After making the 30 minute drive back home after the leaving day one of Pilgrimage Festival, I made a fatal mistake and I looked in the mirror. I do not think I have been that sunburnt in decades, to be honest. I have been to countless festivals over the years, vacationed at Disney World, spent weekends camping, but I have always prepared myself for the elements. A rookie mistake made by a traveling veteran. My farmer’s tan (or burn, in this case) looked tremendous.
I mustered up enough energy to take a much-needed shower and as the hot water hit my bald scalding head, I pushed my screams deep, deep inside as to not frighten the neighbors. Moments later, I was in bed counting roadies saying “mic check one, mic check two” until I drifted off to sleep.
Rise and shine, ya’ll – because it’s day two. I decided it was in my best interest to head out to the farm early to beat the traffic and the lines to get in. An easy drive was followed by an easy shuttle ride and before you knew it, I was sitting inside the Americana Music Triangle Experience enjoying the shade and the wi-fi before it was impossible to use. I honestly was just trying to get my NFL bets in before I was forced to stare at a phone screen that would just not load for the rest of the day. I truly appreciate the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and Derrick Henry rushing for over 99.5 yards for taking the sting out of paying $30 for parking.
Now that my degenerate gambling side had been fed, it was time to get things going. But, before I left the tent, I looked up at the stage and there, in all her glory, stood Kathie Lee Gifford, singing spiritual songs to a packed crowd. The daytime talk show host was the last person I was expecting to see on the stage. I was lucky enough to exchange pleasantries with her after her performance, before beginning my church service for the day.
The Chattanooga-based country singer Larry Fleet kicked off things on the Gold Record Road stage Sunday in support of his album Stack of Records that was released last week. Fleet had the growing crowd in a good mood to start today with his throwback sounds of late-1990s country music. I decided to take the first part of the day fairly easy and stayed on that side of the festival and continued to listen to Larry while sitting in the shade provided by the Wicked Weed Brewing company’s tent. As the noon hour approached, football fans began to fill the tent with one tv showing the Titans and Colts matchup while the other broadcast the Patriots/Saints game.
With me being a diehard Saints fan, I wore my Alvin Kamara #41 shirt to show support for the Who Dats and that turned out to be a mistake. I was approached not once, not twice, not even three times but by all accounts, six times by Dave Matthews fans about my shirt. I haven’t listened to Dave on a regular basis in probably 20 years so it was far removed from my memory that there was a Dave Matthews Band song titled #41. Multiple fans asked me if I was pumped for the show or if I knew that he played it at soundcheck that morning. I was not, nor did I.
One of things I enjoy most about going to music festivals is discovering new artists I was unaware of. One of the highlights of the weekend was learning about country-pop singer Morgan Wade. The 26 year-old country singer from Virginia made a lot of new fans after they heard her hit “Last Cigarette” and other songs from her debut album Reckless.
After bouncing from stage to stage to see People on the Porch, JD McPherson, Anna Vaus, and Jamestown Revival, it was time to relax a bit and grab a bite to eat before ending day two with a bang. I cannot stress enough…when you are taking in a multi-day festival, make sure you pace yourself. It is a guarantee that there will be scheduling conflicts, so it will be nearly impossible to see every band you want to. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes because you are going to be walking a lot. I would tell you to wear comfortable clothes as well, but I fully understand that events like Pilgrimage are mainly Instagram backdrops for many.
New Orleans R&B group Tank and The Bangas turned the things up to 11 with their extremely energetic set. The Grammy nominee for Best New Artist in 2019 had the packed crowd at the Midnight Sun stage dancing and jumping up and down. As the crowd was enjoying Tank and The Bangas, I rushed one more time to the Gold Record Road stage to catch a band I have been wanting to experience live for a few years now.
The global music influenced trio Khruangbin delivered a more relaxed but still upbeat set. The Houston based band played songs from their 3 full-length albums full of influences from genres spanning the globe. Sounds from Thai to Indian to West African to Mexican were just a sliver of the ones heard during their set. The crowd danced and swayed during the heavy psychedelic show.
With some time to kill, I stopped by my favorite shaded place one last time to check on the NFL scores. How ‘bout dem Saints? Pilgrimage Festival provided me the opportunity to see a band I have longed to see ever since they showed up on my Twitter timeline in a promoted Tweet. 2019 Best New Artist Nominee Tank and The Bangas were followed by 2020 Best New Artist Nominee Black Pumas on the Midnight Sun stage.
The psychedelic soul band led by lead singer Eric Burton rocked the faces off the thousands and thousands in attendance. The highlight was without a doubt when Dave Matthews joined the band for a cover of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s “Dirty Dirty.” The only criticism to be had of Eric is the constant reference to Franklin as Nashville, which is a common flub among performers.
My last visit to the Gold Record Road stage almost didn’t happen. I had been wanting to see Black Pumas for a while and fought with the idea of staying there and skipping Cage the Elephant. In the end, I made way through the crowds and settled in the photo pit to experience Cage the Elephant. Continuing with the family friendly theme, the band brought out two of their daughters to say hello before starting. What I witnessed next absolutely blew my mind.
Cage frontman Matt Shultz channeled his inner Bowie by donning a metallic skintight jumpsuit topped with a shimmering face shield. As Shultz began to shed the layers, his inner Michael Hutchence rose to the surface as he and the band raced non-stop through crowd favorites “Shake Me Down”, “Ready to Let Go”, and opener “Broken Boy.” The Nashville based band sent everyone to Dave Matthews happy with the closer “Cigarette Dreams.”
One last time, I make the haul across the grounds to prepare for one last stand. The majority of those in attendance had found their spot hours ago with many getting to the front of the Midnight Sun stage once the gates opened. The crowd was at a frenzied pitch when the man himself, Dave Matthews, walked across the stage and grabbed his guitar. Dave and crew delivered the big hits including “So Much to Say”, “Too Much”, and “Ants Marching” as well as classic covers “Sledgehammer” and “All Along the Watch Tower.”
And just like that, 2021 Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival is a wrap. My first music festival as a credentialed media member was a huge success and more fun than I ever imagined it would be. My feet and bald head do not agree with me, but they’ll get over it. Let’s do it again next year.
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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