By Danielle Cauley, Rock At Night Detroit Correspondent
Venue: MO Pop Festival, West Riverfront Park, Detroit, Michigan–July 23rd-24th, 2016
When I found out I was going to be covering this festival, I didn’t know what I was going to get myself into. I had heard of the festival, but didn’t know much about it. This two day festival had 24 bands on two stages, food trucks, and different activities. The festival attendees ranged from regular festivalgoers to families; very diverse crowd. I went to Mo Pop solo, but everyone I came across was very nice and welcoming. Even though the festival happened during the hottest days of the summer, the crowd didn’t let that get in the way of them having a good time.
Before I entered the festival I decided to set some rules for myself to make sure I really experienced this festival:
- Take full advantage of the VIP experience
- Eat at no less than two food trucks
- Participate in one activity offered
- Get close to the stage for at least one show
First off, I would like to personally thank the people at Mo Pop for the VIP ticket. I don’t think I would have been able to survive this weekend, especially the first day, without it. Some of the perks that came with the VIP ticket include free parking, re-entry, VIP location to watch the shows, complimentary Mo Pop souvenir totes with goodies, and entry into Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 Lounge. In the VIP lounge, they offered Not Your Father’s Root Beer Float. Luckily, I got to try it and it was delicious. Perfect way to cool off during the hot day. My only regret was not getting a free message. If you can afford the VIP ticket, I would highly suggest it.
I love food trucks. For some reason, food taste better when it was made in a truck. There were so many trucks, but so little time. There were 21 trucks, so there was something for everyone: from vegans to meat lovers. Unfortunately, I only ate at 3 food trucks. Mo Pop offered a lot of different activates including art, technology and arcade. I decided to check out the arcade. It was free to use and they had all classic. There was also PABST VANdalism. If you were 21+ years old, you could grab spray paint and leave your mark on their van. It was very fun and a great way to get creative.
Of course the most important part of the festival was the music, that’s why everyone was there, right? There was a diversity of musicians performing over the weekend. Luckily for those who had the VIP ticket, I was able to listen to bands perform from both stages without being in the sun.
Almost all the performers grabbed my attention: if I wasn’t a fan before, I am now. My favorite performance of the whole weekend was Matt and Kim. I decided to get up close and in the crowd for Matt and Kim and honestly it was the best decision I made all weekend. At the beginning of their set, they said that Detroit was their favorite place to perform. Throughout their show, the crowd reminded them why that was true. Half way through show the power on stage went out so their instruments weren’t working. While Matt worked on fixing this, Kim decided to give some dating advice. She reminded that crowd that you can “finger bang” your girl, but don’t forget that you can “anal bang”. Once she said that, the crowded started to chant “Anal! Anal! Anal!” From Kim’s reaction, I don’t think she was expecting that to happen. The problem still wasn’t fixed so Kim decided to have a dance party with the crowd. She jumped into the crowd and started to get low while people held her up. Once they got everything fixed, their set continued to be just as hyped as before. The crowd was vibing off of them and they were vibing of the crowd.
Matt and Kim
There is one thing that is for sure: Mo Pop is here and it is here to stay. If you haven’t already been, you need check it out. It’s an unforgettable experience.
**All photos are courtesy of MO Pop Festival
MO POP Festival 2016
Line-up
- M83
- Haim
- Matt and Kim
- The Head and the Heart
- G-Eazy
- Glass Animals
- Mac DeMarco
- Father John Misty
- BØRNS
- FIDLAR
- Shakey Graves
- Raury
- Nothing But Thieves
- Kaleo
- Panama Wedding
- Twin Peaks
- Quilt
- The Strumbellas
- Alex G
- BANNERS
- Lewis Del Mar
- Coast Modern
- The Greeting Committee
- Tunde Olaniran
Photo Gallery
Day One and Day Two
Danielle is from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She has been perusing a career in photography since summer 2015. She hopes to one day travel the world with musicians, captures their moments and memories
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