Review & Photos: Saturday At Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
By L. Paul Mann Mar 6, 2016 • 10:48 am PST
Words & Images by: L. Paul Mann
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival Day Three :: 3.5.16 :: Lake Okeechobee, Florida
View L. Paul’s Day Three photo gallery below his review. Head here for L. Paul’s photos and review of Thursday at Okeechobee and here for Friday. Stay tuned for coverage of Saturday night’s PoWoW! SuperJam.
The longest and most ambitious day of music at the inaugural Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival in Florida took place on Saturday. The day started with a cool morning and a blanket of high clouds, but by mid-morning the sun began to burst through and large crowds headed straight to Aquachobee Beach. Warm temperatures encouraged a large crowd to brave the waters of the pond and by noon, the pond was full of bathers as the alt-country rockers from Virginia, the Jamie McLean Band, was playing on the nearby stage. McLean offered up an interesting improvisation to one of his lyrics, singing “I want to move to Okeechobee and start a marijuana farm.”
Music on the main stage began early as well, with experimental indie bands like Givers and Twin Limb leading the way. Early-to-rise festivalgoers were greeted by light crowds at all the stages and food booths, except the coffee stand, which proved to be the most popular beverage of the festival. But for those who like their alcohol, all manner of drinks were available from designer tequila and vodka drinks to special rum concoctions and of course beer and wine. Young Boston rapper Michael Christmas kicked off the hip-hop jams for the day, as he played to a crowd of appreciative early arrivals. Rock also made an early showing with sets from festival regulars Dr. Dog and Deer Tick.
Meanwhile, two American blues performers went largely unnoticed in the afternoon sun. Walter “Wolfman” Washington and The Roadmasters brought a brilliant display of New Orleans style blues music to the small but appreciative crowd. He was followed by a true legend, Booker T. Jones, who defined the Hammond B-3 sound of the sixties. He also played a mean guitar on a cover of “Hey Joe” which also featured his son on a blistering lead guitar. It was one of those amazing festival moments that just seems to go unnoticed by many, but was so special to the lucky few who were there.
Lotus was greeted by the first sizable crowd of the day at the main stages area the main stages area, with the young EDM audience partial to their livetronica sound. The Philadelphia band also played a second late night set with a much smaller audience during Kendrick Lamar’s performance. Their last-minute set replacing the only no shows at the festival so far, Kill The Noise. The young rapper Mac Miller brought an even bigger crowd to the main stage and had the hip-hop fans in a euphoric state.
Meanwhile, a beautiful sunset draped the Aquachobee Beach in gorgeous pastel colors. The EDM duo Manic Focus had a frenzied crowd dancing up a dust storm on the small stage by the beach. At the same time, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band led an impromptu New Orleans style parade across the beach as they were followed by a throng of colorfully festooned festivalgoers.
As night fell, a huge crowd gathered around the main stage for an early evening set by charismatic soul singer Miguel. With an awesome backing band he wowed the crowd with one of the best sets of the day. On the other side of the field, Big Gigantic delighted the audience assembled for the performance. The duo mixed drum and sax playing with EDM beats featuring a ferocious presentation and spectacular light show. The highlight came when sacred steel specialist Roosevelt Collier, who led a Super Jam on the first night of the festival, joined the duo onstage for a blazing mashup of blues/jazz and EDM.
Just like Booker T., The Preservation Hall Jazz Band played to a small crowd at first as their set was sandwiched between performances from Big Gigantic and Miguel. But the crowd swelled as those passing by heard their infectious New Orleans rhythms. The band gave out dozens of colorful umbrellas to many in the audience to create a dazzling visual display.
The huge crowd at the main stage mostly stayed in place after Miguel waiting for one of the most anticipated sets of the festival. Rapper Kendrick Lamar, fresh from his five Grammy wins, brought his intense rap style to a ballistic audience. His relentless rapping ability, together with his awesome live band, make him one of the most interesting live hip-hop acts. The feisty rapper toyed with the fans when he first came out, faking a start to the show several times, before launching into his first explosive rap. Later, he brought out Mac Miller for a duet to the delight of the crowd.
Saturday’s late night sets at Okeechobee included the PoWoW! SuperJam. Stay tuned for coverage. The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival concludes on Sunday with performances from White Denim, Ween, The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons and many others.
