes. If the venue is going to sell beer (24 oz cans) then you have to expect the people are goiong to have to go the restroom A LOT. If the promoters had to use the same restrooms as the “regular” attendees they would rethink the whole bathroom set up. I agree with everyone who has already stated this; it’s not a complaint; it’s a fact and a safety issue.
Rubicon
September 23rd, 2012
10:08 pm
Pearl Jam came out when I was in high school and along with the other Seattle grunge bands they wrote the soundtrack to my teens/20’s. I loved PJ and all the other grunge bands from that era. I’ve always been a fan of foo fighters, but nothing more than casual.
That being said, Foo Fighters destroyed PJ in ever way. It was a much better show. It was impossible to leave early because the Foo Fighter energy was so off the charts. You couldnt turn away.
I’ve looked forward to going to a PJ concert forever and could not have been more disappointed. To say it was vanilla would be a compliment.
If the Foo Fighters come back to town, I’m so there. Pearl Jam… meh… maybe.
Sammy Watkins
September 23rd, 2012
11:10 pm
I will never go to MM again after the bathroom situation. Women were going # 2 in the bushes. I have been to MM 3 other times in the past and must say this was very poorly organized. They need to add another 200 porta potties before I return. 50 -60 just doesn’t cut it for 50k fans.
Valerie
September 23rd, 2012
11:38 pm
I was there both days. I thought Friday was pretty crowded especially when everyone congregated at the main stage for Foo’s, but Saturday, holy cow, tons more people! It seemed like more than just a few thousand difference as the estimates are reporting. But, the venue was good for the crowd size. You could catch both stages pretty easy. The vending & bathroom areas were too crammed. Def needed more bathrooms for the crowd size and large space. I also disagree with the author about Girl Talk. The crowd was going nuts over them!!! They did a great job integrating all the different genres and decades of music. It really brought people together and elevated the energy level. Loved Midtown, the bands, and especially the great vibes & people.
nacho
September 23rd, 2012
11:58 pm
Way too many people. The port-a-potty, atm, and food services were grossly inadequate for the number of people there and the cigarette smoking was rampant. Sure, it sounds like that’s some people’s idea of a good time, but waiting in line an hour for the toilet while watching a drunk girl wet her pants and forgoing food and beer because I didn’t want to miss anymore music by waiting in line, ain’t my $70 thang.
MidtownGirlMusicFan
September 24th, 2012
12:01 am
Surprised no one has mentioned the HUGE beer tent erected IN FRONT OF THE STAGE that negated thousands of great seats on the knoll because WE COULDN’T SEE THE STAGE! It was a Jumbo-tron show. Yes, the porta-potty situation was a gross mess (how about a little lighting please?), but putting the beer tent in front of the headliners’ stage was a bonehead move of gigantic proportions! WHAT were they thinking? The fans and the performers deserve better.
Techfan
September 24th, 2012
4:40 am
Instead of a fence, why not just line the perimeter with porta-potties?
drew
September 24th, 2012
5:54 am
Slamdunkmyass!
Sounds like the big winner here was Peter Conlan and Jive Nation.
Glad some folks enjoyed it…it’ll be a cold day in hell before I give Peter Conlan and company a dime of my money. I’ll stick to other local/regional festivals that actually DO care about about the fans and the music. Jive Nation cares about one thing…and we know what that is.
D
September 24th, 2012
6:40 am
Great park, people, music, and weather! For those negative commenters about the cost of beer, potty lines, and not having perfect sound throughout an open, park venue……wow, lighten up and set some realistic expectations! It’s terrific for Atlanta to have Music Midtown back.
musicvet
September 24th, 2012
9:28 am
THIS CONCERT WAS WAY TOO OVERCROWDED FOR THE SETUP. ONLY A FEW PLACES TO GET IN OND OUT OF THE CROWDED AREAS. (WHY PUT UP FENCES AND DRIVE ALL TRAFFIC THROUGH TINY AREAS?) THERE WAS A SEVERE LACK OF PORT-O-LETS. A 45 MIN TO HOUR WAIT IS RIDICULOUS. ATMS WERE PLACED IN STUPID AREAS AND BLOCKED TRAFFIC.
I UNDERSTAND FRIDAY WAS MUCH LESS CROWDED AND FAR MORE ENJOYABLE. UNFORTUNATELY FOR EVERYONE THERE, THIS EVENT WAS VERY POORLY PLANNED AND EXECUTED. LOVED THE MUSIC OF NEON TREES, FLORENCE AND PEARL JAM. LUDACRIS, THOUGH, WAS JUST THAT. DOES ANYONE HAVE A BIGGER EGO WITH LESS JUSTIFICATION?
Bragg Jam
September 24th, 2012
9:40 am
We had an absolute blast, but if I were to meet Peter Conlan, I would voice two problems which we experienced. As listed above, the bathrooms needed “refreshing” between the Friday night attendees and the Saturday attendees. Having hand sanitizor would’ve brought us into the 21st century. Melissa, while you didn’t experience any sound issues, we did during Pearl Jam’s set in a HUGE way. We were on the left side about 3/4ths of the way back, and the set sounded as if an entire speaker section blew out – the sound came in waves. It was very, very low one moment, and then the decibel range would spike, and then it would balance out and then start all over again. This was a big problem, and we heard countless people talking about it, and countless people leaving specifically because of this. The sound was NEVER an issue during the other bands of the day.
We had a blast during Ludacris, and his band sounded tight. Florence + the Machine blew me away; I didn’t think that their performance would’ve had as much power as it did, but I left with a lot of newfound respect for them. Neon Trees did nothing for me, but Girl Talk certainly delivered. I’m glad that they were on the MM bill and not Counterpoint’s; it really showed the diversity of the line up. Pearl Jam was putting on a great show on the stage and to the first 50 rows, and their set list was solid, but the sound was below par for a band of their caliber. When the rest of the day had perfect sound, why the problems during PJ’s set?
Leenga
September 24th, 2012
10:21 am
Beautiful day and great show!
Just some comments on things they could do better:
I don’t think $10 for a 24oz beer is too bad and they had a good selection. The $13 beer was only Sweetwater. They also had mixed drinks around for $9. There were plenty of drink tents around.
I heard the ATMs ran outta cash, but we stopped at the ATM before the show. I did notice at least one food/drink place that had a sign up that they take credit cards.
There should have been hand sanitizer either in or out of the Johns. Luckily, I brought my own as well as some tissue. Heard the lines for the Johns got pretty bad and that they were overflowing. Luckily I did my business early enough not to have it effect me. I drank beers early then had a few mixed drinks. Also, stop throwing your damn beer cans in the johns and they won’t fill up so fast!
I agree with the guy who mentioned that there were tents down in the main area which blocked some views of the stage. They weren’t there last year.
I also agree that they should at least stream the video from the one stage over to the other.
How about more local food vendors or all local! The few local food trucks I saw were given the worst locations, way off to the side of the second stage.
I heard lots of people complaining about the no-smoking policy. From what I saw it didn’t really stop anyone and they weren’t just smoking cigarettes.
Sure it was extremely crowded by the end of the night but I guess that is to be expected when it’s sold out. We really couldn’t get anywhere near Pearl Jam because we were upfront for Girl Talk.
Ben
September 24th, 2012
11:09 am
Was smoking not allowed? I didnt even know that. Heck, the beer guys walking around selling beers were selling packs of cigarettes. How do you ban smoking at an outdoor festival?
Pedro
September 24th, 2012
11:33 am
Six of us travel to Atlanta to enjoy Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Joan Jett, And Florence. We are all in our late 30s and we thought Girl Talk was amazing, what a way to get thousands of people jumping, screaming, smiling, dancing!!!
Beverly
September 24th, 2012
11:37 am
Girl Talk was bumpin’! Miss Melissa…maybe you should’ve been in the crowd, jumping, and singing, with your hands in the air LIKE EVERYONE ELSE in the meadow! Best.Show.EVER.
And, Please(!), don’t get me wrong. There were a lot of GREAT bands at MM12, but you can’t leave this guy out! He can put on a show–and DID–and it’s a show EVERYONE liked, from the way the ground was crackin’ under my feet, from all of the dancing and jumping around me! I don’t care how old you are, or what kind of music you listen to, he included everything in his mix (or “mashup”…as writer “Ruggieri” put it). It was a show to be enjoyed for all–even if just to watch the crowd go CrAzY!
Jeremy
September 24th, 2012
11:44 am
PJ set was great…though I’m not sure if it was a “volcano of sound.” Like any show, there were a few stumbles. Thought Girl Talk was great, too. He’s like a glorified DJ, but I must say I enjoyed being surrounded by tons of attractive women dancing and having a blast during his set. He totally rocked it.
I do agree about the port a johns. Worst part of an otherwise successful MM.
Charles
September 24th, 2012
11:57 am
If you’re relying on temporary ATMs at a sold out music festival you’re doing it wrong. If you can’t manage to find a bush or a port-o-john with a line shorter than 45 minutes, you’re doing it wrong. Hell the festival allows exit and re-entry. Here’s an idea: walk down 10th to Monroe and get a cheaper beer and use the bathroom at The Highlander. Takes 20 minutes.
xxx
September 24th, 2012
12:41 pm
Doesn’t sound like I missed a thing.
PMC
September 24th, 2012
1:35 pm
I enjoyed the heck out of it, but if I do this again, I’ll be up on the hill. not in with the masses. Food was great, Lots of choices if you wanted to drink.
Two things were completely and totally unacceptable.
It’s 2012, we don’t use cash in this society. Pay the fee. You’re charging ridiculous premiums for everything anyway. We’re paying it, you pay it.
That, and it is unbelievable how much they underestimated the toilet situation. They’ve done this before very well and had a parking lot full of hundreds of toilets. This was a terrible job. The toilet situation was a disaster by any stretch of the imagination.
Loved the lineup. Everybody played great sets I thought. Marta was great, food was great, toilets, unbelievably unacceptable.
PMC
September 24th, 2012
1:37 pm
Needed two things, credit card payment and about 500 more toilets.
Ryan
September 24th, 2012
6:09 pm
Why isnt anybody talking about how bad ludacris was?
1. He didn’t open with, OR EVEN PLAY, “Welcome to Atlanta”
2. He spent 10 minutes playing songs he’s featured in “This song with Tiao Cruz is killing it in Spain right now”
3. He kept calling it “The Music Midtown Festival”
4. His DJ straight up just played “Smells like Teen spirt” with a few “yeahhhhhh” thrown into it.
5. Talked between every song.
Besides that, Girl Talk was the most entertaining/fun show of the weekend. Foo Fighters was the best concert.
Marty
September 24th, 2012
9:10 pm
52,000 people? More like 150,000! I’m sure they won’t report that because they were only permitted for the lower number. As others have said the planning was poor at best. The lack of sufficient facilities is inexcusable.
Ricardo
September 24th, 2012
10:44 pm
Pearl Jam rocked it (as usual) didn’t care about anyone or anything else-but I must say my brother and his wife waited for at least 30 min for bathroom
Lars
September 25th, 2012
3:09 pm
I have not read all comments but am I the only one who thinks the sound during Pearl Jams concert was an absolute disaster? I can’t be because the are we were standing in was packed when the concert started and half empty when it ended. Of all the sound guy should be out of a job today.