Music Midtown 2015 Day 1 recap: Elton John, Drake impress with sturdy performances

With sunny – if warmer-than-necessary – skies and an afternoon and evening packed with music, the first day of Music Midtown 2015 flowed briskly.

A few anomalies popped up throughout the seven hours of Friday’s festivities – Kodaline, the first act of the event, took the stage 20 minutes late, a rarity for the usually precise festival and Jamie N Commons had the unfortunate luck of a broken-down van which nixed his scheduled appearance.

But, happily for fans of Sir Elton John, he and his crisp band hit the stage 10 minutes earlier than scheduled, which gave them plenty of time to fulfill a meaty, 21-song set list and also allowed those who also wanted to catch Drake’s performance time to see the first half-hour of John (it’s a similar scenario on Saturday, with Van Halen taking the Belk Stage at 9 p.m. and Sam Smith launching his set on The Electric Ballroom Stage at 9:30 p.m.).

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Here is a look at some of Friday’s performances.

Kodaline – The Irish quartet charmed immediately with their combination of engaging, melodic pub rock and the gregarious vibe presented by singer Steve Garrigan. "It's absolutely amazing to be playing for you guys today," Garrigan said after the band opened with "Ready," from their latest album, "Coming Up for Air." Under a searing sun and cloudless sky, Kodaline see-sawed between the giddy "Love Like This," with its harmonica and electric mandolin, and the keyboard ballad "High Hopes," a No. 1 hit in their native land. "The One," a pop rocker primed for festival participation, achieved that goal as the crowd was quickly moved by Kodaline's spirited songs.

August Alsina - New Orleans raised, Atlanta-based R&B artist August Alsina's philosophy for his midday set seemed to be: If you can't take the fans to the strip club, then take the strip club to the fans. Alsina, who has blown up in the past couple of years thanks in large part to his hit "I Luv This S***" and served as an opener for Atlanta superstar Usher on tour, created an atmosphere on stage that would have made the most sexually liberated in the crowd blush just a little. A group of female dancers performed behind Alsina in increasingly shorter shorts and dresses to twerk, gyrate, work a stripper pole and, in the case of the song "Get Ya Money," actually throw dollar bills into the crowd. But Alsina wasn't completely about the raunch -- he brought a female fan onstage, handing her a stuffed bear and a cluster of roses, telling her "Valentine's Day came early" before serenading her with the sweet slow jam "Ah Yeah." The song served as a reminder that Alsina has a really lovely voice that can captivate a crowd, even if his dancers decided to take a vacation day.

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Tove Lo – No doubt the comely Swedish dance-pop singer converted a new pack of fans when she flashed the audience during a steamy rendition of "Talking Body," a song as comfortable blasting in a club as it is on Top 40 radio. In her midriff-baring shirt, shorts and bare feet, Tove Lo exuded confidence as she slunk through the percussive, electronica-dusted pop of "Not On Drugs." And even though the audience that packed the Oak Hill area in front of the Belk Stage frequently seemed as interested in the drone flying overhead as they were Tove Lo, she always commanded attention. "I've been in Sweden in the cold, so to come to (this weather) is so f****** awesome," she said after sashaying through "Got Love." Electronic drums – from a pair of percussionists – and synthesizers power her songs, and offerings such as "The Way That I Am" affirmed why the singer-songwriter is currently having a moment in the U.S.

Elliot Moss

Hozier – If you know Irish singer-songwriter Hozier for nothing else, it's for his inescapable 2014 hit "Take Me To Church." But if that's all you know of him -- and let's be honest, aren't we all a little "Take Me To Church-ed Out"?  -- then you're missing out. Though he's performed Atlanta three shows in the past six months, including a rocking debut at Variety Playhouse, Hozier had no trouble attracting a sizable crowd who seemed to be familiar with the rest of the songs on his 2014 self-titled album. From the sweet, breezy opener "Like Real People Do" to the haunting howls of "To Be Alone" -- which he performed on a bright red guitar that had a gas can for a body -- Hozier did a fine job of reminding the crowd that he can stretch his musical legs well beyond his most well-known song. A yacht rock-y cover of the Beatles' "Blackbird" in particular displayed the versatility of an artist whose eagerly anticipated second album holds the promise of big things to come.

Jenny Lewis – The singer-songwriter smartly knows not to fix it if it aint broke -- she's been rocking the same rainbow pantsuit and backdrop on tour for more than a year in support of her latest album, "The Voyager". Lewis upped the Technicolor ante during her Music Midtown performance, with stage assistants releasing large, candy-colored balloons into the crowd during her performance of "Just One of the Guys," creating a trapped-in-a-gumball-machine feeling to accompany her '70s-tinged, bright indie rock (though the balloons ended up becoming a bit of a distraction during the remainder of the set). Lewis was a master of the kiss off on the singalong "Bad News," and built to a marching band-like cacophony on "A Better Son/Daughter," a tune she penned with her former group, Rilo Kiley. "If would have told me 15 years ago that I'd be standing on this stage, opening for Elton John, I'd tell you you were crazy," Lewis told the crowd. "Dreams really do come true, guys." In a nearly two decade musical career that has seen her shift and evolve, there's no argument she deserves the spot.

Metric

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Alice In Chains – Atlanta native William DuVall has fronted the musically meaty hard rockers since 2006, four years after the death of original vocalist Layne Staley. While Staley's legacy will never evaporate from the minds of fans, DuVall is a phenomenal frontman. The opening wallop of "Again" and "Check My Brain" found the lanky singer, clad in black, including his guitar, pumping his fists, charging toward the adrenalized crowd and riffing alongside lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell. ]

“I’ve gotta lot of memories of this town,” DuVall said from the stage, and then added. “For all of the shows Alice in Chains has played over the years, we’ve never played this shindig.” The band continued to grind through “Angry Chair,” which featured a nasty solo from Cantrell, whose guitar sported a Seattle Seahawks logo.

DuVall sliced his guitar strings across the mic stand as he growled through the woozy stomper “Man in the Box,” and kept his cool as the band worked through some technical difficulties. They were correct in their assessment that something was off, as the Cantrell-led “Got Me Wrong,” which showcased the band’s melodic side, was a muddled mess of too-loud music and vocals buried in the mix. But when Alice in Chains romped, as on mid-‘90s favorites “No Excuses” and “Grind,” they were untouchable.

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Drake – Leave it to Drake -- aka Drizzy, aka Champagne Papi -- to create the most buzzed-about moment of the first day of Music Midtown (on Twitter, at least). Toward the tail end of his set he announced his mixtape with Atlanta rapper Future is indeed real and could be released by the end of the weekend, confirming several weeks of speculation.

It was a peak hype moment in a performance full of crowdpleasing moments, including the use of pyrotechnics and bursts of fire during the opening thumper "Trophies" and a smooth, sweet version of "Hold On, We're Going Home."

Drake moved quickly from song to song, singing a single verse from  "Over" in front of a backdrop that flashed "If you're reading this, we made it," a nod to his latest album, "If You're Reading This, It's Too Late" before shifting to the unapologetically in-your-face "Worst Behavior" and the singalong ready "The Motto," creating a medley of greatest hits from the Drake catalog. He encouraged audience participation, asking the crowd to sing along with him on the infectious "Tuesday," his hit with ILoveMakkonen.

The set ended with a burst of fireworks that lit up the sky over Piedmont Park, a fitting end to an impressive performance and a night filled with musical sparkle.

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Elton John – Few artists truly deserve the title "legend" or "icon" or, well, "Sir." But Elton John is one who breathes that rarified air. Prior to Friday night, the occasional Atlantan had never played a full concert in Piedmont Park during his storied career, and he made sure to make the occasion memorable.

Drummer Nigel Olsson (inexplicably clad in a suit and tie – it’s hot out, man!) and guitarist Davey Johnstone launched the set with the snare slaps and serrated guitar of “The Bitch is Back. John, modestly clad as ever in black and gold sparkled pants and a coat bearing “Fantastic” (as in, Captain) across the back, was obviously in a joyful mood as he preened and posed, standing at his piano and egging the crowd to clap along. Hearty piano thumps ushered in “Bennie and the Jets” and the 68-year-old musician proved frequently that he’s still a nimble pianist as he danced through musical runs and extended codas.

His voice, rich and deep on “Candle in the Wind” and a soaring “Levon” was matched only by his peerless playing. The boogie-woogie extension tacked onto “Levon” was a master class in musicianship, while John unfurled a piano solo that simultaneously took the crowd to church and left them mesmerized as he opened “Rocket Man.”

While a portion of the set was dedicated to his profound collection of ballads – “Tiny Dancer,” augmented by Johnstone’s lovely slide guitar, “Daniel” and the eternally poignant “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – John knows how to pace a show. The midtempo “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues,” with a slightly modified pace and lyrical cadence, was paired with sentimental favorite “Your Song,” while the bluesy “Burn Down the Mission,” with its tricky time changes, segued into the pop craftsmanship of “Sad Songs (Say So Much).”

The only quibble was that John was relegated to the smaller of the two headliner stages, which seemed odd given his immense fan base. A too-close-to-breathe crowd, however, wasn’t so uncomfortable that they didn’t sing along vigorously to “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and the handful of other John hits that peppered his two-hour-plus performance. A master, indeed.

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