Graphics by Adam Kesner
This past weekend, roughly 60 thousand people ventured to Dover, Delaware for the second annual Firefly Festival. Doubling their attendance from last year, this event is one of the fastest growing festivals in the country, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. The bold line up included Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Haim, Calvin Harris, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers among a plethora of others. The three-day festival was hosted in a group of fields across from the Dover International Speedway, surrounded by picturesque trees and wide-open skies. Keep scrolling for some notable highlights and pictures from the fest!
The setup: With four stages and over 80 bands, Firefly had something for everyone. While several people decided to camp out and live the full experience, many opted for nearby hotels. At the site, wooded pathways joined one stage to the next, giving a middle-of-nowhere feel to the location. The incredible lineup included artists like Foster The People, Trails & Ways, Foxygen, Kendrick Lamar and Grizzly Bear.
Weather: Friday and Saturday were amazing weather-wise. The sun was out, clouds were scarce, and the breeze seemed to come around right when you felt it was getting too warm. Sunday was on and off between comfortable, holy crap I’m burning alive, pouring rain, and sun again. The rain felt great after bouts of direct sunlight, although walking around damp afterwards was slightly uncomfortable.
Food options: Kudos to the organizers of the festival for the selection of food and drink vendors. An array of options was available for those wanting everything from a healthy salad, a hot dog with all the fixings, or even chicken and waffles. The best thing we tried was a chicken teriyaki bowl. Cooked to order, our freshly grilled meal was a true feast. Most items ranged from $5-$10, offering great quality without overpricing. The Brewery resembled a bier garden with long tables under an air-conditioned tent and included a variety of refreshing brews. Our favorite had to be the Firefly Ale!
Best sing-along: Friday night came to an explosive end as the Red Hot Chili Peppers stormed the stage and put on one hell of a show. It was apparent that 99% of the audience grew up with their songs, as they belted each word out at the top of their lungs. Tens of thousands of people joined in unison to favorites like “Otherside”, “Scar Tissue” and “By The Way”. They opened with “Give It Away”, which set the tone for the incredibly high energy set. They had an impressive command of the stage, and watching them run around while playing immaculately for 90 minutes was certainly impressive.
Best cover: During a rain soaked, but incredibly fun show, The Last Bison wowed the crowd with a rendition of M83’s “Midnight City”. We never thought we would hear that song with a cello and violin leading the way, but it worked! Singer Ben Hardesty rocked out with the band, which includes his dad and his sister, as the crowd danced with a resounding “oh, hell yea!”.
Best dance party: Armed with his violin, loop pedal, and sweet beat boxing skills, Kishi Bashi owned the crowd and had everyone dancing. Following a stint of heavy downpour, the sun peeked out of the clouds as he played the appropriately titled “Evelyn, Summer Has Arrived”. K performed an amazing new song entitled “Philosophize In It, Chemicalize With it” and announced a 7-inch release later this year (yay!). We were lucky enough to run into K during MGMT’s set the night before where he gave The Wild Honey Pie followers a special shout out.
Best chill out spot: Hammock Hangout! Nestled in the forest were dozens of hammocks hanging from trees, providing a cool and peaceful oasis for festival goers. In Forest Cinema, guests were even able to watch films while lying in the hammocks. Also, being able to hear the music from the nearby stages was a huge plus!
For the win: Free WiFi! Hot spots located throughout the festival grounds connected guests to the outside world. Not often available in woodsy festival environments, the amenity was a welcome service for those having to post evidence of the amazing time that they were having to their social networks.
First festival: Chvrches took the stage and proclaimed their excitement to be performing as part of their first US festival. The Scottish electro-pop trio played in The Backyard stage, a bit removed from the main areas providing a cool low-key spot. It appeared that most people came to check them out due to recent buzz in the media following their EP Recover, which was released in March to critical acclaim.
Best rain moment: Thousands of people came to check out LP on the main stage during their Sunday afternoon set. Towards the middle of the show, the skies opened up and dumped buckets of rain upon the crowd. In true festival fashion, everyone embraced the moment by letting go, which seemed to enhance the experience. The boost in energy made a good set great, and a sluggish and tired Sunday afternoon crowd found their second wind.
Most intense ‘boo’ moment: The sun had almost set when MGMT took the stage on Saturday night. A beautiful sea of beach balls were being tossed amongst the crowd as the band played favorites like “Electric Feel” and “Weekend Wars”. However, when the set ended without having played “Kids”, everyone just about lost their shit. A feeling of betrayal seemed to engulf those who wanted to jam out to their favorite song. We heard a roaring rumble of boos from across the massive crowd, who got over it pretty quickly as they left to make their way to see Tom Petty.
Best sun escape: For those seeking solace from the sun’s rays, the Heineken Dome tent offered a getaway from it all. In two igloo shaped structures near the main stage, DJs were spinning fresh beats as crowds poured in and out to get their fist pump on. A colorful, psychedelic projection on the concave ceiling made it feel like a late night rave. Emerging from the tents into daylight was always a shock to the senses.
Best crowd participation moment: During Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ performance of their hit song “Home”, singer Alex Ebert passed the microphone around the crowd asking for fans to share a story. Some notable things shouted out into the mic were “I just proposed to my girlfriend yesterday!” and “My sister and I got through a hard time in our lives with this song!”. Most shout outs were met with supportive cheers from the crowd, augmenting the sensation of unity amid the spectators.
Most memorable festival signage: Among the flags, blow up animals, and ‘call me maybe (insert phone number)’ posters, was an enormous James Gandolfini (RIP) face cut out on a stick. We never caught up with whoever was holding it, but it was by far the easiest thing to spot during most sets.
Pleasant surprise: The number of bathroom facilities was impressive. We never had to wait in a line, and they were kept very clean and conveniently located.
Best stand-in: When The Lumineers had to cancel their set a few days before the festival weekend, Ben Harper swooped in and agreed to take the open slot. His set was soulful and flawless. With a Led Zeppelin cover in tow, the show was a huge crowd pleaser, and no one seemed too heart broken with the lineup swap.
