Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend the High Water Festival. I saw the lineup when it was first released, and instantly wanted to go. I was lucky enough to get a press pass, so here’s my review/recap of the festival!
I arrived an hour before the gates opened, and once they did open, I got in super quick. The first show started 30 minutes after the doors opened and then after, shows were back to back on two different stages. I loved that none of the shows overlapped so I never missed any music.
The only time I couldn’t see what was going on in the first stage was when I was saving a spot for a performance at the second stage. When I got in the gates on the first day, I met up with my boyfriend. We started to explore while the first show played, looking around at all the food, drink, merch, and other vendors.
We found a food truck with unlimited free grilled cheeses and wow, let me just say those things kept us going. I cannot emphasize enough how good they were and did I say they were free?
After our grilled cheese expedition, we found the water refill station and filled up our bottles. That water refill station was the second thing that kept us going; cold water all weekend. Then we settled in to catch the second show. It was effortless to get good spots even with a GA pass. We could walk right up the front for smaller bands, while with larger bands we did have to wait a while, but it was really worth it.
For the first performance we watched, Olivia Jean, we were really close to the front with a ton of space to move and sit down if needed. The show was really good, and I was glad I got to discover some new artists that I enjoy.
After the Olivia Jean concert, we took on the daunting task of the merch line. While we waited, we were able to see Leyla McCalla perform. When we finally made it out of the blazing sun of the merch line, we settled in right on the barricade for one of our favorite bands, The Dip.
Listeners of my show, the Out There Inn, will immediately know how cool this was as I play The Dip almost every show. Their performance was phenomenal and I was thrilled to hear them play some songs from their upcoming record. Overall, the performance was lively and fun.
I love jam bands like The Dip, and jam they did. Once The Dip finished up we grabbed some popsicles and relaxed until we needed to try to find a spot for our next favorite band, The Fleet Foxes. We got a spot to the side with a great view as the sun set and the heat died down. It was absolutely unreal to see them live. Fleet Foxes have been one of my favorite bands for a very long time due to their clever harmonies, instrumentation, and lyrics.
My boyfriend and I love to hike and listen to the song ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’ on every trip; we were thrilled they played it. I hope to see them perform again one day. After their set, we were starving. As we settled down for dinner at the empty picnic tables, Noah Kahan started his set. It was the perfect end to the day, eating a mac and cheese bowl and listening to Noah Kahan.
On the morning of day two, we grabbed a quick breakfast and drove over to the festival. While the first day was blazing hot, the second day was cold and rainy. The first set we saw however warmed us right up. Babe Club had a fun and peppy energy that charmed the whole crowd.
After their set, we made our way to the other stage and settled into our spots for the rest of the day. We wanted to get up close before the crowd rolled in. The next set we saw was The Linda Lindas, a band of teenagers with their youngest member being 11. They were absolutely phenomenal with a completely unexpected range of sounds. Every member took turns on lead vocals and they all had lovely voices.
After stunning performances from The Wallflowers and The Flaming Lips, it was time. The artist we had been most excited for, Hozier. He was everything we had waited for and more and suddenly being rained on in the same spot for 5 hours was worth it. Some of my favorites were ‘Dinner and Diatribes’, ‘Movement’, and of course ‘Work Song’.
He talked about how lovely his band is and spoke on issues such as women’s rights, racism, and war in Palestine. It was captivating to hear him speak. Overall, The
High Water Festival was amazing and I hope I make it there next year.
My name's Rachel (dj Traveler) and I co-host the show Out There Inn! I've been a dj for a year now and I love folk, folk rock, metal, ghibli soundtracks, and video game music! Some of my favorite artists are Fleet Foxes, Hozier, Lord Huron, the Dip, and Sleep Token :) I also love hiking and painting.