On Saturday, May 11, the 4th annual Sweetlife Festival was held at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Almost two-dozen acts and thousands of fans came out to praise the salad gods.
On the Main Stage, Solange had more soul than a sneaker factory. Actress, model, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, she took the stage and proved that she does not stand in her sister’s shadow. Sporting a funky ‘fro, Solange played songs from her 2008 album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, her 2012 EP True, as well as covers by Selena and Dirty Projectors
Haerts made their festival debut on the Treehouse Stage. Lead singer/vixen Nini Fabi led a synth-pop band that sounded a lot like Fleetwood Mac. Though she seemed a little shy on stage, they had the crowd dancing along and yearning for more. You may not have heard much about Haerts; their debut album is still pending. But the group, composed of five members hailing from four different countries, seems promising. Fabi’s voice is impossible to ignore, and drummer Jonathan Schmidt is a goddamned human metronome.
Gary Clark Jr. drew a large crowd early-on at the Main Stage. Backed by a soulful band, Gary played muddy guitar licks and took fans back to the roots of rock and roll. He doesn’t like to be considered “the next Jimi Hendrix,” but it’s hard not to make the correlation. Clark is a master of his instrument and does a brilliant cover of Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun.” Gary Clark Jr. and a pair of humbuckers reminds us that rock and roll is very much alive and well.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs… Well, they fucking deliver. Karen O kicked off the show like a rock and roll Baptist Church Revival—and it only built from there. They opened with “Sacrilege” from their recent album Mosquito and the popular “Gold Lion” from 2006’s Show Your Bones. The energy was non-stop, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs capped off their set and cracked open the sky with the unforgettable “Heads Will Roll.” (If you haven’t seen the video for this song, you really should. Spoiler alert: break dancing werewolf eats everyone.)
You might think that the three-time Grammy-nominated Yeah Yeah Yeahs would be a tough act to follow, but you wouldn’t know it by watching Kendrick Lamar. Only one man, he filled the stage with his presence as well as any band. “This is not a concert or a show. This is a motherfucking party.” And with that he proceeded to bring West Coast rap in its truest form. “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” and his encore “Cartoons & Cereal” were the crowd favorites.
Passion Pit took the stage and left everyone wondering just how in the hell Michael Angelakos sings those falsettos. The electro-pop band mostly played songs from their new album, Gossamer, as well as hits from Manners and their debut EP Chunk of Change. Angelakos paced the stage from end to end, working an already drunk crowd. “Take a Walk” seemed to be the most anticipated song of the evening. The crowd jumped with the throbbing bass and screeching synth riffs throughout their set. Passion Pit closed out their set with the upbeat “Little Secrets.”
By now, the ground was soaked, and so were the majority of the 20,000 eager fans packing themselves towards the main stage. Phoenix received a very warm welcome from the crowd when they opened with their newest single “Entertainment.” From there, they mixed classic hits like “Lisztomania” with material from their new album Bankrupt! that debuted in April of this year. Lead singer Thomas Mars started the encore with a stripped-down melodic version of “Countdown” and then went into the crowd to finish off their performance.
When the show was over, muddy fans marched their way back to the parking lot. Satisfied by gourmet food, booze, and music—another successful Sweetlife.
Photos: Erica Bruce
