August in Nashville is a brutally humid month, and Live On The Green tends to have a hot and sweaty crowd. To our absolute delight, we can’t say the same about this year’s opening night! The weather was nothing short of ideal, sinking to a breezy 70 degrees by nightfall. The crowd was fueled with good spirits.
By show time the green was covered with eager fans, some standing ready to rock and roll while others claimed their camp for the evening with blankets, family, friends, and pups! At 6:15 Nashville’s own Elliot Root kicked off the tunes for the night. In years past the opener has played to a half full crowd, but Elliot Root had a packed, ecstatic fan base. No doubt the highlight of the set was when the five- piece band roared to life with a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Unpredictable, and absolutely electrifying.
Next up was the most unexpected hour-long set I’ve come across in the past year. What was expected? A folk driven indie band with pretty harmonies. My oh my, how wrong I was! Front man Alejandro Rose-Garcia initially took the stage as a solo act, simultaneously singing, playing guitar, and beating a bass kick drum and tambourine with pedals at his feet. He was the epitome of Texas, white t-shirt, light wash jeans, the essential cowboy hat, and a smile he flashed like a champ.
After blazing through the first two songs, a drummer joined Rose-Garcia and a song later a bassist/guitarist arrived on stage as well. The three guys were easy on the eyes and heavy on the ears. They bawled, bellowed, and bounded through the hits including Lightning 100 fan’s favorite, “Dearly Departed”. Nearing the end of the set Nashville native Rayland Baxter took the stage to perform a surprise duet, and announced his upcoming show later this month at 3rd & Lindsley! The two musicians have clearly shared a few beers in their time, and the Everclear cover was an amusing transition into the end of Shakey Graves’ set.
Finally, crowd favorite and headliner Lord Huron came on to close out another successful Live On The Green commencement. Ben Schneider’s ethereal vocals wooed the crowd into a steady sway as the percussion heavy songs beat into the heart and soul of Nashville. As people began to trickle out of the venue, devouring the last bites of their food truck dinners and downing the end of their craft beers, it was clear as the stars still visible from downtown Nashville that Lighting 100 had done it again.
Next week Houndmouth, J Roddy & The Business, and Cold War Kids join the stellar lists of bands to grace everybody’s favorite summer stage!
Written By: Rachel Oldham
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