Culture
NMF ’16 Off to a Brilliant Start
By: Darian Randolph
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The crowd was plentiful on the first night of the 2016 Nelsonville Music Festival, bringing together both Athens area locals and those who might have never stepped foot at Robbins Crossing before. Children ran through the grass and adults supervised from their blankets in the nice but oh-so muggy weather. Just about every other patron had in hand a craft beer from one of the many local breweries.
By early evening, more people filed into see Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats on the main stage for their thigh-slapping, toe-stomping set. While The Night Sweats mesmerized the crowd with their musical talent, frontman Nathaniel Rateliff sang with all of his heart and cracked a few jokes.
“It’s hot and muggy as f— right now,” Ratliff said between songs, mentioning his Missouri roots. Between Rateliff’s humor and the band’s eccentric mix of songs, the band was definitely a crowd pleaser.
Upon nightfall, festivalgoers crowded in closer to the main stage for Thursday night headliner, Australian rocker Courtney Barnett. Rain drops started pattering about the crowd as Barnett started her set. Clad in a white graphic tee and skinny jeans, Barnett crooned her songs while she flipped her locks like the major rockstar in the making that she is.
Between the enticing headliners at the main stage and the overall buzz of the first night, the Nelsonville Music Festival is already looking like it’s going to be a success in just about every way.
Check out woub.org/nelsonville-music-festival for continuing coverage of this year’s Nelsonville Music Festival. Follow @WOUBculture for the latest lives tweets from the event.