Bunbury Music Festival: Day 3
By JC Griffith, Contributor
The final day of Bunbury was divided pretty evenly between punk and rap with a couple exceptions. One of those exceptions was Shakey Graves. He started his set as a one-man band, playing guitar and a suitcase drum while singing; he was soon joined by two other members on guitar and drums. The bluesy sound was a nice addition to the sounds of hip-hop and rock that were about to follow.
Manchester Orchestra’s set was as solid as always. The band started with a great performance of "Pride" that seemed to be a little slower than the album version, making it feel a bit heavier at the same time. The sound was incredible, but you have to give that up to the Bunbury sound guys as well as the band.
Brand New had a massive crowd for its much-anticipated set. The last time Brand New played in Cincinnati, the show sold out in seven minutes. I was really impressed with the raw, passionate sound coming from them. You could feel the energy being poured out into the crowd, and the crowd was giving it right back.
The crowd for Twenty One Pilots, the biggest I saw at Bunbury, spent an extra 15 minutes chanting for the band, but it didn't seem to phase them that they were late for undisclosed reasons. Almost as soon as the two musicians walked out on stage I understood why--they had such an incredible presence. Tyler Joseph was consistently moving around the stage, standing atop his piano, singing in the crowd and performing his famous leap across the stage, all without ever missing a beat. They are definitely a band you should see live, even if you aren't into their music.
Snoop Dogg closed the final day of Bunbury after starting 45 minutes late. There were rumors that he wasn't even at the festival, and others that he was just in his bus, doing what Snoop does best. I would like to think that it was a mix of both. He came out in a Cincinnati Reds jersey with a gold microphone and gave a good, relaxed performance, with lots of gangsta leans and many arms sways. It was a great way to close the three-day festival.
Now for a quick recap of Bunbury as a whole. I think it was a solid festival, but it's nowhere near as great as it used to be. It was always strongly rooted with Cincinnati--how could it not be, being at beautiful Sawyer Point right on the Ohio River? Bunbury always had a ton of local bands, local foods and breweries, but those all seemed to be missing this year--probably mostly due to the fact the festival was sold to PromoWest Productions, a Columbus-based company.
Next year the festival will be in a field in Blue Ash, a suburb of Cincinnati. Although this was the best turnout in Bunbury’s four-year existence, it felt like the only one that was truly about the money and not the music. Hopefully PromoWest will see this and improve the festival, so Cincinnati can have a great festival for many more years to come.
