http://www.ajc.com/news/music-midtown-t ... 01901.html



More acts being added

Piedmont Park, huh? Seems like a pretty natural location, I guess, but it's interesting that, according to the article, its capacity is supposedly just 55,000 whereas past MM's drew in up to 300,000 people. I didn't know Atlanta very well the one year I went (1998?) so I really don't know where they held it then that it could fit so many people.

My guess is that they won't have as many stages if it's in the park.

Coldplay and The Black Keys will definitely draw a lot of people, but I doubt I'll be one of them.

I'm doing a wedding that day...oh well.

terrible lineup.

Oh, I don't know. I would be interested to see CtE. And definitely Manchester Orchestra- they're a guilty pleasure of mine.

yeah, but you can see Manchester Orchestra a bunch in this town

This.

I attended MM at at least 2 different locations (maybe 3, was there a third?) and generally had a good time but my expectations for a good time in those years was a lot different. But I'm glad it's coming back: It's somewhat of a tradition and Atlanta could use another festival weekend. I would question the wisdom of scheduling it in September after college football starts: you're gonna have a hard time getting the Rick Derris' of the world to attend (not an insignificant demographic).

Is Manchester Orchestra worth checking out? A friend with generally good taste told me I should.

It's only 2 stages and they are just using the name as a marketing tool. The new incarnation is really a mini-festival.

Other than the obvious 2 I have no idea who those bands are.

Yeah, somehow I missed that in your original post.

I don't necessarily think the smaller scale is a bad thing. I seem to remember that the last several MM's had gotten progressively shittier so maybe a fresh start with a totally different feel is a good thing.

Agreed that calling it Music Midtown is probably just a marketing scheme, but then why not call it that? A mini music festival in midtown Atlanta. No one else is using the name...

The reason why the old festival wouldn't work now (and why it got so shitty) is because each stage was curated by a different radio station in town. the 99X stage ended up only having shitty nu metal bands (except the last year where they had the pixies/white stripes/interpol)

I'd totally pay $55 for The Black Keys and a chance to be outside and see some decent bands all day. That's WAY better than some other fests out there. But, Bloor is completely right. For a WIDE swath of 18-50 year old men, giving up a college football Saturday is a tough sell.

Case in point: I'll be in Oxford, MS for the UGA/Ole Miss game

If it was the week before I'd totally go. Should be GREAT weather. Damn near long sleeves in the evening.

As for the locations, I only went to it when they were at the current location of World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium. It extended North of there. I was always jealous of the townhouses that were roped off for those 3-4 days. Literally fest-locked. Just thought it was cool they could go see a band, go back and party at the house, then go back out. After that it moved over to a huge area near the Civic Center. BLECH. Pavement lots for the 99X stage. Scorching heat. There was an original location that I never went to. Right in midtown where the Federal Reserve now sits. P'Tree and 10th.

I don't know man. I think around 2001-2002, bands and record companies were still holding on to old models of festivals and dealing with the reality of the internet. Bands were charging huge amounts to play and promoters were upping the prices every year and STILL couldn't make money.

I think they just spread themselves too thin and made it too big.

I also don't think they ever billed it as some sort of Bonnaroo or Coachella. It was just a big summer event for Atlanta although it did get regional press.

I always enjoyed how random all the acts were. On this stage: Ludacris. On this stage: 2001's incarnation of STEPPENWOLF!

I remember one year seeing Dylan, Def Leppard, Steve Earle, The Cult, Cheap Trick, Ben Harper, Galactic, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Iggy Pop all in a 2 day span.

Yeah, it was more like Milwaukee's Summerfest (even though it happens over a 10-day span) or Memphis' Beale St Music Fest than a national destination/camping festival. Bonnaroo and Coachella were spawned in the early 00's.

Yup, and some years they even had a stage in the old cotton club where I was snuck in by a friend to see morphine...good times.

dick. I never saw them.

one of the hottest, sweatiest shows I've ever been to.