Dave Matthews at Pilgrimage Fest 2021. Photos by Ashleigh Newnes
After almost two years of uncertainty and very little live music, The Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival—held Sept. 25–26 at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tennessee—was such a treat to attend.
The weekend brought beautiful weather with clear skies and comfortable evening temperatures for all to enjoy. The atmosphere was very family-friendly and relaxed. It felt more like taking in some local live music at a park than a full-blown music festival. Though the crowd, not incredibly diverse, was mostly made up of adults in their 30s–40s who sat in lawn chairs or on blankets to watch the music. I personally loved the peaceful atmosphere, though that is something to consider when buying tickets for the event next year. Do you want to party hard? This may not be the music festival for you.
The event had six stages: Midnight Sun, Gold Record Road, Shady Grove, Lil Pilgrim’s, Mare Barn Theatre and Americana Music Triangle Experience. Shady Grove was a smaller stage situated underneath shade trees and a large shade canopy, which was very popular for those needing to get out of the sun. This stage saw a beautiful performance by the soulful Blessing Offor and many other talented musicians such as Dylan LeBlanc and Wax Owls.
The Lil Pilgrim’s stage is such a cool addition to the festival. It showcases performances for children, and its benches were always full of laughing kids. The Gold Record Road stage, one of the two big stages at the festival, hosted performances from Maren Morris, Amos Lee and Khruangbin.
Cage The Elephant played an energetic set, opening with lead vocalist Matt Shultz entering the stage in a 3D printed futuristic onesie (it looked cooler than it sounds), while Matt’s brother, lead guitarist Brad Shultz, was equally entertaining. Even in the band’s opening moments, Brad was already full of energy and playing to the crowd.
The Midnight Sun stage (the headlining stage) saw The Black Keys, The Black Pumas, Tank and the Bangas, Better Than Ezra and of course, the one and only Dave Matthews Band. The insanely talented Dave Matthews also surprised The Black Pumas’ crowd with a guest appearance several hours before his own set. When his own time came, he did not disappoint. Matthews, his mind-blowing drummer Carter Beauford and the rest of the band were full of energy and played a fantastic set that had everybody dancing in the crowd. The performers seemed like they were having as much, if not more, fun than the crowd members themselves.
The Pilgrimage Festival is a family-friendly, easy to-navigate music festival with some cool vendors, food and incredible music. I am eagerly awaiting the announcement for next year’s lineup!
