Festival review by Sierra Walsh // Photography by Devon Keller
Set four hours south of my usual scene, Bunbury Festival was slightly out of my norm. However, I am willing to say that Cincinnati, Ohio was as lively as my home in Cleveland this past weekend. After a rather eventful drive from the great Northeast, Devon and I managed to not get too lost and enjoy many of the festivities. Complete with the setting itself being beautifully lush scenery along the river, Bunbury boasted native, Ohio artists Tropidelic and Machine Gun Kelly alongside rock legends Stone Temple Pilots and the emo icons Fall Out Boy. Local businesses such as the Bru Brothers and Island Noodle greeted familiar customers in their hometown while enjoying the music filling the day.
Friday night was quite the endeavor just getting to the festival, but, thankfully, we managed to catch Fall Out Boy’s full set. They may have gotten more than they bargained for when their audience sang “Sugar We’re Going Down” almost as perfectly as they did. Not only was the performance pure, nostalgic perfection, spontaneous fire works lit up the set for half the show. Between drum solos and pyrotechnics came explosions of green, red, and, gold above the stage while the crowd danced like Uma Thurman well into midnight.
Saturday arrived with the mellow melodies of Flora Cash. As if providing some reprieve from the dance dancing Fall Out Boy lead the night before, smooth vocals melted into the heavy thumping of bass and funky beats. Just passed the vendors and beneath the bridge, Tropidelic kept the mood as energized as it was atmospheric while covering the Jaws theme on their psychedelic tuba. Fans cheered they would happily be using their dollars earned to pick up their new album, Here in the Heights, dropping on June 7th. Determined to fight against the Ohio humidity, the crowd happily joined in Tropidelic’s dancing along to chill favorites like “Dollar Earned” and “Hey Now”, all too enthusiastic to capture their favorite moments—especially when Tim, James, and, Chris ran onto the lawn with their saxophone, trombone and trumpet all in hand to dance with their fans near the end of their set. Tropidelic’s energetic music left their fans elated and ready to dance in time with Blue October.
There may have been less choreographed dance moves, but Blue October’s crowd got what they wished for during the entirety of their set. Justin Furstenfeld certainly accomplished his goal of performing the Ultimate Slow Song (How to Dance in Time) at a music festival. Judging by the cheers and slow dancing of the festival goers, I think it’s safe to say the Bunbury crowd agreed. Everyone seemed to have every song memorized, often having the microphone pointed at them to sing along to classics like “Into the Ocean” and “I Hope You’re Happy” accompanied by delighted smiles from the band.
As the day faded into night, the Monster Stage began teasing the entire festival with occasional drum beats until Greta Van Fleet took over the night. Finally, the lights dimmed. Fans cheered. The Saturday night finale began. Encompassing all aspects of atmosphere and energy, Greta Van Fleet is certainly a legend in the making. Emulating the magic of flower power, Greta Van Fleet only needed deep violet light to lead their fans in what felt like a group meditation to Joshua Kiszka’s voice harmonizing with vigorous guitar solos and thunderous drumming. I cannot speak for everyone, but I felt that their set was reminiscent of what a festival like Woodstock would be like. The power Greta Van Fleet had in their music felt refreshing, nostalgic, empowering, and, like they were going to be a defining group for our generation.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay for Sunday’s artists. Certain events in Pittsburgh beckoned us to Stage AE. However, there are a few bands in that line up that I would like to experience seeing in person. Overall, Bunbury was an incredible experience with Devon and the amazing talent putting their hearts and souls into their art. I will be recommending it to fellow music enthusiasts and, hopefully, returning next year.
