AVICII/Kid Cudi/fun. Thrill Soggy Sweetlife Crowd; Food & Music Festival Searches For Its Identity…

COLUMBIA, Md. -- Sweetgreen’s Sweetlife Food & Music Festival, went down on Saturday, March 28th at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The festival, now in its third year, is starting to gain some attention nationally and continues to draw big name acts and a sharply larger audience.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
Sweetlife is experiencing some growing pains though, as it lacks a clear vision, musically, of what it wants to be. Food, big names, booze, girls, boys, it has, but it doesn't have a vibe yet. With 10 hours of stage time and a disconnected lineup, the crowd, diverse as a potluck dinner, was not constantly entertained.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
fun., the quirky, ultra pop trio, played a set that was highlighted by their Top 40 track “We Are Young”. A$AP Rocky then followed, and lived up to his reputation for being a poor performer. This lackluster effort squashed a good start and the crowd settled down as he rapped away. His question to the audience “Where are my trill people?” seemed rhetorical, as the crowd remained hushed.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
Fitz and The Tantrums came out tooting their horns, so the blondes in the crowd finally started dancing. They played loud and fast, sticking with their catchy, fan-friendly tracks. Throwback, feel good ballads and big brass sounds reinvigorated the once pacified crowd.

Makeshift rain gear (Photo: Frank Wilson).
“MoneyGrabber” and “Breakin’ the Chains of Love” went over like butter on warm toast, with a crowd basking in the few hours of sun that the concert saw. And the always energetic Explosions in the Sky played an enthusiastic set, but it was mostly lost on a young audience waiting for house.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
On the secondary Treehouse stage, Brooklyn-based electro pop duo The Knocks played the best set of the day. They jammed “Make it Better” to a crowd that looked like a parking lot full of bobble head dolls during an earthquake. For the following two hours, people continued to mosey their way uphill, where they found sounds that compelled them to stay. The smaller stage gave festival-goers a more intimate experience with the bands, and the artists, in turn, rewarded fans with charismatic performances.

U.S. Royalty (Photo: Frank Wilson).
U.S. Royalty put on a short, but well paced, show. RAC got the crowd bouncing again and Delta Spirit played a vibrant set, as the rain the weather people had been warning of finally began to fall. A brilliant Zola Jesus had a commanding performance, as her sometimes haunting and always powerful wails graced the fans who climbed into the Treehouse.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
Back on the main stage, The Shins played through most of their new album, “Port of Morrow”. The Grammy-nominated band performed well and “Simple Song” received a huge applause, but the crowd was now a little drunker and thus a little distracted. Shaker Heights, OH hip hop superstar Kid Cudi played all his hits as the crowd sang along and danced casually. His hard core fans really enjoyed it, but it was clear he didn’t really push himself.

AVICII (Photo: Frank Wilson).
As the Seattle-style rain leaked from the clouds and the night wore on, headlining mega DJ AVICII bounded across the stage to his party production platform. And from the moment the first sounds of his set cascaded into the crowd, it was apparent this is what the people had come to see.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
Foot long glow sticks, emphatic dancing, and musical lust filled Merriweather; the crowd finally had the thing it was waiting for. When “Levels” took over the speakers, the crowd was in a full-fledged face-melt. For the next hour, the venue was systematically transformed into a hedonistic, neon rave, with AVICII’s performance whipping the youthful crowd into a frothy fury.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
When he turned down the sound and the house lights came on signaling the end of the festival, the exhausted, soggy crowd trudged out, leaving behind a slew of jackets, umbrellas, tarps, and blankets that had been lost or discarded during the preceding dance party.

(Photo: Frank Wilson)
Sweetlife is on the cusp of something that could have longevity and become the must-see one-day show of the area. All the parts are in place, but they need to decide who they want the audience to be. It’s a fun day trip, but it remains to be seen if it can become something more.