Late-night sets, Iowa connections round out 80/35's last Western Gateway Park show
For an hour, hundreds of people waited for 80/35 Music Festival headliners The War on Drugs, scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Their patience was rewarded as the Grammy Award-winning rock band tirelessly performed until midnight, the latest they could play, taking requests and feeding the crowd with riveting solos.
It was just one of many memorable moments at this year’s festival, which returned for its 14th year and its final in the Western Gateway Park before it moves to Water Works Park next July 12-13, 2024.
“We know that with change comes questions and apprehension maybe about doing something different, but as we look to 2024, we wanted to get the word out ahead of time so that we had one more chance for people to come down to our original location today, and really just kind of celebrate the legacy of this festival,” Des Moines Music Coalition director Mickey Davis told the Des Moines Register about the recent new location announcement.
Here are our nine exciting moments from the jam-packed weekend, which boasted more than 40 artists across four stages, three of which were free for attendees.
The War on Drugs
Due to a power issue, the band took to the stage around 10:35 p.m., jumping instantly into a performance of “Under the Pressure” off their 2014 album “Lost in the Dream.” Frontman Adam Granofsky, or Adam Granduciel, thanked the crowd for sticking around and teased that while it was past the crowds’ bedtime, he was happy they were there. He also had the festivalgoers give a round of applause for 80/35 Music Festival volunteers. Fans of the band were treated to performances of hits including “Red Eyes” and “Pain.”
Sudan Archives
For the first time, the self-taught violinist and songwriter Brittney Parks, or Sudan Archives, was joined by dancers on stage. These dancers are students of Swan, which provides free ballet and dance for Black and brown youth through Des Moines nonprofit and youth program SEEDS, according to the Des Moines Music Coalition. The performance came at the end of the set by Parks, who had spent Friday evening nimbly jumping back and forth between playing her violin live to singing and dancing, often doing all three — all in a mini skirt and heels — at the same time. Parks continuously hyped the crowd up, shouting at 80/35 festivalgoers to “turn up” to leaving the stage to perform directly in front of the audience. The “Natural Brown Prom Queen” artist performed at Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City earlier this year.
Pictoria Vark
Audiences got to see one of Pictoria Vark’s final shows in Iowa before she makes her move to Chicago. The Iowa City songwriter and bassist made headlines in Forbes and Pitchfork for her debut album “The Parts I Dread” that Rolling Stone described as “one of last year’s finest indie records.” Vark told the Register after her performance that it’s been surreal to see her work receive the attention that it has, and has left her feeling grateful. “I’m so sad to be leaving, I truly love it here,” Vark said. “I don’t think I would have become the artist and musician I have had I not been in such a welcoming community that is the Iowa music scene.”
Des Moines Music Coalition Summer Camp
Two youth bands that are part of the Des Moines Music Coalition’s two-week musical summer camps rocked the stage as one of the first performances at 80/35 Music Festival Friday. Hazel Isaacson, 12, of Des Moines, played the electric guitar for the Ding Darlings after playing the acoustic guitar for about a year, she told the Register after her performance. “I did this and it was really fun. I really enjoyed it,” Isaacson said. “It’s probably one of my favorite camps I’ve done, and I do theater camps a lot.”
Tayls
The Nashville pop-punk band captivated the crowd on Friday at the Kum & Go Stage with their high-energy performance and glam-rock looks. But audiences unfamiliar with Tayls would have likely been surprised to learn that Atticus Swartwood on the drums is from Des Moines. Swartwood grew up in Des Moines and attended his first 80/35 Music Festival in 2010, he told the Register on Saturday. He moved to Nashville in 2014 and has returned to Iowa to do a few shows, though 80/35 is the largest show he’s performed in Des Moines. “It feels very special,” the musician said. “This is the first music festival I ever went to and festivals are so affirming and enriching and allowed me to then go try make more out of myself. It’s very cool and I’m really glad to get to be here while it’s still downtown.”
Big Boi
The 80/35 Music Festival transformed into one giant party when rapper Big Boi took the stage Saturday night as the day two headliner. Antwan André Patton, or Big Boi, is well-known for his role in hip-hop duo OutKast with André 3000. Saturday’s audience proved just how enduring OutKast’s hits are when Big Boi, joined on stage by producer and singer-songwriter Sleepy Brown, performed “Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh, So Clean,” letting the crowd sing some of the latter’s most iconic lyrics. By the end of the night, the duo was assuring the crowd they’d have to visit Des Moines at least twice a year.
Salt Fox
The Cedar Falls indie-pop group amassed a large crowd, and likely new fans, with their blend of chill beats with something groovier and more upbeat during their set at the Iowa Public Radio stage on Friday. After the end of their set that included single “Pink Palm Trees,” the audience chanted for one more song, leading to an encore that Salt Fox said has been “the most authentic encore of all time.”
McKinley Dixon
Maryland native rapper McKinley Dixon performed at 80/35 Music Festival on the heels of his latest album “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?” after 2021’s album “For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her” received widespread acclaim. He told the crowd on Saturday that his first out of state show in 2016 was in Iowa and that he arrived in the snow. It was before anyone knew who he was, before he knew who he was, Dixon said. Like Sudan Archives, Dixon also performed at Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City earlier this year.
Blu DeTiger
Whether a coincidence or a clever decision, singer and bass guitarist Blu DeTiger performed a cover of “Ms. Jackson” by OutKast during her set as part of medley of other songs: “Feel Good Inc” by Gorillaz and “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. New York native DeTiger rose to stardom during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to TikTok, and sang originals “Lipstick” and “Elevator” during her set in a mini skirt with her signature turquoise-blue bass guitar.
More than a decade of the Gas Lamp comes to an end Saturday night
Nearby, the Gas Lamp was having its own festival of sorts on Saturday with all day performances before it closed permanently.
Patrons got their final chance to say farewell to the venue that opened in 2011 with its small stage and bathrooms scribbled with vulgar questions, profanity and numerous references to performers over the years.
The Gas Lamp announced its July closure on Facebook earlier this year. The decision was due in part to the venue’s landlord the Krause Group's plan to renovate the building as well as being unable to recover from financial losses since the start of the pandemic, the Des Moines Register reported.
Des Moines groove-rock band Erf was one of the performers at the Gas Lamp Saturday, taking the afternoon slot while dozens of people wandered in and out over the course of their funky, instrumental-heavy performance that had the crowd hollering their approval.
J.B. Williams, a guitarist and singer in the four-piece band, told the Register after his performance that while he’s played at the Gas Lamp in various bands over the past decade, it’s been Erf that’s found a “home base” in the music venue.
“This is probably our favorite place to play in town though and so we’ve been playing here for a long time,” he said. “We’re really sad to see it go.”
Gas Lamp became their favorite spot in part because of how patrons hang around at the venue.
Williams said it was an honor for him and Erf to play at the Gas Lamp on its final day.
Lori Van Groningen, who is the mother of Williams, was also at the Gas Lamp Saturday afternoon. She’d been a patron of the venue since it was the Blues on Grand after moving to Iowa from California. Van Groningen was also the entertainment director for the IMT Des Moines Marathon.
“The vibe here is very accepting,” she said of the Gas Lamp. “Moving here from out of state, didn’t know anyone, (it is a) very accepting environment.”
She complimented Blues on Grand owner Jeff Wagner for supporting musicians who didn’t yet have large followings, and said she was grateful that the Gas Lamp opened up when Blues on Grand ended.
Other performances at the Gas Lamp Saturday included rock bands The Other Brothers and Holy White Hounds and reggae rock band Some Friends.
The Gas Lamp was packed by the time Some Friends took the stage at 8 p.m. The band members declared they were going to tear it up before the venue is torn down and later had the crowd raise their drinks and toast to the Gas Lamp.
Danny Carman’s history with the Gas Lamp goes back years, including working in the kitchen back when the venue served food and taking photos of shows there.
“It really gives a good showcase to a lot of local talent,” Carman said about the Gas Lamp. “Local talent has always been the main focus of it.”
He spent Saturday photographing the venue’s final night.
“It’s just heartbreaking to see,” Carman said of the Gas Lamp’s closure. “It seems like a lot of venues didn’t make it out of COVID… and this is one that actually sort of survived that and it’s just sad to see that after surviving, having the biggest hardship of any live entertainment venue, to see it be knocked down by f****** corporate overlords.”
More: The Gas Lamp's final show is in July. Revisit some of its incredible shows over the years.
Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 80/35 Music Festival and Gas Lamp in Des Moines both say goodbye
