All IN, the latest Indianapolis music festival experiment, a thrilling musical triumph
The inaugural All IN Music & Arts Festival delighted thousands of fans at the Indiana State Fairgrounds this weekend, as a strong roster of nearly 30 acts transcended any and all setbacks.
Weather delays and technical issues proved no match for the more than 20 hours of live music spread across two outdoor stages and the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Most of the headlining acts delivered, and a squadron of lesser-known performers soared.
The festival, announced in May, looks to establish a foothold in Indianapolis, and it seemed to avoid any major issues in its debut.
More:New Indy festival's founders have experience, a 25-year deal and a dream. Will it stick?
Large crowds turned out each day, but whether All IN reached its goal of 12,500 attendees per day remains to be seen. Organizers on Sunday did not respond to an inquiry on crowd size and ticket sales.
Nevertheless, IndyStar had a team of reporters and photographers covering the festival's entirety. Here is what we experienced.
Best classic rock titan
A few to choose from here, but intrepid transportation reporter Kayla Dwyer, who worked the Sunday shows with me, has the answer:
Headliner John Fogerty has an immaculately preserved upper register and vibrato (Kayla is a singer, folks). He had so much fun on stage, playing a guitar he bought in 1969. It was used at Woodstock and out of his possession for 44 years.
I think I saw a little fist pump moment after a song. Saxophonist Rob Stone is a big hit. I don't really know Fogerty's music, but I'm bopping.
This was my favorite show of the night. He signed off with an enthusiastic "I love you!" And the crowd agrees.
Best curveball pitchers
Portugal. The Man, in addition to being the second best overall performance of the weekend (keep reading), had a little trickery to them.
They dropped their regular live cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom," which was popular, and dipped into Weezer's "Say It Ain't So." The group also switched up the intro and opening verse on their megahit "Feel It Still," which the audience devoured.
A remarkable set with beautiful harmonies peaked during "Everyone is Golden," when the full crowd joined in on the rising and falling chorus line. A gorgeous moment that gave me a shiver.
Biggest surprise
I knew nothing about Misterwives, and in walks this rolling ball of pop energy covered in pink. Great music and vocals with choreographed stage moves at a bopping pace. What a natural fit for a festival.
Worst choices made
Indy is a city built around going fast. During the 20 or so performances I watched over the weekend, anyone who played a ballad probably shouldn't have.
Changing up the set is fundamental, but these crowds wanted their music to jump. Some folks left and checked out other artists if you tried to force more than one on them.
Best first visit to Indianapolis
California band La Luz had never set foot in the city before this weekend.
It's four young women doing original surfer rock with a psychadelic twist and angelic harmonies — basically a dreamy beach prom from an alternate timeline. They even created a "dancing aisle" in the center of the crowd, which audience members very happily grooved down.
Unsung heroes
The smaller names on the lineup — local bands and lesser-known national acts — were generally good.
J. Elliott and The Palace were my two favorite local bands. Elliott did this great acoustic version of Madonna's "Take a Bow," written by fellow Hoosier Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
And from Kayla:
“Dream Slice” is good way to describe the music of the local band by that name — vaguely soft rock, vaguely funk, yet always fast paced and exciting. These guys have a fun eclectic stage presence, outstanding and versatile vocals and electric guitar.
More:With festival, album release looming, Indy band The Palace is rebuilt
Worst musical feature
Audio issues on the main outdoor stage were a problem, particularly on Saturday. The Four Tops had a few microphones cut out. There was audible feedback on pretty much every performance there on both days, and multiple artists seemed to be struggling with their monitors.
Worst non-musical feature
Art was in the festival's name, and it could have used more of it.
Koda Witsken did some great mural work, and there were a few others selling crafts and prints, but Indy has a plethora of artists worthy of showcasing.
An additional food truck or two also would not have hurt. The overall menu could have used more variety and, during peak hours, the lines got pretty serious.
Dreamiest Dreamset
The "Dreamsets" — tributes to departed legends performed by modern artists — were advertised as a can't-miss part of the festival and likely to create one-of-a-kind moments.
Two swings, one hit.
Saturday night's Dreamset, featuring Allman Brothers Band covers performed in part by the children of original band members, was pushed back an hour off the main stage and into the Coliseum.
It was a decent performance from good but not widely known musicians. However, most people just left rather than stay past midnight.
Sunday's Dreamset had the bigger names, with Dawes serving as a house band for Jenny Lewis, John Oates and Cage the Elephant's Matt Shultz during a performance of Tom Petty hits.
The set was amazing.
Dawes and Lewis did a version of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" that gave me goosebumps. The several thousand people gathered went insane when Shultz dropped his version of "Breakdown."
Bigger names in the middle of the day was pretty key. Something to remember for next year.
The 'Great Band, But...' Award
Daryl Hall and John Oates have an iconic catalog, but I just wasn't feeling their Saturday night headlining set.
Hall was having some sort of sound issue, eventually stopping the show to get it fixed. His high notes weren't there, and he was sort of talk singing a lot of the other stuff. Oates was good, though. And their band was excellent.
A huge crowd disagreed with me, though, as they drew thunderous applause.
More:John Oates reflects on 50-year career before headlining Indy music festival with Daryl Hall
Best Hall & Oates moment
Even Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard could not convince me that Hall & Oates set, which he caught, was a good one.
During his band's Sunday night headlining performance, Gibbard dedicated crowd-pleaser "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" to his "first favorite band."
"I bought 'Big Bam Boom' with my own money when I was 8 years old," he told the large crowd inside the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. "I mean, my parents probably gave me the money. I was 8."
Overall, Death Cab delivered a stirring show with several thousand people bobbing along, happy for the privilege of getting sad together.
I think I even saw a guy getting dumped on the way out. Tough break. I'd recommend — well, I'd recommend some Death Cab.
Biggest villain
The threat of lightning caused Death Cab for Cutie and Fogerty's sets to badly clash, forcing us to choose, and shaved 15 minutes off headliner Cage the Elephant's performance.
After his set was delayed, Fogerty told the crowd he was glad to be back in Indianapolis before summing up what we were all thinking.
"It's raining again. Just like it always does."
Strongest nautically named act
This is a tie.
Blues rocker Samantha Fish was among the first performers on Saturday, and only a few hundred people caught her stellar show. She came out dipped in leather with platinum hair and shredded her guitar to ribbons.
But Trampled by Turtles, who played the Coliseum a few hours after Fish, were also strong. It was a fleet of shockingly loud stringed instruments, with no drummer, flying into your face.
Best first gig
From Kayla:
Though popular on YouTube for his covers, Fort Wayne-based soft-acoustic singer Jonah Baker showcased some originals Sunday afternoon that remind me of Shawn Mendes' early work.
His set was one long meditative, gentle hip-swaying session on relationships and love, punctuated with the occasional short stories setting up original songs — a pleasant sojourn from the rest of the festival, though somewhat lacking in variety.
His style works for his 563,000 YouTube subscribers. He told me this was his first time performing live on a music festival stage as his own act. We're not counting his college-appearance circuit.
Biggest loss
Country fans couldn't catch a break.
Lucinda Williams had to cancel her Sunday performance due to several of her band members contracting COVID-19. And IU graduate Hank Ruff was bumped later in the day due to water damage on the local stage after the downpour, organizers said.
That's all fine, but who was the best?
Cage. The. Elephant.
Anyone who has ever seen them live knew they were going to be the best show of the weekend before the weekend even began. I did my due diligence and checked out a wide range of performances across 21 hours, but there's a reason Cage headlines festivals across the country.
Cage The Elephant is something special, a definitive rock experience with unmatched energy.
Shultz is a throwback to a bygone era of front men, the consummate rock 'n' roll performer — loud, loving and lewd. The clothes, the movements, the earnest speeches about love conquering all. It's all there.
His vocals were amazing, but that almost seems not to matter. You can't take your eyes off him as he gyrates his way across the stage, performs headstands and tow-touches from the drum platform as the world swirls around him.
"I don't even know what I'm doing half the time when I'm up here," he told the crowd of several thousand as the clock approached midnight on Sunday. "Seriously. I just go with the flow."
The flow led to the methodical removal of his suit jacket, tie, jewelry, shirt and jeans throughout the night until only a black leotard was exposed. As he sang "Teeth," the final song of the weekend, he walked into the audience, which in turn lifted him above their heads.
He sang, flexed and performed yoga poses before falling into a proper crowd surf. The audience returned him to the stage, and he gathered his clothes and belongings into wicker baskets.
Then he left, and that was All IN.
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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryDoesPhonics. IndyStar staff writers Domenica Bongiovanni and Kayla Dwyer contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Cage the Elephant and All IN Music and Arts Festival's other triumphs
