A Guide to Music Midtown

After a six-year hiatus and one-day reinstatement in 2011, Music Midtown is coming back to Atlanta next weekend for two full days. It will be jam-packed with performances from fifteen diverse bands and solo artists currently topping the industry’s charts.

The first Music Midtown festival was held in 1994, and remained an annual tradition until 2005. A decline in attendees and an increase in expenses caused it to cease annual operations. Thankfully, the one day show in 2011 was enough of a success that myriad bands will once more play in the heart of Atlanta.

This year’s acts will perform in the 10th Street Meadow in Piedmont Park, starting at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, and at noon on the subsequent day. Parking is limited, so—conveniently for Tech students—patrons are encouraged to take MARTA (the last train runs at 1:00 a.m.), ride a bike, walk or carpool to the event.

The box offices open on Friday at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday at 10:00 a.m. It is $65.00 for a single day and $100.00 to attend both days. Re-entry is allowed, so fans are welcome to come and go as they please as long as they have their ticket.

Attendees are allowed to bring one factory-sealed or reusable water bottle through the gates. Towels and blankets for lounging are also allowed, but outside food and beverage as well as chairs are forbidden. Any non-professional recording equipment, such as point and shoot cameras, is also permitted. Those interested  in merchandise are encouraged to look online for a full list of items available for purchase.

Opening the show on Friday is Grammy-winning musician Van Hunt. Performing after him is the leading lady of rock-and-roll and her band, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, who will play until approximately 6:15. Well-known hip-hop recording artist T.I. will play for the next hour, followed by the raw rock band, The Avett Brothers, who just released their album The Carpenter on Sept. 11.  Closing the show on Friday are the Foo Fighters, recent winners of five Grammy awards for their latest album Wasting Light, who will play until about 11:00.

Saturday’s schedule is more crowded, with many bands taking the stage for only 30 minutes at a time.  Starting with O’Brother and continuing with Civil Twilight, LP, Garbage, Adam Ant, Ludacris, Neon Trees (whose song, “Everybody Talks,” is at number eight on the Billboard Top 100), Florence + The Machine, Girl Talk and finally closing with Pearl Jam, Saturday’s line-up has a diverse spectrum of genres for any music lover.

With this eclectic range of musical genres and unquestionable talent to be rocking out in Piedmont Park, Music Midtown is stacking up to be quite the event. It should not be missed by any fans who consider themselves music aficionados.

Music lovers are encouraged to brush up on the bands and head over to Piedmont Park for a weekend full of live music on the grass.

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