The Soundside Music Festival was a two-day-long, vibrant and enjoyable event held over the weekend of Sept. 28 to Sept. 29 at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn. Alongside the performers, the festival featured food trucks, games and a pool table.
Noah Kahan headlined day one, drawing in younger crowds with his emotional, upbeat songs. Day two featured headliners Greta Van Fleet and Jack White, attracting an older, more adventurous, rock-loving audience to the venue.
The lineup for the first day of the festival included Rijah, Madi Diaz, Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, The Sacred Souls, Grace Potter, Boyz II Men, Fleet Foxes, The Goo Goo Dolls and Noah Kahan
Though some artists were better known than others, all of them did a great job of engaging the crowd and performing their hearts out. Day one drew a diverse audience because of two featured performers: Noah Kahan, who has a following of pre-teens and young adults; and Boyz II Men, a group that debuted in the early 1990s that attracted an older audience.
However, Boyz II Men did an amazing job of engaging all age groups by covering other artists’ songs that would be familiar to the multi-generational audience. The group sang “Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars as well as “Purple Rain” by Prince, two songs that got the whole crowd singing passionately.
Another popular performer for all concertgoers was Grace Potter. Although she wasn’t one of the most recognizable names at the festival, she sung the well-known “Something that I Want,” which is recognizable to any 2010s Disney lover as it’s featured in “Tangled.” So, despite having a more timeless rock-n-roll vibe that was popular among the older crowd, Potter appealed to both younger and older fans.
The Goo Goo Dolls were able to unite the crowd with their iconic song, “Iris.” Despite being released in the late 1990s, the crowd was able to belt out each and every word, which made the Goo Goo Dolls a crowd favorite of the night.
Finally, Noah Kahan took the stage for his highly anticipated performance. During the minutes before Kahan’s appearance, fans debated which song he’d play first. “I think his first song is going to be ‘Everywhere Everything’ because of its powerful chorus and strong lead up,” said one attendee who anxiously awaited Kahan’s appearance. Other guesses included “The View Between Villages” or “All My Love.” Kahan stumped them all, but chose wisely with “Dial Drunk.”
After spending many hours in the cold, with intermittent rain all day, festival attendees agreed that Kahan’s performance made the pain of having wet feet the whole time worth it.
After a memorable first day, concertgoers were excited for what was to come. The lineup for the second day included Darren Kiely, Hurray For the Riff Raff, The War and Treaty, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Gregory Alan Isakov, Norah Jones, Teddy Swims, Bleachers, Greta Van Fleet and Jack White.
The headliners for day two changed at the last minute from the Foo Fighters to Greta Van Fleet and Jack White. Though disappointed, many were still eager for the new artists. “I’m super excited for Greta Van Fleet,” said one superfan in attendance. “The lead singer has an incredible voice, and the band puts on a great performance. I think they have great potential and in the next couple years, they could really get big.”
One of the other artists that many attendees were ecstatic to see was Teddy Swims, who gave an amazing performance and interacted with the audience incredibly well. He performed his most popular song, “Lose Control,” which was a crowd pleaser.
The Bleachers’ performance was thrilling and fun, with many dancing proudly and singing along for the duration of the performance.
The Soundside Music Festival was an unforgettable experience featuring many great performers. The event was able to bring together people of various generations and music tastes, making it a festival that should be on everyone’s bucket list to attend.
