With summer making the inevitable transition to fall, we celebrated the final days of summer 2017 with one final music festival, The Meadows. This was our first year at the festival, which takes place in the parking lot outside of Citi Field in Queens. Think of it as Governors Ball in the fall, located in a parking lot in Queens. Logistically the festival features a convenient set-up that has the stages placed spread out in a circular format to help prevent any sound-bleeding. This format worked like a charm and actually made getting around quite easy.
We started the day with a comeback performance from Sky Ferreira who ran through material from her 2013 debut album Night Time, My Time, as well as a few new songs, including “Easy,” a song featured on the soundtrack for Baby Driver one of my favorite films of 2017. Following her set we caught some more pop in the form on Tegan and Sara, who delighted with a high-energy set of their brand of sugary pop.
Two Door Cinema Club were up next and delivered a set heavy on their 2016 album Gameshow, maintaining a high-energy sense of fun that works all too well in the festival environment. Things slowed down for some of the smooth sounds of Dev Hynes and Blood Orange, who delighted the crowd with his brand of r&b inspired rock.
Finally the time came for the main event of the evening, the one and only Jay-Z. Of course he ran through selections from his new album 4:44, but the real highlights came from all the countless amounts of classic material spread out from his ever-growing and expansive career. Getting to hear material like “IZZO (H.O.V.A.),” “Big Pimpin'” and 99 Problems” in a packed crowd that knew every word was a perfect way to end day 1 of the festival and a lovely Friday night.
Find a full gallery of photos from Day 1 of the festival posted below and stay tuned for coverage of the rest of the Meadows Festival coming very soon.
Sky Ferreira:
Tegan and Sara:
Two Door Cinema Club:
Blood Orange:
Jay-Z:
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