You will be redirected to the page you want to view in seconds.
|
|
|
More
Tens of thousands of music fans were treated to clear blue skies, a sea breeze, and blistering rock 'n' roll on the first day of the Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Highlights were many, and fans jammed in the sand and sun until the day gave way to dusk with Chris Cornell throwing down a bare-knuckled acoustic set that was nothin' but honey. Jack White wrapped up the day with a tightly packed crowd that wound blocks away from the stage.
More than 35,000 music fans are expected to attend the three-day festival, which has been sold out for weeks. The festival is a big draw for fans from the Pensacola area.
"I'm loving it, every minute of it," said Stratton Miniat, 21, of Pensacola. "It' s my first festival ever."
Between sets and around their favorite bands, fans milled around the street and up and down the beach, people watching, talking to strangers, checking out clothing vendors and other merchandise, and munching on everything from Gnarley Marley pizza to nearly unidentifiable fried objects.
"It's awesome. The atmosphere is cool, and the people are very different," said Jessica Rieder, 22, of Fort Myers.
Some fans noted that the festival was different from years past.
"It seems to be a little bigger and more elaborate than the years before," said Jennifer Smith, who came to the festival today from Fairhope, Ala. "I always like the Hangout Festival because it's a clean festival. I also grew up on these beaches, so it's neat being at a festival on the beach where I grew up."
During Alabama Shakes' afternoon set, a crowd of thousands gathered at the Chevrolet stage.
Bands such as Sleeper Agent, Hey Rosetta! and Switchfoot played to large crowds on other stages. The main stage opened at 1:15 p.m. with a performance by Rebelution.
Sleeper Agent threw down a raucous set heavy on tracks from the band's "Celebrasion" album and a surprise cover of a song from the XX.
A few thousand fans got a head start on the fun during Thursday's preview party on the grounds in Gulf Shores, Ala. But Friday's early crowd had dwarfed the Thursday audience by noon.
Saturday's lineup is capped by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sunday stars the Dave Matthews Band.
Our GoP team will be cruising the festival weekend, with live updates, photos, videos and more. Follow our coverage on Facebook, Twitter, GoPensacola.com, Instagram and on your phone at GoPensacola.com/gohf.
If you see our crew at the festival this weekend, come say hi. Tell us what's cool, what sucks, what we shouldn't miss. And, as always, look for your shiny happy face on GoPensacola all day every day. :)
All weekend passes for the main festival, including all levels of VIP, are sold out.
