Aside from the falling out brought on by the Cadillac Ranch, MidPoint 2009 appeared to be a huge success that was enjoyed by all. Each year the festival brings in a new class of bands and venues, so I’m anxious to see what changes next year will bring. The addition of the Lite Brite Test and the Topic Design Tent at Grammer’s certainly seemed to be a few steps up for the festival, although if they’re bringing Lite Brite back next year there may be a few changes they can make that may help it run a little bit smoother. The Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky returned for a second consecutive year as the only venue this side of the river. While they featured some of the larger acts on the bill, it tends to make me feel like they’re not really a part of MidPoint, but rather, just another show at the Southgate House.
Best of the Fest…Top Five Performances
1. Chairlift
Nothing to be surprised about here; they were everything I was expecting and more. Favorite performance in the history of MidPoint. Their synth-soaked, indie-pop songs served as a perfect soundtrack to the monsoon that fell outside of the large outdoor tent taking me back to their performance at Bonnaroo this past summer.
2. The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker
Spirits were alive in the Southgate House ballroom, and I’m not talking about the ghosts that haunt this historic mansion-turned music venue. The legendary Charles Walker and his backing band, The Dynamites, converted me into a fan of old-school Funk, Soul and R&B, in a near two-hour, fiery set that had the entire floor shaking and grooving, as well as the nearly 70-year old Walker.
4. The Dø
I enjoyed this Nashville band so much that I caught them twice on the first day of the festival. They had a really nice mix of blues, country and indie-folk that you really don’t see a whole lot. Rumor has it that they’ll be performing at the Southgate House with the Seedy Seeds on the day before Thanksgiving.
3 comments
Lex Paul says:
September 28, 2009 at 1:25 pm (UTC -4 )
Great comments, Nate. MidPoint is always fun and it’s great to see what changes they have each year.
Clint says:
September 28, 2009 at 6:34 pm (UTC -4 )
Saw a few of these. Definitely agree on The Dynamite. They were amazing and rocked the heck out of Southgate House. Too bad not enough people were at Southgate because either it was too remote or because the band wasn’t “indie” enough.
Nate Rosing says:
September 28, 2009 at 7:53 pm (UTC -4 )
Let me just say that the Southgate House is my favorite music venue in town. As for being a part of MidPoint, I think it hurts the festival a little bit being in Kentucky. But it’s not really as far as you think. I didn’t time how long it took me to go back and forth but I think it fell in the 10-15 minute range, getting a parking spot included. I was expecting a much bigger crowd for the Dynamites. The only other problem I have with the Southgate House during MidPoint, is that it just feels like another show at the Southgate House. A lot of those places in downtown or Over the Rhine don’t typically have music so that kind of makes those places special in that aspect, and even the one’s that do have music on a weekly basis like Arnold’s and the Blue Wisp, I hardly make it to.