Suwannee Hulaween is set to return for its seventh year as the four-day music festival will once again set up shop to welcome fans to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL in just a few weeks on October 24th-27th.
Related: Hulaween Announces 90s Costume Theme For 2019: “Smells Like Teen Spirit Of The Suwannee”
This year’s festival will feature performances from The String Cheese Incident, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Bassnectar, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9, Big Wild, Tom Morello, Flying Lotus, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce, Billy Strings, Thundercat, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and many more. While Hulaween 2019 will be filled with fantastic performances all four days, as inevitable with any major music festival, the daily artist schedule presented by event organizers on Monday has its fair share of conflicting set times. With so much great music spread throughout the 2019 lineup, there are bound to be some tough decisions that fans will have to make come October 24th.
With that being said, here are a few of the notable schedule conflicts throughout the weekend which fans will have to decide upon. Remember, there is no real wrong decision when it comes to mapping out the weekend schedule–as long as there’s some kind of performance being played out in front of you, everybody wins.
Tycho and Electric Kif (Thursday)
Let’s begin with night one on Thursday, where Tycho is scheduled to play The Amphitheatre (7:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) practically at the same time as Electric Kif’s performance at The Campground (7:00 p.m. 8:15 p.m.). Tycho, a.k.a. Scott Hansen, just wrapped his run of fall tour dates with his full band, where they delivered phenomenal shows with equally impressive light shows as Hansen continues to promote 2019’s release of Weather. Tycho’s atmospheric and relaxing styles of electro-pop are easily rivaled by the dreamy, cosmic notation of Electric Kif’s masterful blend of rock, jazz fusion, and electronica. Both artists will present a very chilled-out listening experience for fans to want to ease their way into night one of Hulaween.
Tom Morello and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Friday)
These two couldn’t be farther apart in their respective styles of presenting high-energy rock music. Morello–one of the most dependable contemporary names in an aging rock genre–will bring his bag of hard-hitting songs from his years in Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave along with some solo material for what will surely be a high-octane performance blending the attitude of hip-hop with the power of alternative metal at The Amphitheatre (6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.). At the same time over at The Patch (6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.) Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will bring their trademark presentation of non-stop fun by way of dance-friendly funk for a looser, more jam-filled experience. Both sets will have plenty of energy, but this one really comes down to whether or not fans will want to funk around versus rage. Just don’t bring your phone near Mr. Morello.
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress and Andy Frasco & The U.N. (Friday)
Robert Walter‘s mastered use of keyboards, synth, and other electronic-based instrumentation alongside his 20th Congress bandmates makes for some of the best improv-based music around. The band’s smooth mix of soul and jazz at The Patch (4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.) will be tough to ignore, that is unless one plans on spending that same time slot with party king Andy Frasco & The U.N., which will unload their own free-spirited performance at The Amphitheatre. This conflict simply comes down to whether or not fans are looking to reach the levels of partying which parents always feared, or trying more of an experimental and unrivaled presentation of electro-soul from one of the best in the biz. Good luck.
Doom Flamingo and Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals (Saturday)
Over the last year, Anderson .Paak has proven he belongs among the ranks of today’s top entertainers in show business. Artists ranging from Brandy to Lil Nas X want to perform with .Paak and his band The Free Nationals, and rightfully so. However, it’s worth noting that also within the last year, a new rock outfit has emerged in the hard-hitting Doom Flamingo, which specializes in retro styles of Miami’s synth-wave rock scene of the 1980s. Lead by Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik and vocalist extraordinaire Kanika Moore, Doom Flamingo will surely leave a lasting impression on those catching them for the first time at Hulaween this year. Choose wisely, friends.
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (Sunday)
Country-rock guitarist Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit are one of the main acts responsible for helping to close the 2019 event on Sunday with their scheduled set at The Meadow (6:45 p.m. – 8 p.m.). Unfortunately for Isbell, his set takes place right in the middle of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead‘s two Sunday sets at The Patch (6 p.m. – 7:15 & 7:45 p.m. – 9 p.m.). It’s not the worst scheduling conflict of the weekend, but if one is to catch the start of JRAD’s first set only to bounce over to Jason Isbell’s full performance and then return to catch the ending of JRAD’s second set, he or she will miss out on the climax of set one and a potential epic start to set two–which could easily be a super funky, 30-minute “Shakedown Street”. Perhaps by that time at the event, fans and their dancing legs will be too tired to decide and just pick one with the flip of a coin. Either way, great guitar music will ensue.
Head to the event website for a limited number of tickets which are still available, in addition to more general information on this year’s event. Scroll down for the listing of daily artist schedules shared on Monday.
🎶 Ready to map out your musical adventure for this years Hula? Check out these official schedule images & download a printable version at https://t.co/w0aRyR1bvr. (There will also be an app📱) 🎶
Don’t miss out, 🎫’s are running low! Get yours now at: https://t.co/QQWKfj9xty pic.twitter.com/LKaDkpRVZp
— Suwannee Hulaween (@HulaweenFL) October 7, 2019