Festival season is my favorite time of year. The weather gets warmer and artists go on tour, what more could you possibly want?

I had never been to Hangout Fest before so this was an entirely new experience for me. This was my first time at a music festival that was not the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and it was such a wildly different experience from anything I had ever had.

One of the coolest things about this festival is the location: a sunny beach on Gulf Shores, Alabama. At each of the five stages, there was security offering water bottles during the sets so people that aren’t necessarily used to the heat and humidity could be present.

Another one of the cooler features was the setup of the stages. One of the stages faced toward the street so you could hear the music on the way into the festival. It almost beckoned you in and prepared you for the festival itself.

Day One: I saw Dominick Fike, Lana Del Rey -along with all 4 of her guests that she ended up on stage- and Del Water Gap. They all had fantastic performances, highlighted by immaculate stage presences and lots of production that went into the performances.

Day Two: The day was significantly slower paced than the first. Willow Avalon was one of the artists that I was surprised by. She performed a country-indie set that overlapped with rock and folk. I was pleasantly surprised that she ended up at Hangout Fest.

Immediately following Willow Avalon was Knox. While being incredibly long, their set was made memorable through their indie-pop anthems. One of the most memorable songs they played hinged on the existence of the band The 1975, blatantly entitled “Not the 1975”. For a band that had never played a festival set before, they dazzled and amazed with an epic set fueled by post-emo fanfare.

The main event of the festival for me was Chappell Roan. A sea of pink cowboy hats and glitter surrounded the main stage for the better part of an hour and a half. 

While waiting for the show to start, there was a group of girls that came over to me, explaining that they had heard of Chappell Roan but didn’t understand the hype about her. Their minds were drastically changed by the end of the show.

Chappell Roan came out in a bedazzled football uniform, with shoulder pads and about every accessory besides the helmet needed to play football. Behind her in white lettering were the words “This is my Superbowl.”

The first song she played was “Feminineominon”, immediately setting the crowd in motion. After serenading the crowd and a wig named “Lewigabeth” to the song “Picture You”, she dove head first into the songs that really set her apart from other artists.

Her performance of “HOT TO GO!” was one of the best experiences in a crowd that I have ever had. There was nary a phone in sight, but a dance that almost every person in the audience did as it was easy, and accessible even in a large crowd. 

Her consistent engagement with the crowd has been a big part of the movement to make concerts enjoyable again. She put more emphasis on being present and in the moment than other sets have by being so engaging that you forget about the world outside of the beach. She carried out the show by playing her many fan favorites like “Red Wine Supernova”, “Good Luck, Babe!” And “Pink Pony Club.”

After seeing her performance, I have a strong feeling that she is going to be one of the next big names to come out of music comparable to Taylor Swift or Michael Jackson. 

If you weren’t a Chappell Roan fan when you walked onto the beach, you were by the time you left. Her magnetic pull towards the audience made her the talk of the festival online for days after the show. 

After seeing an enigmatic comeback performance from Cage the Elephant, I called it a night.

Day Three: We caught the tail end of Hemlocke Springs’s set, which was such a change in pace for the rest of the day. It ebbed and flowed in a very nice way that did not prepare me for the angst that would ensue during All Time Low, but woke me up to “concerting” for the day.

I fully threw myself in for All Time Low. As someone who went through their emo phase in 2017, I was very excited to be able to hear what they had to offer. They played all of their hits, including “Monster” and “Dear Maria Count Me In.”

The audience fully leaned into the angst, head banging and singing the words like they would die tomorrow. Mosh pits soon ensued, and for a 2 p.m. crowd, they were fairly rowdy. I let myself get lost in the crowd and enjoy myself fully and completely. The 13-year-old emo middle schooler part of myself had such a great time that afternoon. 

After so much angst, it was fitting that the next show I saw was Dexter and the Moonrocks. While being alternative, they also heavily leaned towards grunge rock. They had amazing crowd engagement and even covered a couple of songs that were familiar favorites on top of their originals which immediately went into my playlists. Their song “Couch” was my personal favorite. 

Lastly, Reneé Rapp closed out my festival season, and I think it was appropriate to close out the day with arguably the best performances I have ever seen. 

Chappell Roan was amazing as an overall experience, but Reneé Rapp had the best vocal performance I have ever seen in my entire life. I knew a handful of the songs she performed, but two of the songs she performed blew me away more than words could ever express.

She flirted with the camera to give those who didn’t have a front-row seat to the show the same experience as those who did. “In The Kitchen” made chills run down my entire body. After her main hit, “Tummy Hurts”, she played my favorite of hers: “Snow Angel”.

It was such an out-of-body experience that I had an involuntary reaction of tears rolling down my face to her singing. Her vocal talent transcends her Broadway performances into popular music, which is objectively hard to do successfully.

The only other performance I have attended that was relatively comparable was a Greta Van Fleet show that occurred in 2022, which was heavily aided in production for the arena tour they were on at the time.

Rapp did not need the production, but it added onto her already stellar set by putting different energies into her various songs. I stood slack-jawed for a moment, and then prepared to leave what was one of the best festivals I have ever experienced. 

Of course, there were some negatives about the festival that are worth mentioning, mainly revolving around the crowd. Because you’re attracting so many different types of audiences, you have vastly different cultures clashing with each other.

Rave culture, country fans, and every type of fan you could possibly imagine were running around the festival in an enclosed space, and you could tell that some crowds lacked respect for others. 

Before Reneé Rapp’s set was over, the Zach Bryan crowd surged forward, which was distinguishable by the cowboy hats that suddenly invaded the space of quite literally everyone in attendance at Rapp’s show. Zach Bryan is a phenomenal performer, however the audience he drew for his set got rowdy, pushy, and disrespectful. Fans were attempting to push forward, were on their phones, and were yelling over Rapp’s performance. It put a disappointing end to an otherwise great weekend.

A point of praise I would like to share is the staff on hand that ensured everyone had water as the festival went on. With the number of festival-goers skyrocketing for the larger headliners, many of the people in attendance were inexperienced with the heat and humidity of outdoor concerts.

The staff made sure those who were having difficulty with lucidity were out of the pit, hydrated or otherwise medically treated. During the Lana Del Rey set, I think it was underestimated how many people would stay hydrated, and about a dozen people passed out in anticipation of the show.

However, the staff quickly adjusted, bringing out cases of water and passed them out to the crowd. As soon as someone asked for help, a quick team of medical professionals acted immediately.

Overall, I think that Hangout was one of the best experiences I have ever had at a festival regarding organization, staffing, and performances as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed my time, and hope to attend next year.