Slight delay on this one. Lot of information, not a lot of time to focus on it.
On Sunday September 11th, Richmond made history by having its first all hipster music festival J Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but it definitely had a target audience in mind. The 1st (Annual? Will it happen again? Can it even be called “annual” the first time around?) RVA Musicfest took place in Shockoe Bottom on 18th Street between Main and Broad, with the main stage being on 18th and Grace St., while a 2nd stage was on Franklin between 18th and 19th St.
Officially, the event took place on Saturday September 10th as well as Sunday September 11th. However, Saturday was filled with “Showcases” at local bars and clubs, and I’m sure each has its own amazing review, but I only went to three of them and they all added up to a pretty typical night in RVA if you ask me, so let’s focus on the important biz.
Sunday was where (when?) it was at. The headlining bands were Girl Talk, Best Coast and The Trillions (I’m gonna go ahead and throw No BS! Brass Band in there, too. They’re a personal local fav of mine.)
The gates opened at 2:00 with the first act, The Climbers, going on at 3:00 on the main stage. Local band Proverbial was the first band to play on the 2nd stage at 3:30. The crowds were thin when I arrived around 4:00.
The streets may have been closed, but the bars were open. McCormack’s (in collaboration with WRIR 97.3 FM Richmond Independent Radio) even had a special set-up in their upstairs section where fans could sit in on interviews with the bands after they played.
Tents from local spots like the Camel and Republic were set-up with contests, prizes, and promotions while a blimp floated above Tiki Bob’s Cantina in the (approximate) center of the madness. (lots of free cigs were given away surprisingly – if you weren’t in attendance, you missed out cancer lovers).
The masses started to gather around 5:00. By the time the 7:00 bands went on, you were officially standing in a crowd no matter where you went. But it still wasn’t bad compared to other festivals/concerts/whatever.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or just aren’t into this kinda music J) you knew one thing to expect from this concert: Girl Talk would equal pandemonium. And oh how it did. This is where the crowds stopped and the mob began. That guy is a never ending party, and everyone wants in. And by never-ending party, in this case, I mean an hour and 5 minutes of dance, sweat, props and every song you’ve heard at a party since you were a teenager (or younger in some cases).
PICTURES TO COME SOON
