{"id":30948,"date":"2018-05-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dcmusicreview.com\/staging\/?p=30948"},"modified":"2019-07-24T13:40:48","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T17:40:48","slug":"taz-niederauer-highlights-a-magical-weekend-at-sweetwater-420-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dcmusicreview.com\/staging\/taz-niederauer-highlights-a-magical-weekend-at-sweetwater-420-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Taz\u2019 Niederauer Highlights A Magical Weekend at Sweetwater 420 Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author Preface:  <\/em>Before I dive into this recap, I think it\u2019s important to give a preface, or a disclaimer if you will. If you\u2019re reading this, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ve been to a festival like Sweetwater 420 Fest before. There are three stages and lots of choices to make, like which bands to see or skip; when to go grab a drink or take some time to see the city you\u2019re visiting; which song to skip for a trip to the port-a-potty bank; when to try and get some sleep so you can be ready to go for the next day of music. What you\u2019re about to read is just one fan\u2019s take on the moments that stuck out from a festival that had something unique to offer to each of the thousands of people that attended.<\/p>\n

For those who may see this review and think TLDR<\/strong> (Too Long, Didn’t Read) we can sum the Sweetwater 420 Fest this way:<\/p>\n

Sweetwater 420 Fest was excellent this year. The organizers put together a fantastic, diverse lineup that created some difficult choices and showcased some incredibly talented acts, both established and ascending. The setting in downtown Atlanta is a great setup for a festivalthis size, and the stages are very close to one another and easy to navigate. This has become a can\u2019t-miss festival every year, and this year may have been the best yet because of the stellar collection of artists on the bill.<\/em><\/p>\n

Having said that, let\u2019s get into it\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Vulfpeck was clearly enjoying themselves at the festival.<\/p>\n

Sweetwater Brewery\u2019s annual music festival, Sweetwater 420 Fest<\/strong> brought an outstanding, stacked lineup to the Peach State for 4\/20 weekend. The festival in downtown Atlanta\u2019s Olympic Centennial Park, which boasts an attendance of 50,000 fans, has become known as one of the best jam band festivals year in and year out, and the 2018 iteration was no different, with a schedule that included established headliners and up and coming stars each of the three days. This year, Sweetwater 420 Fest also featured 14-year-old guitar prodigy Brandon \u201cTaz\u201d Niederauer as the festival\u2019s \u201cArtist at Large,\u201d placing a huge spotlight on the weekend\u2019s (literally) smallest artist.<\/p>\n

Prior to the official first day of the festival, night one headliners the String Cheese Incident<\/strong> hosted an official pre-party, treating 1,000 lucky fans to an intimate performance at Variety Playhouse. Die-hard Cheese fans poured into the venue and the band kicked off the weekend with an outstanding, career-spanning show for their most devoted fans that made the trek from far and wide. Upon coming out for an encore of Talking Heads\u2019 \u201cThis Must Be The Place (Na\u00efve Melody),\u201d this show set the tone for a weekend of positive vibes and fantastic music spanning a wide range of genres.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Perfect weather and fans enjoyed every minute of it!<\/p>\n

The festival kicked off with perfect weather \u2013 clear skies and low 70s temperatures \u2013 with Denver funk masters, The<\/strong>Motet<\/strong>, providing the opening set on the main stage, offering an opportunity for the newly arrived fans to loosen up their hips and get limber for a long weekend of dancing in the sunshine.<\/p>\n

As the Memphis soul band Southern Avenue wrapped up an inspired set on the side stage, and the Record Company\u2019s blues-inspired power rock carried from the main stage, an enormous crowd gathered for a 4:30pm set by the up-and-coming jam band Spafford<\/strong>. Attracting easily the largest crowd at the side stage all weekend, Spafford delivered an outstanding set for devoted fans and newcomers alike. Following a 4:20 4\/20 toast, Spafford kicked off a set of exploratory jams and high-energy psychedelic rock, highlighted by a 20+ minute improvisation out of \u201cMinds Unchained.\u201d Following a tremendous peak in this jam, the band closed their set with a cover of Tom Petty\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know How it Feels\u201d before saying goodbye to nearly the full festival crowd until their late night set at midnight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul Hoffman of Greensky Bluegrass<\/p>\n

The 4\/20 Festivities wrapped up on the main stage with an excellent set by country-rocker Sturgill Simpson<\/strong> that showcased his unique ability to incorporate modern country, blues, and rock and roll into a completely original sound and lively performance, followed by 2 sets of the String Cheese Incident. Cheese brought out Taz Niederauer<\/strong> for his first sit-in of the weekend on the second set opener \u201cClose Your Eyes.\u201d This was the first instance of many over the weekend where Taz was able to lend his considerable talents on the electric guitar to add another dimension to a band\u2019s sound, adding fierce blues-rock to String Cheese Incident\u2019s set before the band would go on to explore every facet of their style, including traditional bluegrass, electronica, and soul.<\/p>\n

Spafford brought their late-night party to the same venue as the SCI pre-party, Variety Playhouse. After instantly selling out a smaller show at Terminal West, the band and festival moved to the considerably larger Playhouse, giving Spafford possibly their largest club\/theater set in the band\u2019s five-year history. This late night show was a rager, featuring incredible jams out of \u201cElectric Taco Stand,\u201d \u201cBee Jam,\u201d and \u201cAll In.\u201d The energy at this show was intense and relentless, blowing out the bassist Jordan Fairless\u2019s amplifier halfway through the set and providing a great outlet for the crowd to keep dancing until 2am.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Russo of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead<\/p>\n

Saturday brought clear skies again as a slow-moving crowd trickled into the park throughout the afternoon. Following sets by Anders Osborne<\/strong> and Marco Benevento<\/strong>, and as Arlington-based reggae band SOJA<\/strong> played the main stage, Artist at Large, Taz Niederauer played an hour and a half set that put his talent on the guitar, as a bandleader, and a singer on display. But the party kicked off in earnest at 5:15pm with a rare daytime slot for the adrenaline-fueled Grateful Dead <\/strong>tribute band Joe Russo\u2019s Almost Dead<\/strong>. In the first of their two sets, JRAD showed off their psychedelic, acid-jazz chops with ambient explorations of \u201cFeel Like a Stranger\u201d and \u201cThe Wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a festival lineup as stacked as this one was, the placement of JRAD in this late-afternoon slot created an unfortunate conflict, as many fans \u2013 myself included \u2013 had to make the choice of two sets of the best dance party in the jam scene, or a side-stage set by Grammy-award winning jam-grass outfit the Infamous Stringdusters<\/strong>. JRAD rewarded the loyalty of those who stayed for their second set though, opening their final frame with a rousing rendition of \u201cShakedown Street\u201d with frequent callbacks to \u201cFeel Like a Stranger\u201d from guitarist Tom Hamilton.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Derek and Susan Tedeschi<\/p>\n

Closing out the night as headliners, the Tedeschi Trucks Band <\/strong>played a great set of soul and southern rock that was highlighted by a sit-in by Taz Niederauer on the Blind Willie McTell<\/strong> classic, popularized by the Allman Brothers Band,<\/strong> \u201cStatesboro Blues.\u201d As slide-master Derek Trucks<\/strong>, who began touring at age 13 himself, and Niederauer traded shredding guitar solos and Susan Tedesh<\/strong>i belted out the soulful vocals, one could feel a certain gravity in the festival-grounds. It\u2019s moments like these that make people travel for live music; to see a torch being passed down from one generation to the next while honoring the inspiration from musicians long gone. In this sit-in perhaps more than any other, Taz truly held his own while playing next to, arguably, the greatest guitarist alive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Greensky Bluegrass performs an inspired set.<\/p>\n

On the final day of the festival, the perfect weather unfortunately ran out, and only a small, wet crowd remained for a great final slate of bands. Following Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds<\/strong> on the main stage, Greensky Bluegrass<\/strong> played an inspired set featuring another Taz sit-in on an Allman Brothers tune, \u201cMidnight Rider.\u201d Just a few minutes later on the side-stage, the instrumental rock quartet TAUK<\/strong> ignited their crowd\u2019s energy with an intense and powerful cover of Rush\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cTom Sawyer.\u201d These two bands, Greensky and TAUK, while completely divergent musically, presented two similarly energetic and engaging sets to dance to as the rain continued, unrelenting.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s undoubted highlight was the 5:00pm set by Vulfpeck<\/strong>, the Michigan-based funk outfit that has risen to fame in meteoric fashion. With a collection of guests, including guitarist Cory Wong<\/strong> and vocalist Joey Dosik<\/strong>, Vulfpeck put on what may have been the best performance of the weekend, never letting their foot off the gas and having an unbelievable amount of fun on stage, getting the crowd moving endlessly with their catchy hooks and up-tempo bass leads by Joe Dart.<\/p>\n

Umphrey\u2019s McGee<\/strong> was set to close out the festival with 2 sets, but due to a wind warning had to adjust so the festival could end early, meaning instead the band played one extra long set that reached nearly two and a half hours. Umphrey\u2019s set featured tunes spanning their twenty year career, with old-favorite \u201cRingo\u201d providing the last jam vehicle of the night and serving as the final climax of a set that featured 4 improvisations of 15+ minutes, following \u201cDraconian,\u201d \u201cMantis,\u201d and \u201cRemind Me.\u201d Their set also included the final Taz Niederauer sit-in of the weekend before their encore choice poked fun at the thin crowd of fans that stuck around with Led Zeppelin\u2019s \u201cFool in the Rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the wet conditions fans continued to enjoy themselves<\/p>\n

A day of rain couldn\u2019t stop the fun of a truly special weekend of music in the Peach State. Sweetwater 420 Fest has become on of the best lineups year-in and year-out, and the festival delivered this year with perhaps their most stacked lineup yet. I\u2019ll leave you with five important words to takeaway from my experience: don\u2019t miss it next year!<\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enjoy photos by our photographer Mark Raker<\/a> of Mark Raker Photography<\/a>.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n

Related Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related<\/strong> Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related<\/strong> Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read Other Concert Reviews from Artists At Sweetwater 420 Fest<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Preface:  Before I dive into this recap, I think it\u2019s important to give a preface, or a disclaimer if you will. If you\u2019re reading this, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ve been to a festival like Sweetwater 420 Fest before. There are three stages and lots of choices to make, like which bands to see or skip; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":39002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,6484],"tags":[4132,5104,4133,14690,9514,4134,50,2692,7228,12440,12441,14693,2242,9107,14691,14692,54,2313,4787,2667,14694],"class_list":["post-30948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-concert-reviews","category-festival-reviews","tag-420-festival","tag-anders-osborne","tag-atlanta","tag-brandon-taz-niederauer","tag-cory-wong","tag-georgia","tag-greensky-bluegrass","tag-joe-russos-almost-dead","tag-marco-benevento","tag-sister-sparrow","tag-sister-sparrow-and-the-dirty-birds","tag-soja","tag-spafford","tag-string-cheese-incident","tag-sturgill-simpson","tag-taz-niederauer","tag-tedeschi-trucks-band","tag-the-infamous-stringdusters","tag-the-motet","tag-umphreys-mcgee","tag-vulfpeck","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Taz\u2019 Niederauer Highlights A Magical Weekend at Sweetwater 420 Fest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Author Preface:  Before I dive into this recap, I think it\u2019s important to give a preface, or a disclaimer if you will. 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