The second day of the Sweetwater 420 Festival was a beautiful one and it offered up the most diverse music lineup of all 3 days, covering everything from the acoustic-driven sounds of The Infamous Stringdusters, the hot blues riffs for Brandon “Taz” Niederauer and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, to the hopped up, electro-dance of Ghostland Observatory.
Funk You
Georgia band, Funk You kicked off the festival on the main stage with a solid set of soulful funk to get the bodies moving. That band has been touring since early February, with the Sweetwater 420 Fest being their last stop and you could tell the band had honed it’s chops over the last few months. For their final song the band played a pretty true-to-the original version of the 70s disco hit, “Kung Fu Fighting,” complete with 3 dancing people in Gumby outfits at the front of the stage.
Anders Osborne
Next up on the main stage was Anders Osborne from New Orleans. He’s been called “the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene” by Guitar Player magazine and he and his band played an amazing set of songs. Rife with passion and emotion from the first note. Anders and his band had one of the best sets of the festival.
Marco Benevento
Even before the band started, the crowd that was gathering for Marco Benevento‘s set at 420 Fest was ready to go. Decked out in all white with a big black top hat, Marco and his band, drummer Andy Borger and perma-grin bassist Karina Rykman hit the stage with a ton of energy and never let up.
Soja
Next up, Soja brought out a uplifting mix of Reggae, dance-hall and Pop sounds that had the crowd swaying with positive energy.
Brandon “Taz” Niederauer
One of the most anticipated sets of the day belonged to Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. At 14 years old, Brandon is a prodigy when it comes to the guitar and he’s already shared the stage with the best of the best, including the Tedeschi Trucks Band later in the evening on Saturday, The String Cheese Incident on Friday night at the 420 Festival and most recently Brandon participated in the live version of Jesus Christ Superstar on NBC.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
Looking to get your Greatful Dead fix in today? Well, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead or JRAD as everyone calls them is your ticket. In addition to ex-Furthur drummer, Joe Russo the band also features Ween bassist, Dave Dreiwitz, Marco Benevento on keyboards, Scott Metzger on guitar and vocals and Tom Hamilton on guitar and vocals. The band performed 2 sets of mostly Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia related covers including “Feels Like a Stranger,” “He’s Gone,” “Shakedown Street,” and the fantastic Bob Weir tune “One More Saturday Night.”
The Infamous Stringdusters
Next up, the Grammy Award winning bluegrass band, The Infamous Stringdusters, took the stage armed with only their acoustic instruments (no drums) and filled the park with their authentic version of traditional bluegrass musi,c but updated for today with a ton of energy.
Ghostland Observatory
It’s hard to describe Ghostland Observatory the first time you see them. There’s Thomas Ross Turner, the man in a cape with a high collar sequestered behind a wall of synthesizers creating the throbbing beats and bass lines and then there’s singer/guitarist Aaron Behrens with a Telecaster strapped on out front busting moves like Mick Jagger or Freddie Mercury. They’ve been called “electro-dance rock,” “synth-funk” and “Freddie Mercury-helms-Daft Punk.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Saving the best for last on a Saturday night the Tedeschi Trucks Band took the stage at promptly 8:30 to the roar of what seemed like the entire downtown Atlanta population. The band kicked off their set with a half-dozen original tunes before venturing through a ton of handpicked classics including John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” and “Sugarlee” by Jerry Garcia
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Susan Tedeschi is a world class blues guitarist but for those of you that have seen Susan Tedeschi live, you know how much of a powerhouse vocalist she is as she brought the crowd to its feet time and time again. Derek Trucks’ stellar slide guitar playing was in impeccable form and it was fun to see them bring out Brandon “Taz” Niederauer out towards the end of their regular set and their encore for a pair of Sly & the Family Stone covers, “Sing a Simple Song” and “I Want to Take You Higher.”
All photos by John McNicholas, check out more photos from Saturday’s Day 2 of Sweetwater 420 Festival 2018:
