Some questioned whether Music Midtown would still work six years after its last incarnation.
But those doubts, while fair, frittered away by midafternoon of Saturday’s resurrected all-day festival as several thousand music fans crammed in front of a massive stage in Piedmont Park to hear Wales trio the Joy Formidable crank out its Euro-rocking “Cradle.”
The 11-hour musical feast featured 10 bands. Many of them, such as Atlanta-based Manchester Orchestra and England’s Band of Skulls, fall into the alternative rock category. But headliners the Black Keys and Coldplay added a dash of mainstream interest to the event, which, in its heyday, spanned three days and dozens of acts ranging from Tony Bennett to Bob Dylan to Def Leppard.
Peter Conlon, president of the Southeast division of Live Nation, which produced Music Midtown, was happy with the crowd turnout, which numbered in the tens of thousands by early evening.
“You can see that obviously people like and enjoy it,” he said.
When asked if this meant Music Midtown was officially back, Conlon laughed and said, “It’s not my decision to make; it’s other people’s decision, including the city’s,” but added that he was encouraged and that “everything has been going according to plan.”
Though ticket sales weren’t expected to hit the goal of 50,000 -- Conlon would only say that “tickets are selling very well” -- there weren’t many empty splotches in the Meadow, where two stages, about 200 yards apart, hosted the bands.
Some fans sprawled on blankets at the top of the hill, while others strolled the perimeter, which was lined with food vendors and trucks, or the artists market, where plastic flooring was placed for neater navigation.
While the majority of the crowd during the day tended to be mostly teens and 20-somethings experiencing their first Music Midtown -- and perhaps sparking a new generation of interest in the event -- as evening arrived, so did older fans.
Robin and Tom Tornillo came from Auburn, Ga., with the intention of making the fest their reason for a weekend out of town.
The couple, who went to last year’s Eagles concert at the park and said they enjoyed the outdoor music experience, had never attended Music Midtown in the past.
“I think it’s better that it’s a smaller amount of people. It’s more controllable. It seemed more wild back then,” from what they'd heard, Robin said.
“After three days, you tend to get crazy,” Tom said with a laugh.
Though Coldplay was the primary draw for the Tornillos, Robin said she had gotten familiar with some of the other artists from hearing them on local rock radio.
“I like a lot of them now. We need some new music,” she said.
In the final years of Music Midtown past, inclement weather hindered the event. No such issues lingered Saturday, with sharp sun and a temperature hovering near 80 degrees as the backdrop for this year’s festival.
Marcel Neuteboom and colleague Marius den Ouden were in town for work from Holland and wound up with an extra day in the city.
After hearing about Music Midtown, they hopped on MARTA and headed for the park.
“It’s nice that they arranged such beautiful weather,” Neuteboom said with a smile.
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