As the Dust Settles on Firefly

Firefly Music Festival 2016 - Image Provided by Joe del Tufo

About a week ago the dust settled on the 2016 Firefly Music Festival. As 90,000-plus began the mass exodus from the state capital, Dover residents breathed a sigh of relief as they were returned their strip malls and gas stations that line Route 13 as it passes by Dover International Speedway.

The grounds surrounding the Monster Mile and The Woodlands were left a trash-strewn mess – but we were happy to see the efforts of Code Purple this year improving the cleanup post-festival, collecting forgotten items for the homeless of Delaware. Despite the dreadful aesthetics,  such a mess can be seen as a sign of a successful music festival and that’s exactly what we had on our hands this year.

Headliners Kings of Leon, Mumford & Sons and Florence and the Machine all performed their hearts out much to their fanatics’ delights. Tame Impala left their crowd happily bewildered following their psychedelic explorations in sound and visuals, and Deadmau5’s glowstick riddled set was without a doubt one for the history books of The Woodlands.

As each day progressed, fans were treated to a non-stop barrage of amazing performances. M83 and Death Cab for Cutie, both made jaws drop and moods lift as the sun was setting;  the former’s lightshow may as well have been an additional band member and the latter’s perfectly executed run-through of fan favorites swallowed up the audience at the Main Stage in a sweet but cautionary embrace. And on Sunday, Trombone Shorty – who played a benefit show on the roof of a Wilmington ShopRite six years ago for the city’s World Cafe Live at The Queen – channeled Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine into his funky brand of horn heavy R&B – and the energetic crowd danced their approval throughout the entire set.

Lesser known acts – like Boston’s psych-pop quartet Quilt, local pop craftsmen Teen Men and Asbury Park-based blues funk quartet Quincy Mumford and the Reason Why (check out our interview with Quincy) – may not have been as stocked with fans as the upper tier artists, but they nonetheless attracted new ones during their captivating performances. Whether it was on Thursday as rain pelted the grounds, Friday as the sun began to vaporize what remained, Saturday as the sun baked festival goers, or Sunday when skin shone in tones of burnished reds and browns and weariness stubbornly made a vain attempt to creep into the masses, the energy level continued to mirror the increase of the growing and glowing heat, ultimately leaving fans very satisfied, if not deflated once they finally reached the finish line.

We’re looking forward to seeing how Firefly’s impact works out for the city this year and in years to come. It’s certain that the effect of a top tier festival in the state has attracted bigger names to Wilmington’s top venues. Indie rock, EDM, hip hop, blues, funk, R&B, folk – Firefly brought it all and Wilmington certainly has the venues to host the artists that represent these genres. And it would be interesting to see if Wilmington can attract some of the Firefly veterans. Wouldn’t it be great to dance your shoes away as Porter Robinson spins a set at The Queen? Brooding songsmith Noah Gundersen would look right at home on stage at the Arden Gild Hall. What about the opportunity to catch A$AP Rocky spit a few verses outside on the Riverfront? I cannot believe that groups like Atlas Genius, Grouplove, Fitz and the Tantrums, Boy and Bear haven’t set foot in the city yet, and their popularity with millennials has the potential to improve their impression of the city.

Overall, improving the quality and increasing the regularity of performances will attract more residences and that means more business and more things to do for everyone!

Wilmington is definitely on track to improve its perception as a destination for touring musicians. Dogfish Head’s Analog-a-Go-Go will be taking place in Bellevue Park later this summer. Built to Spill – who have performed sets in Dewey Beach in the past and blown the doors off The Queen – will be headlining along with Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli and New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Sure to bring some much appreciated notoriety, it could also open up the park as a regular outdoor venue for touring acts.

We can’t help but see the potential for better things in the city and Firefly Music Festival has certainly helped locals realize that vision. We can’t wait until next year, not only for Firefly 2017 (tickets are on sale now, by the way!), but also to take a look back and see how the city’s notoriety has improved over the next 365 days. Keep coming back to inWilmingtonDE.com and stay #inTune with updates on the city’s music scene!

Image provided by Joe del Tufo of Moonloop Photography. Check out Joe’s select Firefly Gallery!