Firefly Music Festival earns rave 

Music lovers from all over the country gathered together in Dover, Delaware to attend the first ever Firefly Music Festival held at the Woodlands camp ground near Dover Downs. The festival was organized by Red Frog Events and thus far almost every review has been incredibly positive. Surprisingly, for this being the first year of the festival everything ran smoothly. Majority of performances began on time and with over 40,000 individuals in attendance throughout the weekend there were very few medical emergencies or fights amongst attendees. The festival overall had an extremely peaceful vibe. While the threat of rain was apparent on both Friday and Saturday it never dampened the spirits of the crowd and there ended up only being a bit of a drizzle during Jack White's Friday night performance.
The festival's amazing line-up consisted of 48 bands over the course of the three day weekend and featured acts for every genre of music imaginable. There was something for every taste and certainly something entertaining around every corner. Hopefully the festival opened up some attendee's eyes and ears to a few artists they have never heard before and created new fans for these artist's in the future. For those that wanted to take a break from the music for a bit the festival also featured several amenities such as Cool Down Charge Up tent that allowed smart phone users a place to charge their phones while soaking up some time in the air conditioning and an arcade tent that showcased vintage videos games and pinball that were free of charge to play.

View slideshow: The Black Keys, Jack White and The Killers perform at Firefly Music Festival

Delaware's own Dogfish Head Brewery was on hand with a special Firefly brew for those that wanted to drink and it was said that the brewery sold over 11,000 pints throughout the course of the weekend. Overall, the crowd was made-up of college kids and adults mostly due to the line-up and ticket cost however this seemed to give the festival a more mature and laid back vibe.
The performances themselves were incredibly unique! Here is a break down of several highlights:
Friday
OK Go
OK Go turned up the energy levels early on the first day, blasting colorful confetti into the audience while playing crowd pleasers like “Do What You Want,” “This Too Shall Pass,” and “Needing/Getting.” Damian Kulash, the lead singer, incited the crowd to sing louder and louder until they out did the audience at OK Go’s recent Brooklyn show. Delaware jokes also made an appearance during the set with Damian saying, “This is our first time playing Delaware. How many of you are from Delaware? I had no idea there were so many people in this state.”
John Legend
John Legend opened with a cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” The R&B singer had the crowd feeling good from the get-go. Legend smoothly transitioned between mic stand and piano as he played hits like “Ordinary People,” “Save Room,” and “Green Light.” Legend also covered Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” and Teddy Pendergrass’s “Wake Up Everybody.”
Jack White
The crowd gathered in front of the Firefly Stage was easily the largest of the day, braving the rain in anticipation of Jack White’s performance. Aside from some sound complications during the first two songs, White’s performance was incredible. Joined onstage by his all male group of talented musicians, Jack White stripped off his shoes and socks and strutted around barefoot on the slippery stage while manipulating his six string in his signature gritty style. White played an array of songs from his extensive discography, opening with The White Stripes “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” and playing The Dead Weather’s “I Cut Like A Buffalo,” The Raconteurs’ “Steady As She Goes,” The White Stripes’ We’re Going to Be Friends,” and closing with “Seven Nation Army.”
Saturday
Imagine Dragons
With an early set and cloudy skies, it would’ve made sense for the turn out for Imagine Dragons’ set to be a small one, but a large crowd gathered around the Backyard Stage early Saturday afternoon to hear the Las Vegas natives’ blend of energetic indie rock. Expressing gratitude and appreciation to the crowd, lead singer Dan Reynolds joked about surviving on Ramen and Taco Bell for the past couple of years before busting out the hand claps that signaled the intro to the band’s hit “It’s Time.” Imagine Dragons put on a great show, pumping up the crowd for the day ahead.
Chiddy Bang
The alternative hip hop duo from Philly kept the energy levels up with their blend of hip hop, rap, and the indie/electronic/dance samples that provide the back bone to many of their songs. Commanding the stage, rapper Chiddy performed a freestyle using suggestions taken from the crowd by drummer/producer Xaphoon Jones. Ninja Turtles, kittens howling at the moon, dolphins, and Wayne’s World were among some of the freestyle suggestions, all effortlessly woven into a coherent rap that ended with “I’m staying Firefly.”
The Killers
Day Two’s headlining act drew a crowd large enough to easily rival Fridays night’s crowd, turning the Firefly Stage into a huge dance party for the Killers’ set. Opening with “Somebody Told Me,” the Killers’ worked the audience just right, playing new songs alongside fan favorites like “Smile Like You Mean It,” “Mr. Brightside,” and “All These Things That I’ve Done.” “Delaware, who would have thought,” lead singer Brandon Flowers asked the audience, marking his amazement at Firefly’s first year. The Killer’s are definitely a highlight from the festival; their hour and half long set covered everyone’s favorites, including “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” and “When You Were Young” during the band’s three song encore. The flashing lights, random projections of landscapes and people, and fireworks all melded with the Killers’ set seamlessly, leaving the audience partied out and ready for the deep slumber that only comes with the bittersweet exhaustion after two long days of an outdoor festival.
Sunday
AWOLNATION
After AWOLNATION’s performance at Firefly, it’s hard to say what genre the band is. Their set contained hard rock songs, alternative rock, pop ballads, synth heavy electronic rock, and indie dance songs. Despite the diverse and hard to define mix of styles, AWOLNATION kept the crowd engaged and entertained. The crowd filled in the blanks on the band’s hit “Sail” and clapped along to “Not Your Fault” and “Burn It Down.” While AWOLNATION may have lost the crowd a little towards the end of their set, the group did a great job of keeping the crowd in a festive mood, ready to seize the last day of the festival.
The Flaming Lips
Known for their extravagantly decorated and over the top live performances, the Flaming Lips delivered on all fronts for their Firefly set. Battling Girl Talk’s loud dance heavy set on the Backyard Stage, the Lips cranked the volume up to 11 and let it rip, keeping the crowd on their feet dancing and jumping in time to opener “Race for the Prize” before getting the whole audience to sing along to the catchy chorus for “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)” while groupies dressed in skimpy Dorothy costumes danced on the either side of the stage. Brightly colored over sized balloons bounced around the crowd while confetti cannons spewed rainbow confetti over everything. This was by far one of the best performances of the festival; the large crowd gathered before the stage was one of the most energetic and appreciative while The Flaming Lips were having a noticeably good time playing songs like “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell,” “Laser Hands,” and “The Observer.” The band closed their second encore with the fittingly appropriate “Do You Realize??” encouraging everyone in the audience to enjoy their time at the festival, because as the song says “You realize that life goes fast.”
The Black Keys
The crowd gathered in front of the Firefly Stage at the end of the last day was easily the largest of the weekend, all eagerly awaiting the final act of the festival. With only two full time members in the band, one would think the Black Keys might have a hard time making full use of the stage, but that was proven wrong as soon as the rock duo opened with “Howlin’ For You” and barreled into “Next Girl.” Everyone in the crowd was either dancing or rocking around as the band commanded the stage and played their riff heavy collection of songs. One of the loudest performances of the weekend, the Black Keys perfectly executed their set list, nailing “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Lonely Boy” before ending their set with an encore of “Everlasting Light” and “I Got Mine.” Anyone who left early to beat traffic sorely missed out; the Black Keys brought a close to the first Firefly Festival with thunderous applause and cheers, leaving festival goers ready for next year’s festival.