Culture
Five ‘must see’ moments from day one of Nelsonville Music Festival
By: Julia Weber
Posted on:
NELSONVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – The first day of the 2025 Nelsonville Music Festival has come and gone, and there were many memorable moments. From the energetic, poetic performance of Shirlette Ammons to ‘latingrass’ duo Larry & Joe’s finger-picking folk fusion, day one of the weekend-long festival brought music from all parts of the world to fans of all genres.
See a selection of five of day one’s must-see moments below:
Natural Sway plays the Porch Stage Friday afternoon
The group played a selection of their original songs for festival attendees during their early afternoon set time. Despite being one of the first performances of the day, Natural Sway drew a sizable crowd of festival attendees and fellow musicians with tracks spanning their nearly decade-old discography.
Festival attendees relax in the designated hammock zones
Attendees relax in Nelsonville Music Festival’s designated hammock area at the Creekside Stage on Friday, June 20, 2025 during a Sycamore Session performance by Venezuelan-Appalachian folk music duo Larry & Joe. Onstage and in surrounding areas, colorful decorations honor the illustrations of singer-songwriter Michael Hurley, who was a major part of the festival and played each year until his death in April. Hurley had initially been scheduled to perform at this year’s festival.
Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter Merce Lemon takes the Nelsonville Music Festival Porch Stage
Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter Merce Lemon takes the Nelsonville Music Festival Porch Stage in the late afternoon on Friday, June 20, 2025. While Lemon and her backing band have played in Southeast Ohio multiple times leading up to Friday’s performance, this marks her first appearance at the festival following the release of her sophomore album Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. Despite high temperatures and little shade, Lemon drew a large crowd of enthusiastic festival-goers and musicians to her late afternoon set.
Waxahatchee‘s Katie Crutchfield makes a surprise appearance during frequent collaborator MJ Lenderman’s set
Nelsonville Music Festival day one headliner Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield joins frequent collaborator MJ Lenderman onstage for a surprise appearance during Lenderman’s performance at Howard’s Stage on Friday, June 20, 2025. Crutchfield sang supporting vocals on Lenderman’s single She’s Leaving You from his latest album Manning Fireworks, released last September, during his Friday afternoon set at NMF. Last year, Waxahatchee released Tigers Blood, a Grammy-nominated album which prominently features supporting vocals from Lenderman.
Headlining artist Waxahatchee takes Howard’s Stage late in the evening on Friday
Headlining artist Waxahatchee takes Howard’s Stage late in the evening on Friday, June 20, 2025. The evening’s performance attracted a large crowd of all ages as the weather cooled down. Waxahatchee is singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield’s personal project and this marks her debut appearance at the festival. Crutchfield made a surprise appearance during MJ Lenderman’s preceding performance and invited him back to the stage during her own set to perform their collaborative track “Right Back to It,” which is featured on her latest album Tigers Blood.