The weekend of the 18th and 19th, Piedmont Park hosted the return of Music Midtown. The festival had been cancelled the previous year due to the pandemic. The lineup this year included: Machine Gun Kelly, Maroon 5, Surfaces, Miley Cyrus, AJR, Jonas Brothers, Marshmallow, along with other artists. This year’s festival was expected to attract about 50,000 attendees. Thousands had made their way to the widely missed event at Piedmont Park. The festival highlighted over 30 artists, across 4 stages. This year they adapted their rules and regulations to take precautions for Covid-19. To enter the concert, one must have a vaccination card or a negative test as well as a mask. Throughout the park there were sanitary stations as well.

I spent $300 at Music Midtown (MM). In two days, I spent $300, and I don’t regret a single dollar spent. This was my first time at a music festival, let alone music midtown; and I would not have done it another way. While my bank account took a rough beating, the 24oz Trulys and 8$ shots made the experience unforgettable. At least from what I can remember. Pregaming for the festival started on Saturday the 18th around 10 in the morning, this continued till the end of Miley Cyrus’s performance at the end of the night on Sunday. Out of the 30 artists that performed, I saw watched 10 performances. We didn’t get their early enough to catch all of them and we only got to the ones we wanted to see most. The rest of our time was spent spending too much money on food, drinks, and merchandise. By the end of the weekend, I came out with two pieces of merchandise, two souvenir cups and an amazing memory that will last forever.

The 10 artists I got to see included: LAUV, AJR, Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), Maroon 5, Tate McRae, 24KGoldn, Surface, Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, and Miley Cyrus. LAUV’s performance was disappointing, he had stopped twice in the middle of a song so he could tell the audience he “wants them to be more hype” and then started over. AJR was entertaining and very interactive with us. They even called out someone in the audience to make fun of them (kindly) because he didn’t know the words. They played their hit songs, and the crowd went crazy for it. MGK followed AJR, so we left the concert early just so we could get drinks and be early for MGK. His personality really came out on the stage, and he was having a fun time, so we all had an exciting time. Plus, he was shirtless, so I had nothing to complain about. He even pulled a stunt that had made everyone lose their minds. The rain was no issue to him or the band or us in the crowd, especially after MGK brought out “the king of Atlanta”, Young Thug. My heart exploded in my chest, I was waiting for Megan Fox or even Pete Davidson, but Young Thug was not an unwelcome surprise. He wasn’t there long, they only performed one or two songs, but it just enough to make his mark on the night. Finally, we finished the first day with an amazing, yet slightly disappointing, performance. Every one of his

hits just came back-to-back and everyone was singing along. He wasn’t as interactive with us as MGK and AJR were, but watching a shirtless Adam Levine sing to you, is not a bad way to end the day. The best way I could explain the quality shows is like this: LAUV was the free rolls you get when you sit down at a restaurant, AJR was the appetizer, MGK the delicious meal, and Maroon 5 was my dessert.

Sunday the 19th, we started our day even earlier. My friends and I started our last pregame for the weekend around 10 in the morning and still spent a ridiculously large amount of money on more drinks in the park. Our first show was at 3:30 with Tate McRae and we were excited to see her, her last time performing was before quarantine and it was in front of a crown of about 120 people. She did an excellent job on stage, she looked amazing and so did the dancers. McRae’s performance was followed up by 24KGOLDN. This rapper is the singer behind Tik Tok hits like, City of Angels, Valentino and Mood. I had learned just before his performance that he was younger than me and would be turning 21 this fall. 24KGOLDN jumping around on the stage and very energetic, that energy was matched by the crowd and the show was better than I expected. We moved on to spend more money than we should’ve getting drinks and food (chicken tenders and a side of fries should not have been that expensive). Following the food pit stop, we moved on over to a stage across the park for our next performers, Surfaces. This group is behind the Tik Tok hit Sunday Best. Their performance fell victim to a little bit of rain but that didn’t stop them from putting on a great show. They talked to their audience and moved around on stage; they were really entertaining to watch. I left their show early so that I could get a good spot for the next performer (that I have been waiting for since I got my tickets in July), Megan Thee Stallion. If there was someone who could get a crowd going, it’s her. Her personality came out on stage the second she stepped out. She interacted with her crowd and loved it. She shouted out her dancers and let them have a little spotlight of their own, which I thought was humble of her. She continued to rock the crowd with her performance of hit songs like, Captain Hook and Hot Girl Summer. Her fans adored her as she gave us one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I didn’t want to leave until the very last song; however, Jack Harlow was scheduled right after her and I knew it was the only way I could see him. Unfortunately for me, while I was close to the stage, I happened to somehow get behind two guys who were over 6-feet-tall. I would’ve moved over if I could. Harlow’s show was packed as tightly as it could be, and keep in mind, this was an outdoor performance, yet there was still no space. With no surprise, Jack Harlow stole the hearts of many girls and the blew the minds of his followers. Relatively new, he still performed better than other veteran performers (LAUV). As the day carried on and the end of the weekend neared, I finished my night watching the one and only, Miley fucking Cyrus. The inner Hannah Montana stan in me went bezerk. She popped on stage with bright blue eyeshadow and wild personality, Miley took the stage and gave us an impressive performance. While talking to us, she

mentioned Lil Nas X, so of course I expected his appearance, which never came. None the less, what better way to end the weekend than with an unforgettable performance by Miley Cyrus. She sang her newest releases Prisoner and Midnight Sky, and closed off with a classic, The Climb. I had wanted to also see Marshmello, an American DJ but we settled for peek and some over the fence listening while walking back.

For my first Music Midtown I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5. The rain was slightly annoying, and as much as I love Georgia, the sticky humidity was not pleasant at all. The artists at the event were jaw dropping and I couldn’t have had a better weekend. There were many artists that I didn’t get a chance to see. Artists like 21 Savage, Jonas Brother, Sophia Messa, Latto and Oliver Tree were on my radar for the festival, but the schedule was a lot tighter than I expected. We chose the top artists we wanted to see and had the best time, even if I only saw a third of the musicians lined up. I hope that the festival continues its appearance and returns next year, and I’ll cross my fingers in hopes of the drinks being cheaper.