Aerin Johnson
Editor in Chief
“ALIVE” magazine’s “Best Music Event!” LouFest was on Sept. 7 and 8, in Forest Park. For four years, this destination festival has been a chance for indie bands from around the nation to perform.
People who came were able to go through the Nosh Pit where they got food from local restaurants or through the Market Square where they bought organic material made clothes and accessories and different types of arts.
Also this year, the festival added a third stage due to the large line-up of bands. This year those bands included Wilco, The National, Fitz and the Tantrums, Ra Ra Riot and Trampled by Turtles.
The festival started off with the upbeat tunes of Jukebox the Ghost. Audience members danced around to the beat. Between each song, band members had fun conversations with the audience, one member even mentioned his trip to the art museum the previous day.
Following them came the fast paced group of J. Roddy Walston and the Business. It brought a retro feel to rock, with tunes reminiscent of Elvis.
As the day moved on, so did a Southern vibe in the festival with bands Modoc and Trampled by Turtles. Modoc played Southern rock, while Trampled by Turtles played more traditional Southern music with fiddles and banjos.
Soon the bands went back to the soft rock from earlier as Ra Ra Riot came on stage. Large crowds gathered around the stage to listen. Soon after, Fitz and the Tantrums came on also bringing the audience in with it, telling stories and getting audience members to clap and sing along with covers of old songs as well as the group’s own.
As the night ended The National and Wilco came on and ended Day 1 of LouFest with great songs and beats. It had fun with everything and enjoyed the audience members’ enthusiasm as they danced along to the music.
Admission was $55 for one day or $95 for two days.
