Just like the previous two days, Firefly Music Festival’s finale didn’t disappoint. Day three saved the best for last with musical acts like Muse, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Shins, Bleachers, Dillon Francis, Phantogram, Busta Rhymes and many others. As expected, festival-goers were tired, but that didn’t stop them from partying until the last beat.
Philadelphia ruled the stages on day three, with at least 13 locally-grown artists on the calendar. Local act Astro 8000 kicked off the day, performing popular hits from his SoundCloud. He kept the party going with “Everytime I Milly Rock It Hurts” and “8000 Shades of Pink” on the Northeast Hub. Following Astro 8000, South Philly native Armani Lee took the stage to showcase his reggae skills, performing tracks from his EP titled Liquid Hammocks: The Live EP. Songs like “City Summer Love,” “Fire” and “I Won’t Stop” were crowd favorites. Local favorite Anna Shoemaker then performed two of her highly popular songs — “Something to You” and “Your Stupid Heart” — before Luke O’Brien took the stage to perform a number of his own hits, including “What I Am,” “Don’t Be Afraid” and “Lifetime.”
At the Firefly stage, American emcee Busta Rhymes blew the crowd away, rapping a number of his old hits. Songs included “Touch It,” “I Love My Chick” and a few others. After being away for a while, Busta Rhymes didn’t seem to miss a beat when it came time to perform, giving the crowd everything they loved and more. He was clearly the highlight of the afternoon, reminding everybody why he is considered one of the greatest of all time.
When the time came, American pop act Bleachers gave their fans something that they weren’t expecting. At the beginning of the set, they performed tracks from their new album, Gone Now. The crowd sang to the catchy hit single, “Don’t Take the Money,” and danced to the poppy “Hate That You Know Me.”
The fun continued when MisterWives took the Lawn stage. The pop band were backed by an array of bright colors, which matched their upbeat and catchy songs. In support of their new album, Connect the Dots, MisterWives performed hits like, “Only Human,” “Machine,” “Oh Love” and “Let the Light In.” All their outfits seemed to scream as loud as their songs — which were great. And, as MisterWives’ act ended, alternative rock band 30 Seconds to Mars took their spot at the main stage.
Frontman and actor Jared Leto was adorned in a long dress with a coat. Meanwhile, the band rocked the stage with singles that included “This is War,” “Kings and Queens” and an acoustic cover of “The Kill.” The highlight of the night may have been Jared Leto’s announcement that the band would be going on tour “soon,” as well as releasing a new album later this year. The surprise came shortly after 30 Seconds to Mars released a teaser trailer this past week. They proceeded to perform for their faithful fans for the rest of their set.
The Shins and Muse gave equally outstanding performances as the closing acts of Firefly Music Festival. The latter group dazzled the crowd with some of their latest hits from 2015 album Drones. Earlier this year, Muse announced they were reissuing all of their previous albums with unreleased songs. Across the field, The Shins performed. They proceeded to play tracks from their most recent album, Heartworms. Singles performed by The Shins included “Name for You” and “So Now What.”. The Shins announced their new album, Heartworms is available for pre-order on their website.
The festival was, overall, an outstanding success, with only a little rainfall to dampen the mood. The headliners went above and beyond for their fans, providing fireworks and visual effects. Local artists from Philadelphia had their moment in the spotlight as well, and continued to shine well after they had finished performing. 2017 Firefly Music Festival was a show not to be missed.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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