On June 29th, one of the most extraordinary voices in up-and-coming pop music visited the patio at Riot Room in Westport. Whoa Dakota (Jesse Ott) entertained in some of the sweatiest weather, the lighting and fan giving the tone a Beyonce effect, while the crowd basked in the glow. Photos below!
Keep up with Whoa Dakota here.
On Tuesday, July 2nd, Salt Lake City’s up-and-coming indie rock extraordinaire Ritt Momney made an appearance at The Rino in North Kansas City. Sandwiched between two incredible local acts – Sex Ed and Older Brother – Ritt Momney set a tone for excellence. Near the end, Rutter’s girlfriend joined the band on stage to sing, a touching experience as for the majority of the year they are separated because of her studies in another state.
Keep up with Ritt Momney here.
We’ve had our fair share of Bishop Briggs sightings, but to see her in full form, in front of such a giant crowd at Bonnaroo, was absolutely wonderful. Her vocals electrified the audience, who had taken shelter from the heat of the mid-day sun under the tent. Prep for your holiday tomorrow with these fun photos and some of your favorite Bishop tracks!
Keep up with Bishop Briggs here.
Bonnaroo 2019 was our favorite lineup so far. And we aren’t kidding about that. When you think about the comedy and energy integrated into different aspects of the event, it’s almost overwhelming. Take, for example, the incredible duo Princess. Comprised of Maya Rudolph — Yes, that Maya Rudolph! — and jazz vocalist Gretchen Lieberum, they have taken the time to perfect a stage presence worthy of PRINCE himself. Because they are a Prince cover band, and have been since 2011. (Yes, they have been acknowledged and approved by the man himself.) Their performance was the last we enjoyed at Bonnaroo this year, and it was one of the highlights. As the first lines of “Let’s Go Crazy” opened the show, Rudolph and Lieberum’s stoic glances around the crowd brought us so much joy, we actually started crying. (Yes. Both iF reps in attendance started crying from different areas of the crowd. Everything is fine. We have been validated. It was incredible.)
Keep up with Princess here.
On Thursday, June 27th, our emo/punk hearts rejoiced when Anberlin took the stage at The Truman. Energy, intensity, incredible lighting. These were just some of the effects this performance had on us. And don’t think we emerged from the event without our hearts pumping, an adrenaline rush for days. Highlights below!
Keep up with Anberlin here.
On our last beautiful day at Bonnaroo 2019, we were lucky to catch Jared & The Mill‘s electric performance at WHO. Check out the highlights below!
Keep up with Jared & The Mill here.
The most invigorating day of my life was probably glimpsing the lineup for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2019. I’ll probably get a lot of flak for this, but The Lonely Island was on the list and I [probably] literally fell to the floor in excitement. This trio entered the pop culture stage at a time when they could really seep into my every day life. My whole family latched on to their brand of comedy from day 1 with “Lazy Sunday” and continued to release gem after gem over the years. “I’m On A Boat” was definitely on my life soundtrack in high school, and even convinced my sister and I to buy my mother a Pashmina afghan with sailboats on it when I lived in New York.
But their hits since are notable as well, and as Andy Samberg’s hair has changed shape from that original boyishly cute triangular shape, we have fallen more in love with his cohorts Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who are incredible writers with insanely diverse careers.
The evening was absolutely epic. Photographers were packed into the photo pit like nothing I — or many in attendance — have ever seen. And for good reason. Highlights below.
Keep up with The Lonely Island here.
On Friday, June 21st, we celebrated the first full day of summer with Goo Goo Dolls under the stars at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, MO. The day started off with torrential downpours all across the metropolitan area, giving us slim hope for such a beautiful evening. But the weather subsided, and the warmth came back out to play as the soundtrack to our evening was filled with summertime favorites. Check out some photos below!
Keep up with Goo Goo Dolls here.
We started our last day at Bonnaroo sleeping in a little bit more than usual. We heard a pop up performance amongst the trees at an ungodly hour in the morning, and then dozed until it was time to wander in and catch Kikagaku Moyo‘s set. The Japanese psych band was absolutely mesmerizing, and we believe you catch a small bit of that feeling from the photos alone.
Keep up with Kikagaku Moyo here.
