IN Wilmington is going to Firefly Music Festival!
It’s no secret that the festival – in its fifth year at the Woodlands at Dover International Speedway – has raised the bar immensely as far as big time musical acts coming to play Delaware are concerned. Since it’s inception, the festival has brought top-line talent to the First State; Paul McCartney, The Killers, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chil Peppers – all multi-platinum Grammy winners – have marked their Firefly performance as their Delaware inauguration.
Such high-level talent has had its effect on other venues throughout the state who have raised their game to match that of the gauntlet thrown down by Firefly’s curators, Red Frog Events. And it’s safe to say no where else has felt that impact quite like Wilmington.
Along with the remarkable efforts of Market Street’s World Cafe Live at the Queen, who have worked with their partners at WXPN to stage multiple sell-out performances of nationally touring artists, venues like Arden Concert Gild, The Grand and The Playhouse on Rodney Square have increased their bookings of INdie-focused artists over the past five years. As a result, the variety, quantity and prestige of the city’s music scene has improved significantly.
And it’s not just city residents and regulars taking notice.
Five years ago, it was less likely that anyone outside of the state would think to check concert calendars in Delaware for bands they’d likely be able to find in larger surrounding cities like Philadelphia. But having such an enormous, well-run and well-respected festival attached to the state has raised Delaware’s visibility to thousands of people from across the country (and even the globe). We’ve reinforced our mark on the music map and are now a known destination for music lovers, which has been a huge help to area venues looking to fill their seats. Two prime examples of this would be Firefly alum Band of Horses’ packed house at The Playhouse on May 21st, less than one month after it’s announcement, and this coming Tuesday’s Jason Mraz performance at The Grand, which sold out just two hours after its announcement on June 3rd.
So we’ve come down to the festival to share in this goodwill, to mix with the masses and muck it up in mud. We’ll be talking to fans, artists and anyone who wants to share with us how much music and the festival means to them. We’ll talk to local artists Teen Men, who are kicking off Friday’s Firefly slate, and whose members Nick Krill, Albert Birney and Joe Hobson all previously played Firefly in 2013 as part of The Spinto Band, both years, holding the honor to be the only artists with Delaware ties.
Of course, we’ll be sharing our experience at Firefly throughout these next four days (rain or shine) – so make sure you’re #inTune with #inWilm and join us IN the conversation!