Bishop Briggs and Misterwives share the stage with newcomer Natalie Jane to bring a night of unique and strong vocals to Columbus, OH.
Patrick Droney is about as nice of a performer as you will ever meet. And if you know his music, you love his music. Versed with the guitar like John Mayer, at times sounding like Rick Springfield, and skilled with his his lyrics like the Avett Brothers or John Moreland. He is an amalgam of talent more humble than a roadside vagabond.
Sunday had the earliest start time for the fest, and the most relaxing atmosphere. The third day was reserved for indie and folk musicians. Even the weather had calmed down to a more manageable temperature. A feature of the VIP areas at WonderBus this year was the ability to reserve private suites. There were several premium suites to relax and enjoy each other's company in the shade.
WonderBus music and arts festival is so much more with an emphasis on mental health wellness each year through many of the non-profit vendors on site and informative introductions before most stage performances. RADD Ohio had a booth by the third stage with hopes of making sure everyone got home safely.
To put it in perspective, Riot Fest in Chicago this year has 30 bands playing each day. Wonderbus has a total of 30 bands in three days at a similar price point. Of course, there are many specials run throughout the year to commit to the festival experience without paying full price. It is not a large festival, so on the first day, they allow people the opportunity to come out after work hours to start their weekend without missing any performances.
There are countless stadium-filling performers who play the same songs night after night, and even from tour to tour. No one misses out from one city to the next as they get the exact same performance, but there is little need to check them out again. Shakey Graves keeps it real and fresh for each performance.
The Hot Mic crew is joined by photographer, Nick Spanos, who shares stories from his many years as a portrait photographer of musicians. Nick has worked with celebrities like Yungblud, Halsey, Gwen Stefani, Debbie Gibson, Quincy Jones, Arianna Grande, St. Vincent, Smokey Robinson, Andrea Bocelli, Belinda Carlile, Usher, Rascal Flatts, Herb Alpert, Chris Isaak, Kacey Musgraves, Tank and the Bangas, Jason Derulo, Green Day, and so many more. Check out Nick on Instagram or his website.
At 7:30 PM there was just one lone cowboy hat in the crowd. Two more trickled through the security check by 8 PM when Jaime Wyatt started the night’s music performance. There was an older crowd, but not the typical die-hard country music fan. Local favorite Angela Perley arrived on the scene. The room was filled with free-thinkers flirting with the idea of country music. Nikki and Jaime were indeed country music artists, but both iconoclasts in their own right.
It was a cold night in Columbus. The kind of night where you don’t see many people waiting outside the doors of the Newport Music Hall for a show to start. This crowd, however, showed up early for a performance they previously thought might never happen. Gen Xers and millennials filled the Newport Music Hall with the front row packed with women. They continued to wait patiently for a show that was originally supposed to happen more than two years ago.