An inundation of McIntosh students flooded into Music Midtown, a colossal music festival taking place in Piedmont Park, September 16th and September 17th. This year, Bruno Mars, Future, Blink 182, and Bastille headlined the event. Even though the festival notably lacked the musical juggernaut it had in Twenty-one Pilots last year, the lineup was musically diverse, including more rappers than last year.

Despite a hefty ticket price of $135 for a Pre-sale ticket and $145 for a ticket purchased later, Music Midtown attracted a plethora of music enthusiasts. In fact, the McIntosh students that attended this year were undeterred by the steep price, and even waited 2-4 weeks for their wristbands to arrive before activating them.

Luckily, the weather remained sunny throughout the concert, unlike last year. However, the weekend was not without its fair share of problems. When asked about the weekend, Senior John Karafonda said, “All in all it was great, but the second day was kinda a mess. Zara Larsson threw up backstage and had to leave twice during her performance. Plus, Future came on stage super late even though all the performances before him ran on time.”

Meanwhile, Senior Christa O’Reilly had a more optimistic view on the concerts. She commented, “I really enjoyed Big Sean; he was really good. He had a great message: Success isn’t defined. You are successful when you feel success. So do what you want and feel proud.” In contrast with Karafonda, O’Reilly thought her biggest problem was being unprepared. She added, “The shoes I wore ended up giving me a blister, and it really hurt the next day. So, make sure to wear comfortable shoes! Also, only bring what you need like clothes, your, phone, and sunscreen.”

Similarly, Sophomore Haley Weronick reminisced about the concerts and offered advice for attendees next year by stating, “I’ll never forget the second day. I was in the front row for a bunch of performances including Future. It was definitely my favorite part of the entire weekend, but I had to be careful because people were passing out everywhere. Make sure to bring water because it’s easy to pass out in the giant crowds.”

Finally, Senior Paige Groome found that she enjoyed the food more than the concerts. Groome added, “My best memory at Music Midtown was finally getting a Gyro after I had been standing in line for about an hour and a half. When I finally got my food I was so happy because I was so tired of standing in line. But since the food is super expensive, you are usually hungry and broke.”

Despite the problems associated with the second day of the festival, the experience seems to have left a mostly positive impression on the attendees, and more McIntosh students will undoubtedly attend next year.