Party in the Park 2013

Last weekend I went to Party in the Park, a one-day music festival at Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta. The festival featured Grouplove, Ellie Goulding, and Passion Pit (as well as some artists earlier in the day that I didn't go in for because Doctor Who was on), and since I'd missed out on both Ellie Goulding and Passion Pit the previous times they were in Atlanta, I was really psyched for this concert.

There was rain in the forecast the entire day, but the music gods must have been smiling down on Atlanta because it was dry the entire evening and other than the humidity, the clouds kept it from being too hot and the weather was perfect. The grass wasn't even too wet from the earlier rain, so I was able to relax in my spot on the grass with no worries.

I spent most of Grouplove's set standing in line for drinks (my only complaint about the entire day, honestly, the lines were so long). I hadn't really heard of them before, but the music was good and I enjoyed it. They played one song that I recognized from a commercial, but otherwise it was all new to me.

I was mainly there to see Ellie Goulding and Passion Pit. The last time Ellie was in Atlanta, I was in Spain, so it didn't really work out. I have to admit, I really only halfway listened to her new album, but I know every word to Bright Lights backwards and forwards. It was my go-to music to listen to on my daily walks to and from class in Mexico, and I was thrilled that she played a lot of my favorite songs. I would have loved to have heard "Guns and Horses," but she played "Animal," "Starry Eyed," and "Under the Sheets" (as well as "Lights" obviously) so I was up dancing for all of those. She was adorable and just sorta jumped around on stage a lot, and every now and then she'd hit on a drum for a bit. It was a great set, despite me not knowing most of the songs.

After Ellie was a decent break before Passion Pit. They quickly became one of my favorite bands last summer and I listened to them way too much. Seeing them live was even more amazing than I could've dreamed.

The outdoor nighttime atmosphere made it even more incredible, I think. There were probably close to 5000 people around me, and everyone was jumping up and down and dancing for most of the set. Songs like "Take a Walk," "Carried Away," and "Sleepyhead" were meant to be danced to and I honestly think they were even better in a scenario like this, where everyone is just so excited and so into it.

(sorry if this plays automatically and is too flash-y, there were a lot of lights)

Passion Pit played every song I loved, and I loved every song other than the one that I didn't know that was apparently on one of the Twilight soundtracks (after they played it, they explained that and asked if anyone actually watched the movie, and there were only a few cheers), but the night was just fantastic. Great music and a great atmosphere. They did an encore of "Little Secrets" and I was already migrating to the exit at that point, so I had lots of room near the back of the park to dance to my heart's content. Luckily, I wasn't the only person jumping and dancing excitedly - everyone in the park was.

All in all, Party in the Park was a great mini-festival experience. I can't wait to see what the lineup is for next year, because I'm already excited for it!