The weather was absolutely perfect this past Sunday for ParkLife. High in the upper 60's to a cool fall night. The crowd was fairly older with a few younger Drive By Truckers fans looming in the shadows. Blankets were strewn across the Promenade lawn with the sun shining with people who actually wanted to listen to music and not just be the typical drunk concert goer.
Unfortunately, we did not make it to see Natalie Prass but from what I have read, she put on an excellent set.
Strand Of Oaks put on an incredibly good show. This was the first time I had heard him outside of recordings and he and his band sounded very tight and really blew his studio songs out of the water. Timothy Sholwater has an incredibly clear, strong voice and is always smiling. We spoke with him after his set about guitars, Neil Young, and Atlanta. One of the nicest and most humble people I have ever met and I cannot wait to see him when he comes back after he releases a new album in 2016.
Chris Stapleton amazed the crowd with his incredibly powerful/soulful voice and simple tasteful guitar playing. I was already excited about coming to this show but with the later announcement after the initial announcement of Chris Stapleton being the other act, really solidified my decision to buy VIP tickets. Stapleton's band consists of his wife (who is from Jefferson, Ga), a bass player, and a drummer. From the sound coming from the stage, you would have thought there was 8 people up there playing. Just a wall of incredibly toned instruments and wonderful songs set up things nicely for Jason Isbell.
Jason Isbell blew me away. What an incredible musician and person. He has been a favorite of mine for quite some time and he always has exceeded my expectations. His set consisted of songs of his past two critically acclaimed albums, DBT songs, and an incredible Rolling Stones cover of "Sway". His voice never went off key, his guitar playing never faltered, and he played one of the best sets I have ever heard in my life. I was hoping to talk to him after the show but he had to leave to attend to his recently born child who was "out of diapers".
ParkLife did a tremendous job this year. The location of the festival was fantastic, everything at the venue was easily accessible, and everyone was so friendly. I emailed them several times with questions about the festival and they always gave me a quick and detailed response. My only complaint is not having a spot front and center for VIP tickets as they were $130.00 tickets. Great job to everyone involved and I cannot wait to attend next year. Maybe do it on a Saturday and not on a Sunday evening with free beer when I have to work the next morning haha.