Forecastle 2022: Artist-Performance Breakdown
6lack, Mob Rich, Jack Harlow, Oliver Tree, and Tai Verdes drew quite the crowds at Waterfront Park this year. How were their performances?
Mob Rich took the Boom Stage in the early afternoon on May 29, the last day of Forecastle. Making up the indie-rock-pop group are Maxwell and Connor who both sing and play guitar. The energy the two brought to the stage was fierce and exciting. They were very interactive with the crowd, from jumping off the stage and running along the barricades to high-five the front rows to talking to their audience about the songs they were about to play. Mob Rich sounded superb live, performing songs such as Get High, Everything and Nothing, Yoko Ono, and about a dozen others that were loved and danced through by the crowd.
Oliver Tree began his set in an outfit that anyone and everyone would deem unbearable in the heat. He, along with his band, wore long and wide jeans with a brightly colored jacket. He performed a few songs, calling out celebrities like Logan Paul and Tyler, the Creator between songs. He changed outfits during his set to a matching sweat suit, which likely felt much better than the jeans and jacket he had been wearing over it. He was engaged with the crowd and kept them entertained with more than his music. There were lots of laughs and yelling, and a single scooter trick that had everyone roaring. Oliver Tree also claimed to be from Louisville, however the crowd may not be convinced since a quick Google search says he is from Santa Cruz, CA. Nonetheless, his songs like Cash Machine, Let Me Down, and Swing & A Miss kept the crowd moving and singing in the heat.
6lack took the Boom Stage as the sunset, and the glitter-filled crowd grew bigger with excitement to see his set. The rapper brought amazing vocals to the stage and wowed the fans. As the sun set, the purple strobe lights began to grow brighter, and the crowd grew more alive. 6lack’s audience was singing and swaying along to his tracks, watching him closely as most festival-goers were heading towards the Mast Stage for Tame Impala. His energy was relaxing yet engaging as he performed hit songs such as PRBLMS, Switch, Luving U, Pretty Little Fears (feat. J. Cole), Seasons (feat. Khalid), and many others. He performed with so much emotion that took Waterfront Park with tenacity. Many songs were heartfelt and had the crowd in their feelings when his lyrics felt personal.
Jack Harlow was a headliner at Forecastle for the first time ever, and his crowd was nothing but massive. Thousands of people stood, anxiously awaiting their hometown hero to get up on stage and sing their favorite songs. He began his set on top of the Mast Stage after the sun went down and the rain had dulled. He was looking down upon the entire crowd, and it took a while for some people to notice he was up there singing his song, Talk of the Town, and not on the stage behind a curtain. He then came down onto the stage wearing a UofL basketball jersey, with his famous clingy chain of the shape of Kentucky hanging over it. The crowd was over the moon excited, and for many, it was their first time seeing him live. He kept the crowd engaged with song after song, many of which were from his newest album that had come out about three weeks prior to Forecastle. Some fans were sad that he did not perform many older songs that are loved by a lot of hometown fans — they felt that this was the crowd that would know them the best. Nonetheless, every song was enjoyed and sung along to by the fans. As the set began to wrap up, fireworks went off over the Ohio River, and Jack talked to the crowd from his heart, with hopes of motivating them to reach for what they want in life. His set was exhilarating and he seemed to love it as much as the fans did.
Tai Verdes’ performance was long-awaited by many Forecastle-goers. He drew an enormous crowd that waited patiently in the blazing sun for his set to begin. Tai took the stage to a screaming crowd, in tan pants and a black tank top. Immediately, the crowd was with him. Not only were his fans singing with him, but they were dancing, waving their hands, with bright smiles and squinting eyes from the sun. Tai seemed happy up on stage, with an equally as happy crowd. His crowd was especially hyped to hear his song A-O-K, but the energy remained high throughout.
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