Mud- and puddle-filled festival grounds didn鈥檛 stop festival-goers from attending Evolution Fest in Forest Park on Saturday.
Day 1 of the festival dodged the severe rain showers that hit 50度灰视频 hard on Friday. Instead, guests trudged through thick fields of mud all day long to enjoy hours of rock 鈥檔鈥 roll, folk music and funk. Nashville-based country-rock guitarist Sean Thompson鈥檚 Weird Ears started the afternoon on the Beer Garden stage followed by local rock band the Nite Sprites on the Lindenwood stage.
Main stage festivities kicked off at 2:15 p.m. with folk singer Tre Burt hitting the stage to get things started. More guests rolled in as the afternoon progressed, and the weather remained favorable as rock band Deeper took to the main stage at 3:25 p.m. About a third of Langenberg Field was full during the band鈥檚 performance, with their drummer, Shiraz Bhatti, creating the perfect percussion rhythms to get the party going. Meanwhile, bands Chaparelle and the Asteroid No. 4 performed on the Lindenwood and Beer Garden stages.
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Clad in all black with a black guitar with golden trim, singer and songwriter S.G. Goodman was a showstopper during her set on the Lindenwood stage. She sang about gas station delicacies and city lights during her song 鈥淥ld Time Feeling.鈥 Toward the end of her performance, Goodman sang her song 鈥淪upertramp.鈥 She smoothly transitioned into a cover of 鈥淭he Boys of Summer鈥 by Don Henley, her raspy voice and emotion-filled vocals leaving a resonating impression on the audience.
The Billy Tibbals Band took over the Beer Garden stage next. Band front man Tibbals gave a charming and animated performance that merged new-school alternative rock styles with a nostalgic, feel-good energy.
Tibbals remained high-energy throughout the performance as he thrust his mic stand into the air as he ran through the band鈥檚 songs. Confident and daring in his demeanor, Tibbals looked as if he were going to attempt an on-stage stunt toward the end of the set by climbing atop the speaker.
However, the singer gave up his attempt after the adjacent stage lights began to wobble.
Singer Pete Yorn gave an honest and strong performance on Day 1 of the festival as he set the tone for evening shows on the main stage. He was transparent throughout his performance, informing the audience that the festival was his fifth show this week and that he鈥檇 recently resumed touring after being sidelined by health issues.
He also said this was his first time touring sober from alcohol in his career.
Festival-goers were patient with Yorn鈥檚 truths, and the singer didn鈥檛 disappoint as he performed mellow, smooth rock songs like 鈥淪omeday, Someday,鈥 鈥淒ifferent Roads鈥 and 鈥淛ust Another.鈥 The crowd came alive during his song 鈥淢urray,鈥 many of them singing the lyrics word for word.
Blues and soul singer Robert Finley got down to boogie on the Lindenwood stage at 6:05 p.m. Finley鈥檚 white cowboy hat stayed secure as he danced around the stage with his band and sang some of his fans鈥 favorite records. Florida band Beachwood Sparks gave a standout performance as they closed out sets on the Beer Garden stage. The band had a unique flair that infused root music with Southern soft rock with familiar, relatable lyrics.
Evolution Fest organizers staggered performance times well so festival-goers could catch pieces of every act if they chose to. The names got bigger as the night went on, with British rock star Billy Idol hitting the main stage at 6:55 p.m. Idol鈥檚 set filled up Langenberg Field with music lovers ready to chant the iconic musician鈥檚 songs word for word.
Bright red light illuminated the sang as Idol kicked off his set with 鈥淒ancing with Myself.鈥 A crowned lightning bolt hung behind him on stage as he launched into 鈥淐radle of Love,鈥 a silver chain dangling from his pants as he tugged at his black-and-yellow, plaid striped jacket.
Idol came out of his shirt to switch jackets before performing 鈥淔lesh or Fancy鈥 bare-chested in front of the crowd.
The rocker didn鈥檛 miss a beat as he chanted the lyrics and thrust his fist into the air with the audience following his lead.
He performed for over an hour, yelling out 鈥(Expletive) the coronavirus鈥 before launching into his 2022 song 鈥淐age,鈥 which he wrote during quarantine in 2020. Idol had multiple wardrobe changes in between songs, with his guitarist Steve Stevens delivering a heartfelt guitar solo before Idol performed 鈥淢ony Mony.鈥 He also performed a cover of 鈥淟ove Don鈥檛 Live Here Anymore鈥 by Rose Royce and Gen X song 鈥淰alley of the Dolls鈥 before wrapping up his set with his hit record 鈥淩ebel Yell.鈥
Evolution Fest raged on as Nile Rodgers and Chic performed as the last act of the evening on the Lindenwood stage. Rodgers flexed his musical chops as a vocalist, guitarist and overall connoisseur of rhythm as he performed his own hits as well as songs he鈥檚 co-written and produced, such as 鈥淐uff It鈥 by Beyonce and 鈥淢aterial Girl鈥 by Madonna.
His band, Chic, shined just as vibrant as their front man. The background vocalists filled the park with their mind blowing voices as they sashayed across the stage in bright green dresses.
The performance took the audience to what Chic鈥檚 drummer described as 鈥渕aximum funk-osity.鈥
The wind and clouds seemed to threaten rain at every moment during Rodgers鈥 performance.
However, the rain stayed at bay with light sprinkles occasionally falling from above.
Beck鈥檚 headlining performance filled Langenberg Field with festival-goers ready to see one of America鈥檚 greatest rockers. Many festival-goers wore rain boots or leather boots, anticipating intense muddy conditions. By Beck鈥檚 performance, no one seemed to have a care in the world. Some took their shoes off and danced in the muddy puddles as Beck performed songs like the angsty anthem 鈥淭he New Pollution,鈥 鈥淒evils Haircut鈥 and 鈥淢ixed Business.鈥
The rocker鈥檚 slim silhouette lit up the side projectors as Beck鈥檚 high-pitched vocals rang into the night during his performance of 鈥淒ebra.鈥
Blue and green lights illuminated the stage for him to perform 鈥淐hem Trails,鈥 a song he said he doesn鈥檛 get to perform too often while on tour. His lively, animated movements kept the audience hypnotized as he strutted to and fro in his all-black fitted suit.
Beck performed many of his songs including 鈥淒reams鈥 and 鈥淟ost Cause鈥 before wrapping up his set with 鈥淟oser,鈥 "E-Pro," "One Foot in the Grave" and "Where It's At," concluding a sure win of a first day for Evolution Fest 2024.
Editor's note: This story has been edited to correct the final song in聽Beck's setlist.