The music festival and weather gods finally felt like middle Tennessee had suffered enough. Waverly, TN is barely a month removed from historic flooding that ravaged the small town. Bonnaroo, the annual music and arts festival in Manchester, TN, fell victim to the remnants of Hurricane Ida and was cancelled for a second year in a row. The cancellation of music festivals due to extreme weather wasn’t held only for Tennessee festivals. The chance of severe weather from Hurricane Nicholas forced the organizers of the Imagine Music Festival in Georgia to be cancelled this month. Fans hoping to see Machine Gun Kelly and Incubus on the second day of Rebel Rock Festival in Orlando were left disappointed as it was cancelled due to weather issues and ground conditions. It seemed like the universe did not want the masses to rock.
With not a chance of rain in sight for the majority of the week, Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival in Franklin, TN was set to go off with out a hitch. The festival started in 2015 but was rained out by mother nature in 2018 and cancelled due to Covid-19 last year. Over its short history, it has grown to be one of the most sought out festivals of music lovers. The festival has seen Willie Nelson, Weezer, Jack White, and Justin Timberlake grace its stages. Unlike the majority of festivals, Pilgrimage has truly delivered an experience the whole family can enjoy.
The extremely engaging Lil’ Pilgrims Family Stage and Mare Barn Theater is a fun spot for the whole family which not only showcases family friendly artists, but is also full of fun-filled activities. Along with music, there is an array of shopping festival goers can participate in. There were merchants selling everything from vintage clothes to recycled bags and purses to jewelry to even kitchen knives. While you’re shopping ’til you drop or dancing along with Cage the Elephant, you might build up an appetite. Pilgrimage Festival is really big into supporting local businesses and did a great job with their food selection. There was a wide selection of local eats including Edley’s Bar-B-Que, who ran out of food by 3:00 on Saturday, Grilled Cheeserie, Daddy’s Dogs, and Big Shake’s Hot Chicken of which I will neither confirm nor deny I ate both days.
Let’s face it – it’s the music that everyone comes to Pilgrimage for and boy did they deliver. The line-up was stocked full of headlining talent as well as newcomers that are poised to be headlining festivals in the years to come. Saturday was a bit of a sweltering day at the Gold Record Road stage with a brisk breeze offering some relief from time to time. Gold Record Road was one of the two main stages used during the weekend and as I was making my way through security, I could hear that Robert Finley was starting the weekend off right with his rendition of American Blues. Once through the gates and officially on the festival grounds, I decided to do a walkthrough to get my self acquainted with where everything was. I found what would become some of my favorite shade spots to hide at when needing a break from the sun.
I wrote about Marcus King Band’s album last year and gushed about how it was one of my favorite records of 2020. It was only fitting that the first set I was to see at the very first music festival I was covering would be his. Marcus put on an amazing set featuring a good portion of his most recent album that just happened to be produced by Dan Auerbach of fellow festival mates The Black Keys. After the set, I searched out for food of which there was an abundance to choose from and decided to do what every music festival patron does and that’s watch college football.
Wicked Weed Brewing set up a massive tent next to the Gold Record Road stage, where beer lovers could grab a cold one and watch the music away from the sun and crowd or take in some of the big college games of the day on one of the two big screen televisions set up. After filling up my stomach and resting my feet, it was off to the Midnight Sun stage for the first time to see one of my favorites, Valerie June. Valerie pulled double duty Saturday by playing a small intimate set at the Americana Music Triangle Experience tent. This tent features a wide variety of talented acts from blues and bluegrass to gospel singers and square dancers. Valerie made her way to the main stage after her performance under the tent and proceeded to sway the crowd with her beautiful, harmonious twangy voice.
I have to give props where props are due and big ones have to go out to the organizers of the event and the City of Franklin for the much-needed and improved changes to the festival. In years past, it was a nightmare getting into the festival. Parking was a mess and if you were trying to use a rideshare company, you had to be prepared to wait and wait and wait. It appears the screams of disappointment were heard and the two entities came together to rework the traffic plans for getting in and out of the festival. Parking however was not all that cheap, but for the more expensive lots, you were within a short walk of the entrance gates or a shuttle was offered to get you back and forth.
Day one of Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival really took a toll on me, as the one thing I forgot to pack in my bag was sunscreen. Oddly enough, it was when bag checkers were confiscating aerosol cans of protection at the entrance that I noticed I did not think of bringing any with me. My poor bald head and neck really paid the price for my blunder.
After witnessing a packed stage of onlookers singing along with Amos Lee at the Gold Record Road stage, I raced across the farm to the Midnight Sun stage to see my favorite band Better Than Ezra. I have fond memories of watching BTE play at the Grove at Ole Miss back in the early ’90s, as they were making their name in alternative music. Lead singer and festival creator Kevin Griffin and the rest of the band took the crowd through a set of their biggest songs, which many in attendance sang along to. They even debuted a new song, “Fuzzy”, that was written in wee hours of the morning that day after a long night of drinking sugar free Red Bulls and Tito’s vodka with The Black Keys.
After a few songs, my body said that I had had enough and it was time to call it a night. As I made my way to the exit, Better Than Ezra’s set and Maren Morris’ began to blend into one as I would expect it did for a lot of fans who had partaken in more adult-beverages than I did. I hated to miss out on The Black Keys shutting day one down, but it was a long walk back to the car and a long drive back home and I needed the rest to be ready for Day 2 of Pilgrimage Fest.
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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