McDowell Mountain Music Festival took over Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix over the weekend.
The three-day festival featured more than 30 bands from a wide range of genres between the local and main stages.
For the 12th year, Wespac Construction hosted the event as a fundraiser for charity. McDowell Mountain Music Festival benefits UMOM Day Centers and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
The festival was kicked off Friday with a mixture of pop, rock and electronic music.
Once the sun set, Portugal. The Man captivated the crowds with their slow-paced pop tones. They played their set without many breaks. It was challenging to determine where one song ended and another began, but the flow of the set was extremely smooth and consistently held the crowd’s attention.
Portugal. The Man closed out their set with a fusion of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” before melting into their song, “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue.”
Passion Pit closed out the first night with a constantly fast set. Lead singer Michael Angelakos was never idle for long as he bounced all over the stage.
Although they closed out their main set with their hit “Take a Walk”, Passion Pit came back minutes later for an encore with “Sleepyhead” that put the first day of the festival over the top.
Saturday’s lineup featured a slower pace of music with bands such as Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Phantogram. The mixture of fast jazz and electronic music created a quelling evening.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue played a set that exploited the number of brass instruments the band uses. Despite the lack of vocals in the group’s songs, the group had the entire crowd moving and shaking.
Phantogram kept the energy with their electronic pop music, which allowed Thievery Corporation to come in and wrap up the second night on a high note.
A conglomeration of bands on Sunday brought the festival to a close. From rock to folk to country, Sunday offered the most diverse day of them all.
Widespread Panic closed out the festival with energized country music with a number of guitar solos.
Overall, the festival featured a variety of music to satisfy the tastes of everyone in attendance.
Although some of the bands have a more popular ring to them, the lesser-known bands were definitely able to pull out their fair share of tricks.
For example, the Revivalists, a band out of Louisiana, played early Sunday afternoon. Lead singer David Shaw was in and out of the pit throughout the performance, bringing fans closer to the music.
The local stage featured a variety of talent as well. For Saturday and Sunday, festival attendees could experience a Drum Circle.
Other local stage talent throughout the weekend highlighted mostly alternative bands from around the Valley.
Aside from the music, there were a variety of vendors offering food, clothes, jewelry, and more to enhance the average festival attendees’ experience.