In sickness and health, through sunburn and swampa**
The third day of Hangout Music Festival began with clear blue skies, which created the opposite weather problem of yesterday, with temperatures and the UV index being considerably higher than the rest of the weekend. But what’s a beach day without a little sunshine? The BLANK crew took some extra time on the final day to make sure we visited any tents or sponsor activations we hadn’t yet explored, including the wedding chapel, where we stood witness to a few Hangout marriages, complete with special vows and ring pops. The new Hangout layout wasn’t as different as I’d expected in terms of space and walking, even with the new Shoreline Stage. The small section of asphalt where the Boom Stage used to be was the only area removed, and it was used for parking instead. The area where the circus activities used to be was replaced with shaded GA seating, which I thought was needed, and I never had time to spend in the circus area anyway. The shaded areas on the beach did finally go up for the hottest day, but they were much smaller than they have been the past few years. Either way, there were lots of sets to catch, so here were some of my favorites.
Sexyy Red
Bright pink trucker hats, reading “Make America Sexy Again,” dotted the Hangout crowd all weekend. Originally slated to play on Saturday, Sexyy Red was one of the most anticipated acts of the festival. Every official Hangout Instagram post Saturday night and Sunday morning were riddled with comments inquiring about her new set time and performance status. But when 3 p.m. came, there was the biggest crowd I’ve seen that early on a Sunday and in spite of the heat. There were fans covered in body paint reading, “Get it Sexyy” and “I Love Sexyy Red.” The onstage setup was simple, with just a DJ and a few backup dancers. Her LED wall read “sexyy4president.com,” and I saw several folks toting her official presidential campaign signs. She created a safe space of positive female energy that was obvious even for me. Despite what some might see as too sexual or even objectifying, her presence at the festival brought a sense of confidence and community to many women in the crowd. It was just so fun, and everyone danced together and cheered for each other. Which is more unification than I’ve seen from other presidential candidates, so Sexyy has my vote!
Nelly
If you’re gonna try to take a ride with Nelly, you’re gonna have to be one of the OGs. He kept on taking it back, working from new songs through to classic hits from his first records in the early 2000s. His stage presence is clean-cut, and with 25-plus years of experience, it’s easy to see how refined and confident Nelly has become as a performer. He seemed genuinely happy to be performing at Hangout and expressed his gratitude toward the fans (especially the day ones, of course) repeatedly. He was even wearing an airbrushed Nelly Hangout tee.
Dom Dolla
Dom Dolla was the first artist to really bring the boom to Boom on the Beach. Maybe his music just happens to sit at the right frequency, or maybe his FOH engineer just knew what to do because this was the sound the new Boom setup was made for. The low end could be felt from beyond the delay towers, and insane power synth surged on top of it. One of the Boom’s biggest upgrades was more LED walls, and sometimes in the middle of the day, the displays get washed out by the sunlight, diminishing the effect. Whether by purpose or by accident, all of Dom Dolla’s visuals were black and white, which were super effective in creating large patterns and movements that stretched across the full length of all the screens.
Chromeo
One area I hadn’t visited yet was the Monster Energy Stage, which features a cargo container fashioned into a DJ stage for a variety of smaller electronic acts. Nearby the Boom Stage, Chromeo had a sunset set leading into Subtronics, and it was the perfect warm up. The atmosphere at Monster is always relaxed, and the acts are always good, and I leave every year wondering why I didn’t spend more time there.
Subtronics
This was quite possibly the most fun I’ve had at a set. Subtronics brought plenty of opportunity for head-banging and once again utilized the Boom’s subs well. Amazingly trippy visuals were paired with creative and original beat changes. Samplings of current pop culture and the artist’s own personal life were brought into the music and video production, which made the performance feel personal and relevant. He powered through the entire set at full throttle, only taking a few moments to show his quirky personality through comments into the mic or dancing around on top of the DJ booth. As someone who didn’t know Subtronics’ music going into the weekend, he was my favorite headliner on the Boom on the Beach Stage this year.
Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan has been dominant in the festival circuit and gone on multiple large scale tours over the past four years. His authenticity in his recorded music and in his live shows is what draw people in. It’s why they love him.
He returned that same authentic love to the audience during his weekend-closing set. At the end of an extremely hot day, there was bound to be some fainting and sickness. Bryan stopped to point and ask if everyone was OK multiple times throughout the set so that the medical team could get into the crowd and help. He has a charismatic stage presence and talked highly of his whole band, team and the state of Alabama. However, he ended over 30 minutes early before coming back out after a 10-minute break, and the crowd didn’t know if they should leave or keep cheering. I wasn’t leaving until I heard “Sweet Home Alabama” play, and fortunately he came back out for an encore of “Revival.” He still ended before curfew, though, and without playing his biggest hit, “Something in the Orange.”
Overall, Hangout 2024 delivered a well-run, safe and diverse music festival. Like I said in the preview, they have been consistent with their booking style over the last few iterations, and this year was no exception.
