Through the wind, rain, thunder and lightning, the Sloss Music and Arts Festival proved to be capable of standing up against Mother Nature and still delivering a spectacular weekend. Sloss Fest 2018 sadly saw many highly anticipated sets cancelled because of weather, but there were still plenty of standouts throughout the two day weekend. Our photographer Art Husband chimes in with his top 4 sets he caught throughout the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama at the historic Sloss Furnaces.
JACK BERRY
Jack Berry, a southern rocker from Nashville, was actually the first set of the festival and didn’t waist anytime getting to business. His sound fits the dirty southern rock and roll that can be found in the Southeast. The recent release of his sophomore album, Mean Machine, has gathered attention and approval from across the industry. One of his singles off his album titled “Bad Dog” showcases the grit that Berry is known for.
FLAGSHIP
Flagship, out of Charlotte, NC, got off to an odd start by having to sound check right before their set began. This didn’t appear to phase the band at all while they used a little comic relief to help the time pass. Eventually their set did start, and it did so with a bang. Their drummer, Michael Finster, lead into the first song with a little solo and a lot of interaction with the passionate crowd. The lead singer, Drake Margolnick, followed suit by leaning over the rail all along the stage making sure not to leave area out. It was a great feel good set that had the Shed Stage in full party mode.
MOON TAXI
Moon Taxi features a couple of local guys and had one of the coolest stage productions of the festival. They had the first set after Saturday’s rain delay and they didn’t waist the opportunity to get things back up to speed with their title track off their new record Let the Record Play. The amount of energy that the lead singer, Trevor Terndrup, exhibits on stage is enough to ware yourself out. He spent any free moment gesturing to all the fans screaming out loud. The set even featured a couple of blasts of confetti and who doesn’t like confetti.
ARCADE FIRE
The last time Arcade Fire played in Birmingham was 15 years ago at the legendary dive bar named The Nick. Since then Arcade Fire has garnered a couple million more fans with a few dozen world tours under their belt. The Canadian Alternative Rock group brought with them a jumbo screen that they hung above the stage and displayed branding images off their recent album named Everything Now. It did not take them long to get fired up which only got the fans even more excited. The one who stole the show was Will Butler, Win Butler’s younger brother. If he wasn’t running around the stage beating on a drum, he was climbing the stage scaffolding while beating a drum. He appeared to be having just as much fun performing that night as the thousands of fans who were watching him perform. I don’t know if Birmingham can wait another 15 years after their Sloss Fest set.
