Music Midtown 2011 Audience Reaction:
What a beautiful day for a comeback. When Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced that Music Midtown would be returning in September, he could not have known what an amazingly gorgeous day it would be. With dreary rain in the days leading up to the event, it was so nice to see the weather break on Friday, and the sunshine in brightly gentle force on Saturday. The weather certainly helped to put concert-goers in a festive mood, for as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but smiles. Peter Conlon, the Music Midtown organizer, said in an interview with 11 Alive that weather is “the biggest factor on turnout” but with initial rough estimates of the turnout in the “tens of thousands” (according to Access Atlanta), the gorgeous weather was definitely an attendance booster.
Music Midtown always was, and continues to be, a prime example of what MusicManiax is all about: a festival where lovers of music and makers of music come together and celebrate their passions. We had a chance to speak with some of the artists – including an exclusive interview with Band of Skulls – and we also had a chance to speak with many concertgoers who came from as far away as DC and Indianapolis to see the show. 100% of the attendees we spoke with agreed that if Music Midtown comes back next year, they’ll go see it again.
When asked if there was a specific band who they were there to see, concert-goers responded that The Black Keys were the band which seemed to bring the slight majority (58%) of them to the event, with Coldplay close behind. Brandon from Birmingham came to see Coldplay but said that the Black Keys were “cheery!”
10% of the fans we spoke with, including Brittany from Macon, GA, didn’t come to see anyone in particular. Brittany was just glad that it was back. She missed it!
16 year old Trevor from Jones Creek, GA was at his first ever Music Midtown. He came to see Coldplay, but rated the entire line-up at an 8 on a scale from 1-10. When asked who he would like to see if they brought it back next year, he answered Garbage – a Music Midtown veteran act. Some of the other bands that MusicManiax would love to see at a future Music Midtown are: King Khan and BBQ, Matisyahu, Kings of Leon, Daft Punk, and Rihanna. Chris from Atlanta would bring Jimi Hendrix back from the grave to play at Music Midtown. (Could you imagine the turnout with that name on the line-up?)
It was difficult to compute an average rating for the event using the 1-10 scale. The lowest score that was given was a 3 (but again that fan still said she’d be back next year if they had it). The next lowest scores were 8s. John from Atlanta gave it an 11. Beto said the show was “top notch” and claimed “it can’t get any better than Piedmont Park in Atlanta.” Chris (who would bring Jimi back) rated the show “the bomb.” And James from Indianapolis rated his whole experience a 10. “The whole package was impressive – awesome time.”
Ultimately, this show proved to be an awesome experience for the fans. They saw bands they already loved, and they had the chance to fall in love with new ones; Band of Skulls, Young the Giant, and Atlanta’s own The Constellations topped the list. Yes, James from Indianapolis summed up this Musicmaniax experience the best: “Good music, good food, good people, good booze.” That, Musicmaniax, is indeed what is all about. Hope to see you back next year!