Music Midtown returned this past weekend after a year’s hiatus and the threat of rain couldn’t stop fans from packing Piedmont Park for the annual festival featuring top-notch performers.
The two-day event, which had four stages and about three dozen performances across the weekend, brought back a widely missed Atlanta tradition that was canceled last year because of COVID-19.
Organizers announced last month that this year’s festivalgoers would need to be to be fully vaccinated or have proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test. Those safety precautions did not keep the swarms away as about 50,000 people were expected to gather at the park.
“I almost teared up when I went on stage,” performer Eric Nam said with a fake cry in the middle of his set Saturday afternoon. “I was like, ‘live music’!”
Despite intermittent rain and high humidity, crowds were back in full force Sunday to attend performances from artists such as Remi Wolf, Black Pumas, Jack Harlow and Miley Cyrus.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
On Saturday, crowds were wowed by acts including the Jonas Brothers, Machine Gun Kelly, AJR and 21 Savage.
“It’s nice to be around people, and definitely that everyone has to be vaccinated or have a negative COVID test, so I feel a little bit better about being here,” said 20-year-old Maya Chestnut from Suwanee.
“I love the environment, the energy, the people — I’m like a really big concert person so it feels good, just to be back.”
Credit: Anjali Huynh
Credit: Anjali Huynh
Many attendees didn’t wear masks or practice social distancing, instead engaging in long-treasured pre-pandemic practices of “moshing,” packing as closely as they could to the stage.
The enthusiasm was expected to continue in the evening. Masses of people gathered at the Roxy stage hours before Grammy Award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion was slated to perform at 6:30 p.m., largely seen as one of the highlights of Sunday night.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Connor Hutcherson, who works with Atlanta-based company Mobile Charging Lockers that provides storage for festival attendees nationwide, said he was happy to be back assisting.
”We do a lot of traveling but this is our hometown show, so we love it,” Hutcherson said. “Everyone’s getting back into it slowly, but we’re just excited to have our jobs back because it’s a whole different lifestyle.”
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
On Saturday night at the Verizon stage where Maroon 5 was performing the final show of the first day, a large audience dispersed across the lawn and up into the hills of the park.
Shirtless but covered with tattoos, lead singer Adam Levine expressed what his fans also were feeling. “Guys, look at this, it’s a concert! A concert!” Levine shouted with sheer excitement in between songs in the middle of his set.
