Over the weekend, we caught the Saturday and Sunday of Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, which kicked off the Memphis in May International Festival. The Festival this year wasn't held at Tom Lee Park at the foot of Beale Street like it normally is because the park is undergoing a redesign, so it was held at the Memphis Fairgrounds in Liberty Park instead. It may not have been the iconic venue festival-goers are used to, but it was still a very fun time and was strategically spread out.
We saw acts like Grouplove, Stone Temple Pilots, Death Cab for Cutie, Goose, Third Eye Blind, Modest Mouse, and Weezer, although many other artists were also there performing. We were also going to catch The Smashing Pumpkins Saturday night, but the Festival was evacuated for a while due to a lightning storm. They did end up playing, but we didn't make our way back there. Death Cab's set was cut a bit short, which was disappointing, but these things happen! I was glad to hear even a few of their songs because my brother introduced them to me in high school so seeing them live was incredibly nostalgic. We actually walked roughly a mile in a thunderstorm to get back to our friends' place, so that was a first for me!
It's always a good idea to download the Festival's app for the map, lineup, and schedule. I found BSMF's to be incredibly user friendly with an excellent feature where you could add the acts you wanted to see to a your personal schedule. The app also provides real-time updates with push notifications if there are any changes or delays... or weather warnings.
There's really nothing better than listening to live music with loved ones and friends and being surrounded by so many people congregating for the same reason - a shared love of music!
The blackberry moonshine and lemonade from the Old Dominick Distillery tent was my drink of choice throughout the weekend, and footlong Pronto Pups, or the OG corndogs, with mustard were my snack (meal?) of choice.
Grouplove
Shake That Ass
Tongue Tied
Dancing Own My Own (Cover - Original song by Robyn)
Stone Temple Pilots
Big Empty
Death Cab for Cutie
The New Year
I Will Possess Your Heart
Goose
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind was a surprise guest after another performer had to drop from the line-up due to Covid. They accepted the gig literally the day before and flew to Memphis. They actually had to borrow Weezer's crew because their crew was spread out over various locations. I respect the dedication to their art!
Never Let You Go
Semi-Charmed Life
Jumper
Modest Mouse
We only caught the end of Modest Mouse, and I didn't get a video of my favorite song by them, Float On, but the part of their set we did catch was nothing short of amazing.
Dashboard
Weezer
I didn't realize how many Weezer songs I knew until I was seeing them live with thousands of other people. They probably had a bigger crowd than expected, too, because Lil Wayne was supposed to be playing around the same time as them. It was announced shortly before his set time that he couldn't make it to Memphis due to issues with his jet. This was one of the better performances I've seen live!
Pork and Beans
Africa
Say It Ain't So
Do you bring anything to music festivals that are must haves? For this one, a rain jacket, chapstick, and sunglasses were my saviors. Cash and sunscreen are never bad ideas either.
They handed out refillable water pouches with clips you could hook onto your belt loop or bag when you walked in, which I thought was genius, and they handed out ponchos for the predicted rain on Saturday! There were water stations in various places where you could refill the water pouch they gave you or your water reservoir if you chose to bring one of those.
Tip: Make sure you look into what items are allowed into festivals before you arrive at one! This one only allowed clear bags, aside from camelbaks or the like.
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