There’s something special about the feeling of attending the Nelsonville Music Festival. Compared to, say, the (fun) chaos of Bonnaroo or the fast-paced, influencer-infested nature of Lollapalooza, the 2024 Nelsonville Music Festival was noticeably more relaxed, calmer, and more welcoming.
Its smaller size and comparatively modest lineup certainly contribute to the festival’s impressive fun-to-stress ratio (NMF hosts about 50 artists over the course of three days, while Lollapalooza features more than 170 over its four-day weekend). And yet, walking around the Snow Fork grounds, you never think: Man, I really wish there were 120 more sets. In fact, as Consequence has explored throughout this festival season, more curated and niche events might even have an experiential edge in the modern live music landscape.
Get tickets for Killer Mike here
The Nelsonville Music Festival certainly seems to prove that point. While it continues to diversify from its roots in Americana and indie rock, bringing more and more hip-hop and hard rock to the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, the event has managed to retain its core appeal: offering the feel of a small community festival to an international audience.
Mosh pits and spinning plates take over Nelsonville
The good folks at Stuart's Opera House, the venue and nonprofit that produces the festival, have never been afraid to dip their toes in the waters of genres outside of country and Americana. In recent years, we've seen a healthy dose of funk, world music, and weird rock (I'm thinking of you, Ween and They Might Be Giants). Still, the 2024 lineup felt noticeably bolder than in years past, with punk rock taking up even more time slots and, for the first time ever, a rapper headlining.
Several of the most talked-about sets were from the fastest, heaviest and hardest-rocking acts on the bill. Frankie and the Witch Fingers brought riff-driven psychedelia, Snõõper got theatrical with their Devo-style egg punk and Sheer Mag rocked out to the wire as singer Christina Halladay’s hair blew picturesquely in the wind (presumably, wind produced by the power of the driving guitars). Elsewhere, former Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould sounded big and authoritative despite performing solo, and Australian punks Amyl and the Sniffers delivered the most thrilling performance of the weekend on the main stage.
Get tickets for Amyl and the Sniffers here
Hot on the heels of Amyl and the Sniffers' Saturday night performance was Killer Mike, a headliner who admittedly seemed like an odd choice, at least on paper. When he took the stage with his choir of gospel singers, however, any doubt that he was in the wrong place was immediately dispelled. MIGUEL-The heavy set didn't feel jarring in the slightest and, as Consequence Editor Ben Kaye wrote in his review of Killer Mike's next performance at the Newport Music Festival that it proved that “folk music” extends far beyond guys softly strumming guitar.
The crowd showed up and stayed fully engaged — so much so that it surprised even the rapper himself. As his performance progressed, he admitted that he wasn’t sure what he’d initially signed up for by accepting the gig, but that Southeastern Ohio had officially won him over. It turns out that the welcoming nature of the Nelsonville Music Festival extends to the performers, too. (On that note, it’s worth noting that two of the three headliners at this rural event were Black, and the third was a woman from the queer community. Kudos, NMF.)
thanks to our partners at consequence.net
