Sweetwater 420 Festival 2019: Day 2 - 4/20/19

Sweetwater 420 Festival‘s second day fell on 420, which meant spirits were high (pun intended) for a Saturday filled with live music, Sweetwater beer and more at Centennial Park. Friday left us with a cold front storming in, so we already knew that Saturday would be a straight chilly day. And it was cold, possibly colder than expected even after looking at the grim forecast. Adding to it were a couple of early rain bouts with the cold drops coming down harder than Friday it seemed. Luckily the weather was expected, and the crowd was prepared to power through and make this 420 special.

One of the great things about Sweetwater 420 Fest is that there is plenty to do and explore. When the rain was coming down hard, the Artist Market was there with vendors selling ponchos if you didn’t come prepared. You could also get some cover from the rain in the merch tent or Sweetwater Experience Tent where they had a ton of special batch beers to taste which even included 3 artist collab beers. For our money, Fruition‘s (who played Sunday at the festival) “Fruition’s Fire” was a mighty tasty mix of Peaches and Jalapeños. Not only were there plenty of beers to try in the tent, there was also special talks and tastings that even included cheese to pair with certain beers, maximizing the experience and making sure attendees left with some new knowledge.

On the music side, highlights included an early set from The Band of Heathens on the 420 Strain Stage. The Austin, Texas-based band first got their start around 2006 with a couple of live albums that quickly gained them notoriety, so it’s always been clear they know how to put on a performance. And they sure did at 420 Fest, blending their Country, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll sound into a great set that included highlights like “Hurricane” and “LA Country”.

One of the more interesting sets of the day came from Everyone Orchestra on the Sweetwater Stage. Led by Conductor Matt Butler, their sets are fully improvised as the conductor will give the performers notes and direction via a small chalkboard he writes on. This Atlanta set featured members of Fruition, Les Claypool, Umphrey’s McGee, Greensky Bluegrass and even Anders Osborne, creating an eclectic mix of sounds that was fun to watch where they would take it. One thing was clear, these performers may not all be used to being on stage together, but they were having a great time doing it.

Despite some of the worst weather during their set, North Carolina’s Big Something didn’t let that damper their spirited set. The jam mixes it all including reggae, rock, and funk, for a fun upbeat set that kept the good vibes going on the 420 Strain Stage.

Over on the Lyrics & Laughter Stage was one of favorites of the weekend, Magic City Hippies out of Miami, FL. The band was an interesting addition to the festival as they live somewhere between the Indie world and more the Funk of this festival. The guitar-based band showed it all off at 420 Fest with a set that included hints of Indie Pop, Funk, Reggae, and even some Space Rock, which had the festival jamming out and dancing to their sweet tunes.

Of course one of the big highlights of the day for many was Moon Taxi‘s epic set on Sweetwater Stage. The Nashville-based alt-rockers were one of the artists that many were looking forward to. They didn’t disappoint with a 20 song set full of energy that even included some “Eleanor Rigby”, an epic Queen mashup of “We Will Rock You”–>”Boehmian Rhapsody”–>”We Are the Champions”, and then there was the fireworks closing their set with the “Game Of Thrones Theme Song”. One thing you can always say about Moon Taxi, they know how to get their crowds going, and no cold weather would stop them. Heck they even threw in some 4 Non Blondes with “What’s Up?” and brought out Big Something to help them celebrate 420.

Another energetic set that kept the mood going before the band everyone was waiting on took the stage was Iration on the 420 Strain Stage. The Alt Rock/Reggae band out of California lived up to their billing as they vibed hard with the audience.

Of course the big highlight for most at the festival was the Night 1 headlining set from the jam band heroes Widespread Panic. The first of two nights, WSP basically seems to embody what this festival is all about. The community that band has built over the years came out strong this weekend. By the time the band took the stage, it was really getting cold out there. But as the audience waited for Panic to take the stage, it was when the frontman JB was spotted on the side stage with his hat backwards, that the audience members who spotted him quickly shouted out that we were in-store for something special. And that’s exactly what Atlanta got over a 21 song set that was a crowd pleaser for all generations of the band’s fans, making for one successful 420 – 2019.

Widespread Panic’s Saturday, 4/20/19 Setlist: