Hangout Music Festival Recap 2018
The beach, sunshine, and “Bros” are 3 words that can be used to describe the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I had the pleasure of attending this festival for my first time May of 2018. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I had only seen pictures. One thing I was nervous about before arriving in Gulf Shores was the weather. I’ve always heard mixed things about the weather, by the shore, because its almost around hurricane season. A couple days before we left the forecast was wild, it was set to thunderstorm every single day…Lucky for us, that did not come true and we were fortunate to have beautiful and sunny, 80-degree weather all weekend!
Another thing I’m always a little worried about before attending a new festival is there security. I’ve been to a number of festivals, and security/long lines are usually the biggest of problems. However, that was not the case for Hangout. Either my friends and I got extremely lucky, or Hangout had it all under control, because there were no problems all weekend. This year the festival enforced a small bag and clear bag policy for safety and time consuming reasons, and that definitely worked in their favor. Line were never long and getting through security was fast and efficient.
Now, let’s move on to the most important part of the festival; the music. The 2018 Hangout Music Festival headliners were The Killers, The Chainsmokers, and Kendrick Lamar. A very odd, but pleasantly diverse. First up on Friday night was The Killers. It was my first time seeing The Killers, and I could not have been more blown away. By starting their set with Mr. Brightside, the Killers gave the crowd tons of energy that rose throughout the show. The Las Vegas rockers played all the crowd favorites while lighting up the beach with an insane laser light show. It was a perfect way to end the first night of the festival.
The second night ended with The Chainsmokers, (and not that I was expecting much) but I was pretty disappointed. The “bros of EDM” have lost their touch, they’re oversaturated and…not the best live. You can only take so much of a bunch of songs that sound the same. Lastly the final headliner, the man I’ve been waiting to see for years; Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick not only started on time, but actually came on a few minutes early. I love an artist who can start on time (!!!) Kendrick played every song you wanted to hear including DNA, King Kuta, Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe and HUMBLE. He even brought out Jay Rock to perform Money Trees, and their newest hit off the Black Panther soundtrack, Kings Dead. Even though there were issues with the volume, Kendrick still put on one hell of a show and was my favorite from the weekend.
Other noticeable performers of the weekend; Halsey. I can honestly say I’m not typically the biggest fan of Halsey’s music, but I do like a few songs. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a festival performance from her, but all in all, it ended up being one of my favorites. Her energy was amazing, she kept the crowd entertained the whole time and sang all the songs you’d want to hear. She also drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. I’d have to say almost the whole festival was there to see her performance.
Besides Kendrick Lamar, SZA was the other artist I was most excited to see. Her voice is absolutely incredible live and better than I would have imagined. Making the crowd feel right at home SZA sat on the edge of the stage, dangling her feet while beautifully singing the songs off of her hit album Ctrl. SZA was a crowd favorite and one of mine.
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals is one artist (group) you need to see live. This man was born to be a performer. Filled with high energy and love, Anderson performed his new song Bubblin, starting a full-on beach dance party. If you like soulful, upbeat music with a mixture of r&b and rap make sure to add Anderson Paak to your playlist.
Besides a well put together lineup and an efficient staff, Hangout had many activities to keep attendees busy in-between sets. There was a free outdoor roller rink with a short line to rent skates, pool floaties you could sit on, sprinklers to run through, alcohol tents to sample and the VIP section was equipped with a swimming pool and viewing deck that faced the stage.
Would I recommend attending Hangout Music Festival? 100% yes. It’s a music festival built in with a mini vacation. If you can escape the bros and high schoolers, Hangout is one non-stop party on the beach. Just be prepared to be finding sand everywhere for weeks.