Forecastle celebrated it’s Sweet Sixteen this year on the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville, Ky. With headliners Modest Mouse, Chris Stapleton and Arcade Fire, the festival saw its largest crowd to date — and we saw that having a glittery chest or wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey is still the fashion statement of choice for many concertgoers. Forecastle had a bit of a facelift this year, adding some carnival rides and moving the WFPK Port Stage from near the river toward the front of the fest, near the food trucks. Each day provided a wide variety of music for the wide variety of fans in attendance.
Some highlights:
- White Reaper on the main stage gathered a rather impressive audience on Sunday afternoon.
- Arcade Fire’s entire set, but especially them entering from the back of the crowd and walking up to the stage. It was a fun surprise for fans to have an opportunity to interact with them. Their set was so theatrical and energetic — one member even climbed the scaffolding to the top of the stage for part of a song.
- Vic Mensa getting the crowd to yell “Fuck the police” as a group of police officers walked from one area of the festival to another behind the stage leaving him unaware of his perfect(?) timing.
- Courtney Barnett. That is all.
- Khruangbin’s dance moves. Their set was one of the most enjoyable ones to hear but it was easy to wish they were playing at night so the ambiance matched the music.
