Sweetwater 420 Music Festival Provides Jam Filled Experience [Event Review]

Photo Credit: Dave Vann

Sweetwater 420 Fest once again celebrated the best holiday of the year in proper fashion! Dedicated fans congregated at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia for a weekend full of electrifying jams for its 14th year. Who could complain about some jams and beer in one of America’s most prominent cities?

 

FRIDAY 4/20

 

Unfortunately, I was only able to catch The String Cheese Incident on Friday (thanks Atlanta traffic). But, they were sure to make Friday a day to remember. SCI played two sets to close out the first day of the festival. The first set was very groovy, leaving older and newer fans happy with enjoying SCI’s upbeat happy jam vibes. Towards the end of the set things started to get weird in the jams having listeners question if they were still in Atlanta, or in fact a portal to another world. As set break occurred everyone went to restock on their Sweetwater Brewery beer and piece together their minds to prepare for the last set of the day. To start the second set  SCI brought out a very special guest. Brandon “Taz” Niederauer stepped out to sit in with the veterans. Taz is a 14-year-old prodigy who slayed the guitar with Kang, as they were vibing off of each other as if they had been playing together for years. To see such a young talent so comfortably shred on a big stage such as 420 fest was breathtaking and surely the highlight of the set. The set continued with SCI getting more spacey and electronic as their newer style seems to permit.

The String Cheese Incident Setlist

A clip of Brandon "Taz" Niederauer sitting in with The String Cheese Incident on 4/19 @ SweetWater 420 FestivalStay tuned for full review article coming soon!

Posted by The Chronic Electronic on Wednesday, April 25, 2018

 

SATURDAY 4/21

 

The only way to start the day is by going and seeing the 14-year-old prodigy Brandon “Taz” Niederauer and his support band. He strutted out on stage with not an ounce of hesitation in his face, his confidence is honestly inspirational. While this guy might be young, he has already developed a beautiful style composed of funky licks and jaw-dropping solos. Watching the little shredder is truly a pleasure and gives rock and roll fans hope in the future of music. The set left the fans in a happy go lucky mood as he and his band produced nothing but good vibes the whole set.

 

To continue the day, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead began their sunset time slot rocking out some Grateful Dead classics. To every Dead Head’s delight, JRAD got a two-hour time slot allowing them to give a full representation of their music. The first set was a little more melodic and soul-searching with slower more psychedelic jams. As the first set was coming to an end JRAD in usual fashion left the crowd with a feeling of nostalgia as if they were back in the good ole Dead touring days. While the first set was a little slower, JRAD started out the second set with a groovy “Shakedown Street”. This created a mood, as the second set turned into an old fashion dance party. People were spinning, twirling, and bouncing their hearts away with a massive smile on their faces as JRAD displayed their take on The Grateful Dead classics.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Setlist

 

Ghostland Observatory was next as they looked to bring a different energy to the festival. Much more electronic and upbeat, Ghostland Observatory had the crowd zooming around jumping to the rhythm. To everyone’s surprise Ghostland Observatory stepped up the production a little with eye-catching lasers further exemplifying the unique vibe they were looking to bring. Their upbeat sound, almost disco influenced, was a good time bringing the jam festival a little special taste.   

 

SUNDAY 4/22

While the weather was perfect the first two days of the festival, mother nature knew that Sunday was a day for heavy jams as the rain came pouring down in a gloomy and intense setting. While this may seem unpleasant it was a perfect vibe for the music that was filling the airwaves of Atlanta.

 

To start the day off TAUK was the band of choice. It was a tough decision as Greensky Bluegrass was playing the same time slot, but as never seeing TAUK I went in with an open and curious mind. Let me tell you I was not disappointed. TAUK’s set could be described as a heavier rock and roll jam with elements of electronic used sparingly, which mixed very well. If I had to pick a highlight of the set it would have to be the Tom Sawyer cover. It was an innovative cover that stuck to the core components of the classic song while including a very creative jam. Personally, TAUK was one of my favorite sets for the weekend and a band that deserves more recognition in the future.

TAUK jamming out their cover of Tom Sawyer by Rush @ SweetWater 420 FestivalFull festival review article coming soon!

Posted by The Chronic Electronic on Wednesday, April 25, 2018

 

Next up for the day was the influential jamtronica band Papadosio. They played an immersive set displaying much of their unique style. With a two hour set, the band displayed a vast variety of their music. This included oldies mixed with some of their newer material. Papadosio was able to create a special experience for the viewers. To summarize the set was unique compared to most of the other acts.

 

To end the festivities for the weekend Umphrey’s McGee closed out in RAGING fashion. Umphfreaks gathered in the pouring rain all with the same mindset, that there is nothing making them miss this show. Umphrey’s showed up to show out as they demonstrated their versatile range of jam music, highlighting the technical heavy jam style that fans have come to know and love. If you came to 420 Fest for wild peaks after immersive jams, this was the show for you. Mid way through the set we see another sit in from the fourteen-year-old  prodigy Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, and he fit in just like a member of the band. This further shows how impressive the young musician’s ability is as he has the ability to sit in with just about any band and flow with them as if they have been playing together for years. With the weather being so rough Umphrey’s played 2 hours with no set breaks and a 30-minute encore to end the festival in stunning fashion.

Umphrey’s McGee Setlist: Set 1: Half Delayed, Remind Me, Booth Love, Preamble> Mantis> Wife Soup, Lenny1, Draconian> Mantis,Wappy Sprayberry> Ringo
Encore: Fool in the Rain, Ocean Billy, The Silent Type

 

Overall Sweetwater 420 Festival was an amazing weekend in an amazing city. We can’t wait for next year as the festival has become a staple for jam music fans every year.

 

Sweetwater 420 Festival Website

Sweetwater 420 Festival Facebook