DeLuna Fest 2012: Party On The Beach
05:01 PM Wednesday 9/26/12
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Pollstar contributing photographer John Davisson spent the weekend on the beach experiencing concert sets by Pearl Jam, Zac Brown Band , Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and more. In other words, he was at Florida’s DeLuna Fest. Here are his words and pictures.
DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 22, 2012
(John Davisson)
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DeLuna Fest was my second beach festival this year (after Hangout) and it was a smaller affair. There were still big headliners, but the crowd was smaller and it was easy to get prime viewing spots for most of the performances. There seemed to be two main themes throughout the weekend; the beach and politics. Although most of the fans were there to escape the latter, it still seemed to percolate under the waves.
The first act I saw on Friday was Fishbone on the main stage, [playing] to a small gathering on the soft white sands of the Gulf. Usually Fishbone is in small sweaty clubs getting some intense interaction with the fans, but the tall stage made interacting more difficult. Fortunately the sand was soft so they could still jump down and get closer, but the distance made it more subdued. I later heard they played a club show in Pensacola and it was more typical of Fishbone.
Gets up close and personal at DeLuna Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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More appropriate was City and Colour on a second stage in the parking lot; the introspective songs worked better in the hot afternoon sun and Dallas Green acted bemused rather than angry when the video cameraman walked into the middle of the stage to get a good shot, quipping that he was the latest member of the band. Even a song about death (“Body in a Box”) seemed not-so-dark on a sunny afternoon near the beach. Maybe it was just his flowery shirt?
The Gaslight Anthem was more intense on the main stage, although Brian Fallon looked a little haggard. The band created a big stir though when Eddie Vedder joined them for a run through Pearl Jam’s “State of Love and Trust.” Brian seemed real happy with the duet, claiming to be a member of Pearl Jam’s fan club but declining to give his membership number because we might find him and ask him “weird questions about Bruce Springsteen.”
Ben Folds Five played their first Florida show in 13 years on Friday at DeLuna Fest. Ben forgot the lyrics to a song at one point and hurled his piano stool at the piano, but otherwise seemed happy to be playing in Florida. Strangely, they did not do “Song for the Dumped.” Too downbeat for a beach party maybe?
DeLuna Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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DeLuna Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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Of Ben Folds Five at the DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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As evening fell, it was time for some bluegrass and country on the parking lot stages. Trampled By Turtles created a hoedown and then Dwight Yoakam brought a bit of Bakersfield swing (and some rhinestones) to the beach party. It was funny when he was singing “Streets of Bakersfield” and kept stopping the song until he got the lyric right. First it was”I spent some time in California” and after trying several other cities including Mobile and Tallahassee (both nearby), he decided it worked best as “I spent some time in Pensacola.” The locals agreed.
Getting his honky tonk on at DeLuna Fest, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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But the night belonged to Pearl Jam and they delivered a nice long set for their first Pensacola show since 1994 (even though Mike McCready was born in Pensacola). Maybe that was a good thing though, as they played plenty of older tunes like “Even Flow,” “Daughter,” Corduroy,” “Oceans,” and ”Alive.”
I was prepared for some politics from Eddie, considering his prior “Vote For Change” performances supporting John Kerry and his appearance at an Obama fundraiser in Tampa earlier. He did encourage everybody to vote, no matter who we supported and that was about as political as he got. I was stunned; Eddie Vedder is not plugging Obama? I can’t blame him if he wants to vote for hope and change this year. He did stress the importance of supporting wounded and depressed soldiers before Pearl Jam played “World Wide Suicide,” a sentiment we can all agree on in these partisan times, and appropriate considering all of the military in the area.
Pearl Jam apparently enjoyed playing on the beach (we all know Eddie is a surfer but the Gulf does not get the big waves) and [he] did not seem to want to stop. The encore was longer than some bands’ sets, with 45 minutes featuring classics like “Black,” Why Go,” “Better Man,” “Alive,” and “Rearview Mirror.” They ended with The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” (with Eddie sporting a Who T-shirt) and a McCready take on the “Star Spangled Banner.” I can’t think of a better ending for Saturday on the beach.
DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder at the DeLuna Music Fest, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 21, 2012
(John Davisson)
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I began my Saturday with some mellower tunes courtesy of The Silos and The Canvas Waiting, but it quickly got more intense as Jimmy Cliff and Off! were playing at the same time. Off! were the hardcore punk band of the day (I did catch Bad Brains and Joan Jett later Saturday, but they just are not as hardcore, sorry). Singer Keith Morris had some political pontificating to do during his set, but he dismissed Obama, Mitt and Jeb Bush. I don’t think he really offered a suggestion; maybe he’s planning to run.
Jimmy Cliff fit right in to the beach vibe and he was ready with a bright yellow and red outfit; reggae seems to be as much a part of beach culture now as The Beach Boys. Songs like “The Harder They Come,” “Wild World,” “I Can See Clearly Now,” and “Reggae Night” are perfect for dancing or swaying in the sand. Or on the stage, as Jimmy Cliff was bouncing around throughout his set, looking as spry as a 16 year-old rather than a 64 year-old. There was some politics in the songs (“Vietnam” became “Afghanistan” and “Rivers of Babylon” seemed more prophetic than ever).
DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 22, 2012
(John Davisson)
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Joan Jett And The Blackhearts and the Joy Formidable were great choices as the sun set, with uptempo rock anthems pumping up the fans as the temperatures dropped.
Jett ended her set with the fans singing Happy Birthday to her (54 if you’re curious) before she closed with “I Love Rock and Roll.” Band of Horses were also a great evening set, with their trademark shimmering music a perfect seaside choice.
DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 22, 2012
(John Davisson)
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Saturday on the beach was about the Foo Fighters though (not surprising since Gus Brandt, their tour manager, came on board to book bands for DeLuna Fest). Early in the set, Dave Grohl promised to play for five hours and play every song in their catalogue; although they did not play that long or that many songs, they did play a nice long set that included plenty of hits and some surprises. They even had a Who moment, kinda, which always warms this Who fan’s heart. After they had some sound problems during “Hey! Johnny Park” they played a blistering cover of Mose Allison’s “Young Man Blues” (a song I associate with The Who, even if it is two degrees of separation).
After beginning their encore with “Times Like These,” the Foos brought out Bob Mould for “Dear Rosemary” and a cover of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown” (they are in Tom’s home state of Florida , after all, and Dave Grohl gave a shout out for Florida’s pride and joy). Then it got really surreal as Dave brought out Joan Jett (who had been watching the show from the side of the stage) to sing Happy Birthday to her and present her with a birthday cake. She then sang “Bad Reputation” with the Foos as her backing band.
Rocks the sand & surf at DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 22, 2012
(John Davisson)
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DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 22, 2012
(John Davisson)
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While the Foo Fighters were dealing with a majority of the fans on the beach, a younger crowd of EDM fans gathered at the second stage.
Paper Diamond had a smaller crowd as he was right in the middle of the Foo Fighters set, but the crowd grew steadily for the late-night set by Diplo and the second stage was pretty crowded after the Foo Fighters ended as parents drifted over to see what their kids were watching. Diplo put on a good show even though there was not much of the brightly lit production that is typical of EDM. He didn’t just hang out at his deck (although he was pretty busy when he was there), taking time to run down the security chute to connect with the fans and jumping up on his deck to exhort the crowd to wave their hands.
September 22, 2012
(John Davisson)
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Sunday is usually a day of rest, but not at DeLuna Fest (although it was the only day I did not hear anybody talking politics on stage).
The first two acts I saw, Mishka and Twothirtyeight, were fairly low-key, but then Redd Kross and Bob Mould took it up a notch. Blackberry Smoke brought some Southern rock to the mainstage on the beach, which seemed appropriate. I’m sure many fans must have felt a “good one coming on” on the beach. Ben Sollee was the only cellist I saw at DeLuna Fest, while Superchunk brought some old-school hard-rocking indie music to the party.
DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 23, 2012
(John Davisson)
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There were a lot of gate crashers during the final day as dragonflies appeared en masse, floating above and through the crowd during some of the sets. Even Jakob Dylan noticed, wondering aloud if they were dangerous (they’re harmless Jakob). Maybe they were part of Florence and the Machine’s posse, but they did not have wristbands and were treated to some great music.
The Wood Brothers were one of my favorites at DeLuna Fest, bringing some gritty, funky blues-rock to the festival. They sure made a lot of noise for a 3-piece, and it was all over the place, touching on disparate genres and melding it into a nice stew-pot that was nice spicy fare for a beach party.
When The Wood Brothers finished, Florence & The Machine played to a large crowd on the second stage. Florence also ran down the chute at one point. She asked fans to lift their loved ones onto their shoulders before one song. After apologizing for the usual reserved behavior of the Brits, she asked fans to kiss or hug the person next to them. I had never really thought the Brits were very reserved so I guess it comes down to your clique.
DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 23, 2012
(John Davisson)
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Then it was time for the final headliner. Following headlining performances by the Foo Fighters is not easy, but the Zac Brown Band was up to the task with a set that leaned more towards their rock side than their country side. The hits were there of course, but they closed the fest in style with some intense jamming during songs like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” During “Isn’t She Lovely,” Coy Bowles had a few minutes to shine on electric guitar, and then Jimmy De Martini jammed on fiddle, and then Zac jammed on acoustic guitar.
Closing the Deluna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 23, 2012
(John Davisson)
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DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 23, 2012
(John Davisson)
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DeLuna Music Festival, Pensacola Beach, Fla.
September 23, 2012
(John Davisson)
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With such stellar musicianship in the band, they didn’t need any special guests to play the best set of the weekend.
--John Davisson