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Written by Matt Wallin Tuesday, 29 May 2012 21:04

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Hangout Music Festival | 05.18-20.12
Saturday
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Saturday

I started the day off sitting on my balcony eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and listening to The Givers. I really wanted to be front and center for their set but just couldn’t get up and moving fast enough. The music sounded great as it drifted across the beach and into our condo.

One of the best things about music festivals is discovering new music. As we walked in, we passed a band we hadn’t planned on seeing, The Devil Makes Three, and were drawn in. Their outfits and music were a combination of suit vests, bowler hats, tattoos, and beards that hang down to your belt. My favorite lyric was, “You'd never understand the things my friend Eric put us through/ He had this PowerPoint presentation about this girl he wanted to do.” #LOL We ended up watching their entire set.

After some bluegrass, it was only natural that we’d want to see a rapper, right? I decided to catch Mac Miller over Julian Marley for two reasons: One, I’ve seen the entire Marley family tree (save Bob) several times, and two, everyone on the Internet seems to hate Mac Miller. (Except for Mac Miller blogs and message boards; I’m sure they love him.) People’s blinding hate for him made me want to see him. It was hard to get too into it since I didn’t know the lyrics to any of his songs, but it was a pretty good time. It was one of the most packed out tent shows of the weekend, and from what people were wearing, it looked like Mac Miller had dressed them all (bright neon shirts, shoes, and shades). #swag

“People who said they wouldn’t still be doing this at 30 or 40 are up here in walkers now,” said Randy Newman halfway through his set. We’re glad he didn’t give it up. Randy Newman’s afternoon show was the first big set of the day for me, and he was easily one of the biggest legends of the weekend. The crowd sang along to on-point versions of “Short People” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Newman’s banter between songs was hilarious and made his show a lot of fun.

I really wanted to see the entire sets from both Skrillex and Gary Clark, Jr., but for entirely different reasons. Since I couldn’t do that, I decided to split my time between the two. I started out in the front of the pit for Skrillex. Wow; what an experience. This was the loudest and youngest show I was at, by far. The crowd was full of teens who were ready to rage, and Skrillex did not disappoint. Skrillex was the opposite of Paul Oakenfold, constantly engaging the audience, talking, yelling, making eye contact, and encouraging everyone to throw down. Every time the beat would drop, a machine would send smoke and dry ice into the sky and into the first few rows of the crowd. I don’t really get the appeal of listening to it at home on your computer, but his shows are a party from start to finish.

When I got to Gary Clark, Jr., my ears were still hurting from Skrillex, but it didn’t take me long to get into the groove he was laying down. Much like the Alabama Shakes, it seems like his music was made for the beauty and wide open expanses of the beach. His live songs had even more blues and jamming than his album could hold. From what I could see in the crowd, several faces were indeed melted and/or rocked off.

Another band I was really excited to see was Dispatch. Since they broke up before the festival scene was really what it is today, they missed out on playing a lot of festivals. This summer, it seems like they are trying to make up for lost time. Dispatch is one of those bands an album can’t do justice to; they were made for live shows and festivals, with a live show that was a constant display of musical ability. They took turns singing, harmonizing, trading instruments, and looked like they enjoyed every second of it. The crowd sing-alongs to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” and their hit “The General” were some of the best moments of the festival.

As the sun set, we walked across the beach and took in parts of String Cheese Incident and Flogging Molly. We were too tired and to hungry to enjoy all of their sets, so we got some food from an Atlanta area taco truck, rested, and got a good spot for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers drew one of the largest crowds of the weekend. Their setlist spanned their entire career, covering early hits like “Suck My Kiss,” “Under the Bridge,” and “Scar Tissue,” and newer songs like “Monarchy of Roses.” They jumped around like they were in a 90-minute Zumba class set to their own music. If you’re ever at a RHCP show and get bored or don’t like a song, just focus on Flea. He was dripping in sweat after the first song, and his bass sounded amazing all night. His sound adds a lot to every song. Their encore was a jam-packed medley of some of their biggest hits: “Around the World,” “Soul to Squeeze,” and “Give It Away.”