Tuesday Tunes- Bunbury Recap

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!