CATBIRD MUSIC FESTIVAL DAY 1
Catbird Music Festival: Bethel Arts Center, Bethel, NY. 8/19/23.
Day 1 of Catbird Music Fest was an amazing start to the weekend. With artists like Trampled by Turtles, Band of Horses, and the Lumineers it was destined to be a great day. Getting into the festival was quick and painless and the energy on the other side of the gates resonated with the vibes of 1969 Woodstock with a message of peace and love. You could see flower crowns and folk hats anywhere you looked and anything you could want was very easily accessible. The first day lineup was very well set up that you could go to either stage and you would love whoever was playing. My favorite set on the small stage was Winchester who was a folk band from Gilbert Arizona. The crowd was loving their very cool set that featured a steel tap player and the fans were blowing bubbles at the front of the fence that were going through the pit and over the stage. Another small stage highlight was Adia Victoria who had a blues folk sound and great stage presence. She told the crowd she wanted to make music that wasn’t just about beer and trucks which got a big ovation from the audience. Some main stage highlights included the set from Trampled by Turtles who had both a fiddle and a banjo and played incredible harmonies. After them was The Band of Horses who seemed to be having so much fun on stage and the singer had a smile from ear to ear the whole set. Another incredible set from day 1 was Philadelphia’s War on Drugs who sounded incredible and seemed like they just played hit song after hit song where the crowd knew all the words. By the time the Lumineers took the stage there wasn’t an empty seat in the audience or even a plot of grass left on the lawn, every single person was tuned in for them. They played a great setlist with a mix of some of their biggest songs but also some songs for the true Lumineers fans. They mentioned that so many tell them they use the song “Ho Hey” for their weddings even though it’s a breakup song and that they really should be using their biggest love song “Dead Sea” my personal favorite Lumineers song.
Shot and Written by Jonah van Bemmelen.
