Hey guys, it took me all of last
week to recuperate from Bunbury Festival! So now that I'm caught up on sleep, let me tell you how awesome it was!
We started out Friday around noon just cruising around the festival
getting a feel for things and learning where everything was at. The set up
for the festival was really great. The schedule was perfectly worked out so no two bands played close to each other at the same time. My favorite stage was the Landor stage. It was right on our
flood wall's stadium seating and you faced the Ohio River while watching a band perform.
My only complaint was the lack of summery food and beverage vendors.
All the food was really good, but it was really heavy and there weren't
enough vendors. So, the lines were generally 20 people deep. There was only one
gelato and one coffee tent, both on the opposite end of the park from the main stage.
When it's 90 degrees you need plenty of iced coffee and gelato. As for the music, it was superb. A good, solid band or
artist was performing at all times. They let a lot of really talented, well known local bands play the festival, too.
Highlights
Friday: I got to see one of my favorite bands, All Get Out. They
performed on my favorite stage, and played every song I
hoped they would. I've never been a huge a Minus The Bear fan, but after catching
their set, I was pretty impressed. They are
great to watch and really good at their instruments. Ra Ra Riot was pretty solid as well.
Saturday: We arrived around 4 Saturday, and caught my second
favorite performance of the weekend, Manchester Orchestra. We've been
able to see them 4 times now, and they have consistently been pretty sloppy. During this set, something was different. They were
tighter and more impactful than I had ever previously seen. We also
caught about 30 minutes of Weezer's set, and got to see some of the
older songs. Hearing The Sweater Song was pretty cool, and it's pretty neat to
say I've seen them.
Sunday: By far the best day for music. We got caught in a 20 minute
downpour during a friend's band's set, but came out of it alive. I very much enjoyed Maps &
Atlases on the main stage and then Mallory's sister came with her husband and kids. I really had no idea that Maps & Atlases had such a
following. Also, Good Old War put on a pretty spectacular set. Their highlight was definitely "Can't Go Home."
Then there was Death
Cab for Cutie. We saw them a few years ago and I wasn't very impressed (Mallory
pointed out that it was in a seated venue). Mallory
insisted we get up close and personal to see them close out the
festival. Ben Gibbard opened their set playing "I Will Follow You" solo on an acoustic guitar. Highlight for them was definitely "We Looked Like
Giants." Once it got dark and their light show started, it was
mind-blowing. They had so much more energy than when we had previously
seen them.
All in all, I was pretty surprised by how well the festival
went. 50,000 people showed up over the weekend, and there wasn't one
single arrest. I absolutely cannot wait for next years lineup, and to
hopefully make this a tradition in Cincinnati. I would
highly recommend that where ever you live, you make the trip for next
year. For a festival that only costs $93 for 3 days, you won't find
anything better. -Brian
p.s. from Mallory: hi to Jessica, a sweet reader who said hi at the festival!
