The 10 Best Firefly Acts Worth Seeing This Summer
Despite some early misgivings about the wattage of the line-up and sagging attendance, the sixth annual Firefly music festival in Dover, Delaware produced four days of sublime performances from both old names and emerging stars.
The weather even managed to hold, bucking menacing forecasts of wet weather and spells of overcast clouds.
Judging the best among 200 acts is truly a Sisyphean task, given the sheer volume of artists, a handful of genres, uneven time slots and varying tastes. But without a ranking system, our society would be a big pile of meaningless mush.
First, some top-line takeaways from four days in The Woodlands:
- The headliners delivered: The Weeknd and Chance The Rapper drew the largest crowds on Saturday night and each demonstrated why they are at the top of the music game in 2017. The Weeknd’s gorgeous voice even wooed non-fans and Chance demonstrated a rapper can still be unpretentious, and even gracious and still put on a compelling show. (For this reason, I’m leaving both of them off the top 10 list; they’re already stars and proved it.) Muse also did its part on Sunday to hold up the torch for the dwindling species of rock and roll.
- Kendrick Lamar was omnipresent: Even though he wasn’t there. Yes, the Compton, California-born rapper’s blazing song “Humble” was mixed continuously by spinners and electronic performers, proving its worth as a nominee for song of the summer and carving out its space as one of the top tracks of 2017.
- Our culture in signs: With festivals come creative signs, which are sometimes used as handy meet-up locators for a group of friends, but always send a message about where the cultural zeitgeist lies. Some of the best: Internet sensation Christine Sydelko’s head. Covfefe AF. (President Trump’s errant tweet). A giant cheeto with a wig. (Presumably meant to be Trump) And Joe Biden’s face. (He is Delaware’s pride!)
Now to the top 10 list — a purely subjective judgement of the best Firefly acts of 2017, based on the quality of their live performances, crowd engagement and overall set presentation.
10. DJ Jazzy Jeff
At age 52, it would be natural to chuckle at the prospect of DJ Jazzy Jeff lighting up a set, but during his hour-long Saturday twilight spin, he took the crowd on a delightful journey through hip hop history. The DJ best-known for “The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air” theme played snippets of pulsating hits from the ’80s to current day, keeping attendees jumping and proving that age is just a number.
Suggested Track: Summertime
9. Busta Rhymes
Speaking of rap icons, the 45-year-old Busta Rhymes reminded concert-goers why he’s already secured himself a place in the pantheon of great hip-hop artists. Dressed in a red track suit and carrying a bit of extra weight, Rhymes hit his marks on classics like “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” and “Break Ya Neck.” For me, the threshold was whether he could land his hypnotic, rapid-fire verse in “Look At Me Now”. He did. But Busta gets points taken away for showing up 30 minutes late, leaving attendees toiling in the midday Sunday summer sun and prompting some to boo.
Suggested Track: Look At Me Now
8. Elohim
When Elohim took the stage under the Firefly Pavilion, her gender appeared as mysterious as her aura. Wrapped in a hood and standing before a flashing white background, the electro pop singer demonstrated a unique sound that laid feminine vocals over a masculine posture of empowerment. Her songs “Hallucinating”, “Xanax” and “She Talks Too Much” reveal a sense of anxiety, but she still managed to package it all with an upbeat vibe.
Suggested Track: Sensations
7. Muna
The brand new three-person electronic band released its first album this year and already snagged a Tiesto remix for its sensual song “Winterbreak.” Lead singer Katie Galvin hopped around stage and strummed a guitar all while maintaining her silky lyrics, pumping a heap of energy into a midday show on Saturday.
Suggested Track: Winterbreak
6. Dillon Francis
The 29-year-old electronic producer has a zany, whimsical personality, flashing ridiculous, random graphics behind him as he performs. It’s good he takes his sets seriously. Francis has the honor of being the closing act of Firefly and he played it like a maestro. The crowd rewarded him with thousands of multi-colored glow sticks that beamed through the sky. He told the Firefly crowd they were one of the best he’s ever seen.
Suggested Track: Say Less
5. Anna Lunoe
Anna Lunoe showed up pregnant, but undaunted. The emerging Australian DJ and producer opened her show hard and dark with her addictive, deep house hit “Stay Awake” that articulates life’s challenges while embracing them at the same time. In doing so, she essentially began the show with a disorienting sonic bomb. But she showed her versatility by moving to more upbeat tracks later, even weaving in a bit of Lamar’s “Humble.” It’s a delicate line for a DJ to walk between such divergent sounds, but Lunoe managed to do it.
Suggested Track: Stay Awake
4. Sofi Tukker
What’s immediately apparent from the stage presence of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern is how much they genuinely like each other. There’s an intimate playfulness that sets the mood and warms the audience. And then comes Soffi’s versatile voice — which ranges from soft and seductive to high-pitch protest screams. The duo played a modest crowd at Firefly, but for most acts, festivals are about exposure. Anyone who spent time taking this talented duo in will surely want to hear more.
Suggested Track: Greed
3. Flume
For anyone who has seen a Flume show, the lights are as much of the experience as the sounds. But weaving both of them together is what makes the 25-year-old Australian DJ producer one of the top electronic artists of the era. Flume’s set of synths amounts to a space odyssey that carries you to a fresh sound and place. It’s a trip worth taking.
Suggested Track: Hypperreal
2. Phantogram
Phantogram describes its sound as “street beat, psych pop” and with its airy vocals, rhythmic keyboards and background horns, there’s something in their music for everyone. While the sounds are alluring, the driving presence is Sarah Barthel’s vocals, which toggle between eery, airy and urgent. What vaulted them to the top of this list is how crisp and clean their performance was on Firefly’s final night. Here’s a rare band that sounds better live than in your earbuds.
Suggested Track: When I’m Small
- Judah & The Lion
In a sea of EDM and hip-hop, this Nashville-based alternative-indie-folk band turned out to be the perfect festival treat. Their folksy fun hit “Take It All Back” might just be the optimal festival song, weaving in high-energy banjo strings, an easy call-back chorus and a crescendo that leaves no one able to stand still. Like Phantogram, Judah & The Lion’s live performance was sparkling, with their palpable energy even propelling them into the audience. But in an age that’s trending toward prerecorded drops and button-pushing transitions, Judah & The Lion proved at Firefly the great American live band still exists.
Suggested Track: Take It All Back
