One of country’s TOP Halloween festivals, Suwanee Hulaween, transformed festival-goers into true swamp monsters for its 7th year. With temperatures in the high 80’s and a humidity index to match – we were not dry. This led most patrons to don whatever was comfortable and ditch the costumes for a down-home natural vibe. Once you got past the high humidity and soggy nature, the overall weather and atmosphere were perfect.
Performers at Suwannee Hulaween still gave it their all and so many magical moments were created in the moss, October 24 – 27, 2019. This reminded us that Hulaween at the Suwannee Spirit of Music Park is so much more than music on stages – but a celebration of collective consciousness.
Here are some of our favorite moments of Suwanee Hulaween 2019:
Andy Frasco Brought the Ultimate Dance Party
Whew – this set was FUN! Andy Frasco sure knows how to throw a party and make everyone laugh. At one point during his set he split up the crowd for a “Wall of Death” style mosh pit and one straggler found himself in the middle not knowing which side to go to.
Andy reaches down in the crowd and goes “Hey man! I remember you from last year – get the f*ck up here – you’re the coolest dude around. How’ve you been?” His guest strutted his stuff like a professional and all in attendance at that set began the tone for an awesome Friday by shaking our groove thangs til they fell off.
While we don’t have a video of that moment – enjoy Andy Frasco & the UN performing Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets to Paradise” at Hulaween this year:
Tom Morello Closing Out with “Killing in the Name Of” and Not Singing a Single Word
Tom Morello‘s solo set was a highly-anticipated act for many Hulaweeners – and he did not disappoint. To close out with his last song of the night, Tom brought up on stage with him 50 of the “craziest motherf***ers in the crowd tonight” and asked if we were all in this together.
When he said “we’re gonna sing an old gospel number, if you know this one sing along”, we knew we were in for one of the greatest Rage Against the Machine songs ever. It was none other than their rebellion anthem – “Killing In the Name Of”.
The best part is? Tom Morello didn’t need to sing a single word. Check out this epic moment below:
‘Ooh That Sh*t Be Hittin’ Different’ – Bassnectar Rework of New GRiZTronics Track
GRiZ & Subtronic’s newly released “Griztronics” has been throwin’ down hard since it came out late August of this year. We knew it was gonna bang – but we never could’ve predicted this madness.
Bassnectar gave Hulaween a set of their lifetimes – he opened with Chicken Dippaz and then dropped this head-spinning rework of GRiZ & Subtronics (GRiZtronics) “ooh that shit be hittin’ different” track. Wait for the second time he brings it around, and get ready to lose your mind.
(Warning: the camera work is a little wonky – but we can’t blame them, we’d be going off too)
String Cheese Incident’s Insane 90’s Hip Hop Medley
The main event at Suwannee Hulaween is always String Cheese Incident’s Themed Set. This year the theme was 90’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – and we certainly smelled from all the heat & humidity.
Of course, SCI brought out all the stops for this Saturday night set – notably their 30-minute hip-hop medley of 90’s hits. Their guest singers’ talent was unsurpassed and paired with the lighting design – it was a set for the ages.
At the end, they threw out one of the longest fireworks shows many of us had ever seen at a festival. Check it out in the video below:
Beebs & the Money Makers Brought G.Love On for a Special Hulaween Freestyle
Did you know that Beebs wrote TLC’s “Waterfalls” and is also the funkiest chick around? Seriously, if you’ve never checked out a Beebs and the Money Makers set – we highly recommend it. She’s got a Reel Big Fish ska vibe with sultry female essence for some extra flavor.
Before her set ended, she brought out a special guest from the next act – Mr. G Love Saucy Sauce himself. He busted a rhyme that was untouchable and fans got to witness an extra special moment between Beebs and G.Love in a freestyle throwdown. Gotta love it on Sunday afternoon at Hulaween, baby.
Anderson .Paak Gives Tribute to Mac Miller
It’s been over a year since Mac Miller died and yet, his music is living on stronger than ever. Anderson .Paak is still keeping his memory alive by playing his tribute and their collaborative track “Dang” at Hulaween 2019.
Mac Miller is still alive in our hearts. Hold onto the memories with this video below:
The Quickening Dressed Up as Wayne’s World & Performed Top Notch Covers from Movie
New Orleans own The Quickening made quite the appearance for their Sunday afternoon set. The whole band dressed up as different members of Wayne’s World (ahem.. we see you Cassandra) and they rocked it out full-on SHWING-ing. They even included several covers from the movie with their own funky NOLA flair.
Check out their version of Sweets’ “Ballroom Blitz” in the video below:
Marc Rebillet Stopped the Music During His Headlining Set to Save a Life
Improv master aka “Loop Daddy”, Marc Rebillet (who had the headlining slot during Bassnectar on Friday night), stopped his set for close to 20 minutes to help save someone’s life.
About halfway through his performance, he was looking to the crowd for inspiration and noticed something wasn’t quite right. He stops the music and asks the front of the crowd what’s going on – to which they let him know someone in the crowd was unresponsive and seizing.
Marc took the reins and did the unexpected – he just chilled everyone out. He turned the music off, set the lights down, and sat on top of his decks in his underwear talking calmly to the person in distress. He asked the crowd to keep the hootin’ & hollerin’ down and encouraged every one to take a pause and stretch.
Sure, he sacrificed some fans who left to continue the musical vibe but he also really impressed me. He showed us that it’s not always about the party – but about our festival community and doing the right thing.
Of course, Marc Rebillet made a completely ridiculous song about the situation and kept us updated if they were okay. (They were!) But Kudos to you Marc!! You’re pretty f*cking great, keep that shit up!
In respect to the person’s privacy – we didn’t record this moment. But here’s a video of Marc trying to get everyone “in the pool”.
Projection-Mapping on the Suwannee Lake
Okay maybe this isn’t one moment per se – but it’s still cool enough to get a mention here. The projection-mapped shows on the mist over the lake was a nice way to get off your feet and enjoy the environment for a few minutes.
These shows were extremely intricate and at times – pretty spooky! We caught a video of one online so you can check it out for yourself:
We can’t wait for next year’s Hulaween 2020! We will certainly be back. Check out some of our past Hulaween festival recaps and comment below some of your favorite Hulaween 2019 memories!
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Photo by Jeremy Fredricks