Since its start in 2015, the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee, has pulled off the tricky task of being both a hip, taste-making festival and appealing to everyday fans and even families. That balancing act was on full display this weekend when rockers like headliners like John Mayer and Kings of Leon, along with bands like Young the Giant and Better Than Ezra, shared a bill with Red Dirt kings Turnpike Troubadours, Americana chanteuse Maggie Rose, and blues-rocker Eddie 9V.
Mayer’s set on Sunday night, just a day after playing the largest U.S. stadium concert ever with Zach Bryan in Michigan, summed up the vibe of the Pilgrimage weekend. Somewhat rare and non-Dead & Co. in nature, Mayer’s performance, especially the weekend-ending “Gravity,” resonated with Kevin Griffin, Pilgrimage’s co-founder and singer-guitarist of Better Than Ezra.
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“What a fitting last song for John Mayer to play to close his set,” Griffin says. “The weight of the moment was not lost on the festival co-founders and producers as we looked at the packed Midnight Sun Stage lawn, singing along to every word. We couldn’t be more proud and grateful to the community that came out this weekend to make this year’s Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival the best ever. What a great way to celebrate all the one-of-a-kind music, food, culture, and artisans of Middle Tennessee.”
Much like Bonnaroo symbolizing the beginning of summer, Pilgrimage has staked its claim as the unofficial start of fall in Middle Tennessee. Here are some of our favorite moments from the fest.
Father John Misty is as sturdy as ever.
Over the past few years, Father John Misty — the alter-ego of Josh Tillman — has established himself as a reliable festival performer who appeals to both discerning and casual fans. That was the case this weekend when Tillman delivered a late-afternoon set in front of an attentive crowd. He crooned his way through tunes like “Strange Encounter” and received big responses for “Real Love Baby” and the spirited closer, “I Love You, Honeybear.”
Sam Barber earns a superstar response.
Of all the first day’s artists, rising singer-songwriter Sam Barber attracted the biggest crowd and loudest cheers. The festival’s enthusiastic, young-country-inclined contingent flocked to the Gold Record stage to see Barber at twilight. Nestled between Red Dirt heroes Turnpike Troubadours (who were, as usual, great) and festival headliners Kings of Leon, the lyrically earnest Barber performed well, worthy of the slow-building hype surrounding him. And the 22-year-old Missouri native endeared himself not just to the cowboy-hat-wearing audience: With the stage conveniently located near the bar, food stands, and merchant village, many curious attendees wandered over to hear what all the cheers were about.
Turnpike Troubadours ring in the golden hour.
Playing a choice spot at dusk, the scene was set for Turnpike Troubadours. Opening up with “The Bird Hunters,” followed by “Kansas City Southern,” the band played a shortened version of their standard set. In this atmosphere, however, it was majestic. With the sun slowly disappearing on the horizon, it added to the power of fan favorite “Good Lord Lorrie.” As they continue to release albums at a semi-prolific pace following their multi-year layoff, don’t be surprised if Tahlequah’s finest aren’t at the top of the bill the next time they’re performing here.
King of Leon are still rock royalty.
Barely 24 hours off a set at longtime pal Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival in Southern California, Kings of Leon offered a rock-heavy performance in front of a supportive hometown crowd. At this point in their career, the Followills are comfortable with their status as headliners, but that doesn’t mean the guys phone it in. Smoothly performing a 22-song set that prioritized earlier material (only one-third of the songs came from the band’s four-album output over the past 12 years), the Kings were confident and fun. Songs like “Pyro” and “Molly’s Chambers” still pack a walloping punch, while singalong hits like “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire” resonate 17 years after the band’s commercial peak. And despite flubbing the intro to 2004’s “Taper Jean Girl” and calling it a “new one,” singer-guitarist Caleb Followill couldn’t help but laugh. In fact, the typically stoic frontman was often chatty onstage, remarking at one point, “This show is living up to the hype.”
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