Soundside Conquers Lineup and Weather Challenges

Soundside, formerly Sound on Sound, the largest music festival in Connecticut, took place last week, and it was a whirlwind that started way before activating.

Lineup Challenges

Leading up to the event, organizers faced many challenges with their bookings. First, headliners Queens of the Stone Age dropped. This also led to The Kills dropping, since they were on tour together. The festival responded with booking the band The Bleachers, who are wildly successful and led by frontman Jack Antonoff. Some fans were happy about the change, but others not indicating feelings over different genres or “level” of booking. Nevertheless, the festival pressed on.

Then, two days before, the closing headliner, The Foo Fighters, dropped out. When making the announcement of the festival, they also announced replacements Greta Van Fleet and Jack White. Given the recent news of Dave Grohl’s extramarital affairs and love child, this wasn’t too shocking for some. Others were enraged, and many took their anger out on the festival organizers, demanding refund.

Overcoming in a Big Way

Despite the challenges, organizers agree that the festival was a success, with an impressive 57,000 attendees over two days, even in rainy and windy weather. To keep track of this record attendance, organizers are considering the use of event badge scanners. These could make it easier to manage crowd flow, gather real-time attendance data, and enhance the overall experience for both attendees and event staff at future festivals.

Day one of the festival included performances from Noah Kahan, Goo Goo Dolls, Fleet Foxes, Grace Potter and more. Although the weather called for maximum rain for only an hour, it persisted throughout the entire day and did not end until 8 p.m. On top of the rain, the temperature dropped, and the wind coming off of the beach was nonstop. The merchandise lines were packed for majority of the day: lines of eager fans were seeking to secure a purchase of Noah Kahan attire or to buy anything to stay dry and warm. Sweaters and blankets were sold out within hours.

Despite the weather, the event pressed on without a single delay or change, and attendees danced in the rain, set up their chairs or blankets, and watched their favorite acts. Many withstood the conditions for nine hours securing their position on the rail anxiously waiting for Noah Kahan.

The second day featured The War and Treaty, Norah Jones and, of course, all of the replacement acts: The Bleachers, Greta Van Fleet, and Jack White. The weather on Sunday, though occasionally rainy, was much better than Saturday. Thousands of attendees flocked to Seaside Park for the closing day of the event. Big hits of the day were Teddy Swims and The Bleachers, who drew in large crowds. However, Greta Van Fleet and Jack White absolutely brought the house down. When you think of rock and roll, this is it.

It’s been said time and time again that GTV is a replica of Led Zeppelin. It’s kind of uncanny, but does it make them any less impressive? No. It’s so awe-inspiring watching a band as talented, stimulating and provocative as them. It’s extremely easy to get lost in their magic and swept right back into the ’70s. It doesn’t hurt that there are the thousands of women on the rail, sobbing and screaming every lyric, the velvet suits, the sparkle and charisma. It’s truly electric.

Then there’s THE Jack White. His set, masked in a dark glow of royal blue, was a 90-minute review of his decades of hits from his solo work to The Raconteurs and of course from The White Stripes. He’s such a raw talent and was thrilling from start to close.

Day one of Soundside was fun and mellow overall, but closing out it was nothing short of vigor: pure energy. We hear there are big things to come for Soundside in 2025, and we’re eager to see just what’s in store.