WonderWorks Music Festival: All you need to know about 2-day Hartwood Acres concert event
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HAMPTON TWP. – Tickets are nearly sold out for the opening day of the WonderWorks Music + Arts Festival set to rock Hartwood Acres Park this Saturday and Sunday.
The festival, co-headlined by singer-songwriters Hozier (Saturday) and Jason Mraz (Sunday), features daylong, nonstop music from two stages, with top support acts including The Head and the Heart, Coin, X Ambassadors and Stephen Sanchez (all playing Saturday), and Mt. Joy, The Revivalists, The Airborne Toxic Event and Matt Maeson (all Sunday.)
Fans gobbled up all of Saturday-only General Admission adult tickets, leaving just two-day passes for $175 ($79 for kids) or Sunday-only tickets ranging from $89 for students and $99 for adults to $399 for adult VIP.
On-site Saturday parking is sold-out, too, with on-site parking $35 for Sunday. The other option is an off-site parking shuttle service from Pittsburgh Mills Mall costing $15 roundtrip. Festival attendees also may use Uber, Lyft, taxi and other Rideshare options. There will be a dedicated Rideshare pick-up and drop-off area at the festival site.
Prohibited items include coolers, outside food or beverage, professional cameras, foldable chairs higher than 9 inches or flags taller than 12 feet.
Gates open at 1 p.m. Indoor alcohol sales end 15 minutes before each night's performances are done.
There will be complimentary water refill stations on-site. Refillable plastic bottles will be allowed but must be empty upon arrival.
Now in its second year and originally branded as Maple House Music Fest, other WonderWorks performers include Andy Frasco & The U.N., The Blue Stones, Smallpools, almost monday, Michigander, Ruby Waters, Abby Holliday (all Saturday) and The Heavy Heavy, Wilderado, The Aces, Daisy the Great, Ax and the Hatchetmen, Youngstown rockers The Vindys and breakout Americana artist Jess Williamson, (all performing Sunday.)
Q&A with Jess
The Times interviewed Williamson, the Texas-born L.A. artist who in 2022 teamed with Katie Crutchfield in the duo Plains that released the widely acclaimed album, "I Walked With You A Ways."
Here's Williamson's take on WonderWorks and more:
Q: People are digging your two new solo songs; "Hunter" and "Chasing Spirits". Are they indicative of the mood and style we'll hear on your upcoming "Time Ain't Accidental" release?
A: Thank you! Yes, those songs both show different facets of the record as a whole. The newest single is out now and it’s the title track, which features a drum machine. The album has three distinct moods, exemplified by each single.
Q: A couple of intriguing lines from those songs: "I want a mirror not a piece of glass" and "You said if you don't rein it in, you're shaving 10 years off your life." Can you elaborate a bit on the meanings?
They say that every relationship is a mirror; we learn about ourselves by being in a relationship. And that second line is a word-for-word quote said to me by someone else.
Q: You'll be here in suburban Pittsburgh for a newly named, second-year festival, WonderWorks. What do you enjoy most about playing festivals?
The chance to play music for a brand-new audience! And seeing the other great bands play.
Q: Do you tweak anything from your normal set ― perhaps adding more backstory explanations before songs ― when playing for a percentage of festivalgoers who might be seeing or hearing you for the first time?
Mostly I try to get the more rocking songs in there. I feel like when people are at a festival, they don’t have the same attention span for the slow ones.
Q: Are there extra challenges since you're playing an afternoon set?
Yes, the sun! I’m big on SPF and hats.
Q: How big of a band will you have with you?
We are a four-piece.
Q: Will your setlist focus on the new album?
Yes, we are gonna debut some unreleased songs off the new record.
Q: Will you perform any Plains songs?
Absolutely!
Q: Were you and/or Katie surprised by the success of "I Walked With You A Ways"?
Honestly ... we knew we had something special! I’m so proud of that record.
Q: Since we're the Pittsburgh market, do you have any favorite or most vivid memories of prior Pittsburgh visits?
This is my very first time in Pittsburgh!
Q: And lastly, what are your thoughts about the WonderWorks lineup? You'll be sharing the closing day stage with Mt. Joy, The Revivalists, Jason Mraz, The Heavy Heavy, Airborne Toxic Event and our local-ish band The Vindys.
I am so excited to see The Heavy Heavy! I’m a big fan.
Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: WonderWorks Music Festival: What you need to know about 2-day event
