KAABOO Texas made it’s debut this past weekend at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Boasting an impressive lineup of musicians, comedians and DJ’s, the luxury festival promised to deliver an amazing experience to North Texas. On top of the big acts scheduled to perform over three days, KAABOO Texas also offered a variety of great food and displays of some very gifted artists.
Day One
The festival began with some light thunderstorms, but it didn’t seem to affect many artists as they did perform at their scheduled times. The walk between different stages was adorned with 30 foot canvases that had just started to take form as artists transformed them into giant paintings. The music was not delayed to to the weather and Larkin Poe kicked things off on the Pegasus Stage. The sisters of the band wasted no time getting the audience up on their feet and dancing.
Native Texas band Blue October rocked the main stage inside the Stadium and performed a solid set of great songs including “Into the Ocean” and “I Hope You’re Happy”.
Ludacris and Lauryn Hill both performed outside and as the weather subsided, their sets delivered many smiles to the crowd. Gavin Rossdale and Bush performed many fan favorites on the main stage including “Machinehead”, “Everything Zen” and “Comedown”. A very pregnant Alanis Morrisette strapped on a guitar over her baby bundle and proved her vocal range is still very much on point.
Lionel Richie took the stage outside and despite a small slip on stage, he played on through the weather and had folks dancing in the rain. At almost 70 years old, Richie is still a great performer and seemed to have the energy of a young man in his prime. The Killers closed out the night on the main stage as confetti and streamers brought a delightful end to the first day of the festival.
Day Two
Day Two proved to be a little better weather wise and although the clouds looked threatening, all artists were up to face the music. Garbage stormed the Pegasus stage outdoors and simply rocked the fans into a frenzy with high energy hits like “Stupid Girl” and very appropriate “I’m Only Happy When it Rains”.
Rick Springfield had hearts throbbing on the main stage as he performed songs from his younger years. Still drawing screams from the female persuasion, Rick donned his corner smile and leather jacket to woo them all over again.
FLO RIDA and The Black Eyed Peas really had the crowds going outside as they performed back to back sets. FLO even came out into the deep audience to take selfies and take shots with whoever was willing. Despite being without Fergie, The Black Eyed Peas still have an energy that can’t be denied and the fans were there to prove it.
Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock closed out the night inside the stadium and hit hard and heavy with some bolstering sets.
Day Three
The biggest day of the festival and the sun was out and shining all day. St. Paul & The Broken Bones took the stage indoors and totally blew things wide open. With a very charismatic front man who can hit the highest notes with such power, they certainly surprised everyone with a truly astounding performance.
The Avett Brothers took advantage of the great weather and used it as an opportunity to lift their performance above and beyond. Although it was a little warm by this point, banjos and cool harmonies prevailed.
Pitbull and his bevy of dancers were busy working the crowd indoors and set the stage for some impressive dance moves. As his dancers writhed around him, Pitbull was all smiles during his set and had the audience fist pumping the entire time.
The final performance of the evening was Sting and you could feel the energy and excitement from the large crowd gathered inside the stadium. When the lights went down, it was hard to hear yourself think above the screams of sheer happiness. Sting dove in head first performing “Message in a Bottle” and his set just seemed to crush the crowd like a giant juggernaut. Hit after hit, the songs just kept coming in full force. Favorites like “Walking on the Moon”, “Fields of Gold” and “So Lonely” had fans dancing with undeniable smiles on their faces.
Truly a great experience at KAABOO Texas and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in 2020!!
