Tickets for Saturday begin at $75, with all proceeds set to fight homelessness and help the unhoused in Decatur and DeKalb County via the Decatur Cooperative Ministry. Last year’s event, which featured Indigo Girls and Blind Boys of Alabama, raised $50,000 for DCM. Amplify My Community has now organized over 90 concerts across the South in support of its mission to tackle poverty.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Friday night’s shows are spread across the downtown Decatur Gazebo, Brick Store Pub, Leon’s Full Service, Waller’s Coffee Shop, Eddie’s Attic and Mellow Mushroom, with full details on the Amplify Decatur website.
Killeen’s band will get the party started at 3 p.m. on Saturday, followed by S.G. Goodman, The War and Treaty, Son Volt and then Ben Harper. Headliners Old Crow Medicine Show (hours after performing at Criminal Records for Record Store Day) are set to take the stage at 9:30 as they launch new album “Paint This Town.” Local restaurants will have food available, alongside beer from Creature Comforts Brewing and Three Taverns Craft Brewery.
The “Let It Be” sessions Sunday show at Eddie’s Attic starts at 7 p.m., with a long list of local performers set to honor the music that influenced the Beatles. It does require a separate ticket.
Jam band, roots music and environmentally focused SweetWater 420 Fest returns after a pandemic-related hiatus the weekend of April 29 through May 1 at Centennial Olympic Park, preceded by a separately ticketed Pre-Party In The Park on April 28. Weekend headliners are Trey Anastasio Band, Oysterhead and The String Cheese Incident.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“It is so great to see and be with our extended event family again and be back to doing what we all love most,” emphasizes festival owner and Happy Endings Productions President Jennifer Bensch. “What we do is really a passion.”
Thursday’s pre-party runs from 1-10 p.m., with a single stage boasting a covers set by Umphrey’s McGee and two sets by the String Cheese Incident. “The dream for this day was never to be as big as the main festival days,” notes Bensch. “However, the attendance we are expecting shows that patrons are really stoked for the lineup.” On Friday and Saturday, performances run from noon-11 p.m., with Sunday going from noon-10 p.m.
Credit: Greg Allen/Invision/AP
Credit: Greg Allen/Invision/AP
Colorado outfit the String Cheese Incident blends bluegrass with psych rock, while Anastasio, who also fronts Phish, headlines with both his own band and Oysterhead. The singer/guitarist recently released an acoustic solo album called “Mercy.” Supergroup fusion act Oysterhead, which also features Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Primus bassist Les Claypool, wraps up the festival Sunday night.
Other musicians taking to the stage at 420 Fest include guitar maestro Gary Clark, Jr., Umphrey’s McGee (playing its own material after Thursday’s covers set) and jazz-funk instrumentalists Snarky Puppy.
In addition to a number of food vendors and an artists market, the event features longstanding Planet 420 Eco-Fest, with everything from animal welfare groups to Meals on Wheels in attendance for engagement with concertgoers. A 5K race associated with the festival takes place at 8:30 a.m. on…
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