Bayfest 2014, Part 1: Local Talent Shines Alongside National Headliners
A review of Bayfest 2014 in Mobile: local bands shine on the Launching Pad stage while Stone Temple Pilots and Gravy headline the main stages.
The 20th anniversary of Bayfest — Alabama’s largest city music festival — drew big names including Kid Rock, Jane’s Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington. But some of the weekend’s best moments came from the unknown and up-and-coming acts on the festival’s smaller stages.
The Launching Pad Spotlights Local Bands
The Launching Pad stage is rarely the most crowded area of the festival, yet it hosts some of the strongest local talent in the Mobile region. Fairhope act Ground Level Fall pulled a sizable crowd of passersby who overheard the band on their way to other stages — exactly the discovery opportunity the local stage is built to provide.
"It was a thrill to be selected for the second time to play Bayfest," said lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Gamard. "We really appreciated the great reception from the crowd, especially from the folks that had not heard us before." Guitarist and vocalist Trey Howard noted the advantages of being a tight-knit Fairhope band, crediting Brian Britt and Karl Langley with helping them find new drummer Dave Howell.
Stone Temple Pilots with Bennington
At the Coca-Cola stage, Chester Bennington led Stone Temple Pilots through a respectable take on Scott Weiland’s scratchy delivery. The crowd was smaller than the band drew at Bayfest 2009, but Bennington pleased hardcore fans by dusting off obscurities such as "Big Bang Baby," "Hollywood Bitch" and "Silvergun Superman," and performed "Plush" and "Heaven and Hot Rods" for the first time with the group.
After Parties Keep the Music Going
After the main concerts ended, downtown venues kept the sound alive. Independent club Soul Kitchen hosted a Bayfest after-party with New Orleans funk-soul band Gravy, who opened with a note-perfect cover of Radiohead’s "Everything in Its Right Place" before diving into original material — another spotlight for regional acts and local businesses.
About Bayfest
Bayfest began in 1995 as a three-day music festival staged each fall on multiple stages across downtown Mobile. Chester Bennington, best known as the frontman of Linkin Park, joined Stone Temple Pilots in 2013 after the band parted ways with Scott Weiland.
