Gazebo Festival: Weather cancels final day of inaugural event. What you missed Saturday

Ticket holders eager for a second day of Jack Harlow's Gazebo Festival were devasted to learn it was canceled after damaging thunderstorms blew through downtown Louisville late Sunday morning.

Gates to the Waterfront Park festival were set to open at 1 p.m. and fans were lined up and ready for the weather in rain ponchos and rubber boots.

For the next three hours festival organizers announced the event was "on pause" as the weather was being monitored. At 3:30 p.m., as rain-drenched Harlow fans waiting outside the event site, learned the event's second day was called off.

"Due to continuing hazardous conditions throughout the early afternoon and a second wave of weather expected this evening, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the remainder of Gazebo Festival," a statement from organizers stated.

Additionally, organizers said ticket holders are expected to receive a refund for Sunday's concert within 30 days.

Sunday's lineup was to have included 13 artists including Omar Apolla, Pinkpathersess (who the Courier Journal noticed rehearsing Saturday at Old Forest's Paristown Hall ) along with Jack Harlow, who would have rounded out the night.

On the flip side, the music festival's weather couldn't have been more perfect Saturday, day one of Gazebo Fest.

Rap superstar and Louisville native Jack Harlow was back at Waterfront Park this weekend. And this time, he's brought some friends with him.

Gazebo Festival, a new music festival featuring popular and under-the-radar hip-hop and R&B acts, was organized by Harlow, who told The Courier Journal he hand-picked the lineup to "express my personal taste." He's set to rock the stage Sunday night — and if it's anything like his performance at Forecastle Festival in 2022, you're going to want to buckle up — but Saturday's lineup features several notable names and high-energy performers as well.

This is the first time the festival has taken place, and the first day of action set the tone.

Here's a quick look at how it went down Saturday at Waterfront Park.

The crowd

It was hot, both in the crowd and on stage. Shade under the interstate overpasses was at a premium in the afternoon. But that didn't stop thousands of fans from packing the park for the first day of action.

As attendees filtered in, the busiest areas in the early afternoon were in the concession stand lines. Several local vendors are on site this weekend serving customers, including Pizza Lupo, Happy Belly Bistro, All Chai’d Up, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, RK on the Grass and Four Pegs Smokehouse. Food trucks such as Foko, Ramiro's Cantina and Please & Thank You were set up near an area marked by faux hedges and offering tables for chess matches and ping pong games, reminiscent of a park hang-out. Drinks from James Beam Distillery and West Sixth Brewing were among those for sale.

Paris Texas — a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles — jumped in the crowd to wrap up their set, as Ravyn Lenae waited for her time on the Gazebo Stage. And on the Garden Stage, acts like Larry June and Karri got the audience warmed up, with a long night ahead.

Saturday's headliner: SZA

Open Apple Music's playlist of the most popular songs in the U.S. and scroll down a bit, past the new Billie Eilish tracks and all of the back-and-forth between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Somewhere in the 20s, you'll find "Snooze," a 2023 single from Saturday headliner SZA that's still a huge hit a year later.

SZA (pronounced "sizza") exploded in popularity with her 2017 album "Ctrl" and had another smash chart-topper five years later with "SOS." The singer-songwriter born in St. Louis and raised in New Jersey hadn't performed in Louisville since 2017, according to Harlow, who told The Courier Journal before the weekend that she was his "dream headliner pick."

SZA is scheduled to perform at 9:45 p.m. Saturday, the biggest act of a busy day. Harlow, meanwhile, will take the same stage time Sunday.

A big weekend for Vince Staples

Vince Staples, set to take the Gazebo Stage before SZA at 8 p.m., is bringing something new to Louisville — literally.

The West Coast rap star, who's churned out releases since his breakout in the early 2010s, performed Saturday for the first time since putting out new music this week. His latest album, "Dark Times," was made available Thursday, with a smooth sound that's drawn some good early reviews.

Fans in Louisville got lucky. Staples' show at Gazebo Festival is his last scheduled performance in the U.S. before he hits the road for a summer tour in Europe, which begins early next month in Germany with stops in France, Spain, and several other countries.

Other notable names

With four Grammy Awards to her name, SZA was at the top of the lineup for a reason. But she wasn't the only act music fans in attendance were there to see.

There's Rich Homie Quan, for instance. The Atlanta-based rapper had a huge hit in 2013 with "Type of Way" and is still on the circuit years later. And Larry June, who slow-burned his way to popularity with a string of bass-heavy mixtapes over several years, also put on a show, bringing his mellow act from his hometown of San Francisco to Louisville's waterfront. He brought energy to the stage Saturday afternoon as fans filtered in for the evening.

Popular British producer James Blake was set to entertain fans with a DJ set on the main stage. His unique sound has helped create hits for some of the biggest names in music, from Jay-Z (Blake had some credits on the rapper's "4:44" album in 2017) and Kendrick Lamar (Blake produced his 2017 hit "Element").

What to watch Sunday

Harlow is the obvious big name in Sunday's lineup, and expect a high-energy performance in his hometown. But don't sleep on some of the acts before him.

Slum Village could be one to watch. The Detroit-based group had a pair of near-classics in the late 1990s in its two "Fantastic" albums, with a sound built by legendary producer J-Dilla. Check them out on the Garden Stage at 4:45 p.m.

PinkPantheress, a British singer-songwriter, will be worth checking out as well. The 23-year-old's debut album "Heaven Knows" garnered critical acclaim upon its release last year, with a unique pop sound somewhere between hip-hop and R&B. She'll precede Harlow on the Gazebo Stage at 8 p.m.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: What you missed Gazebo Festival day one at Louisville Waterfront Park