Trip to Paradise Fest: by Briston Maroney

By Nicole Shariatmadari

Paradise Fest, coordinated by Briston Maroney and a whole army of artists, is nothing short of a true verbalization of what it means to be surrounded by a community of oozing love and soulful art. Each night dared to be better than the last, never disappointed to be a joyously expressive time. The three-day festival included a multi band lineup each night, photo booths, tattoo artists, and tarot card readers. Additionally, a fan favorite, moshing the final night with Maroney’s father to the chosen few songs that year.

Getting to attend Paradise Fest Friday (11/15/24) and Saturday (11/16/24) I noticed the lineup was stacked with some talent. On Friday evening the artists that took to the stage were Yoke Lore, Bnny & Hanna Eid.

Yoke Lore

Yoke Lore lit up the stage with his incredible stage presence that almost resembled something like he was having an out of body experience from the constant blissful dancing. His songs like “Beige” and “Shake” had everyone bopping around and screaming from excitement. Adrian Galvin, the artist behind Yoke Lore, brings his multi-instrumental background into his songwriting, giving his music a distinct and engaging rhythms with a nostalgic feel.

Bnny

Second Up, Bnny uses melancholic melodies and dreamy voice that could soothe anyone. Pulling elements from post-punk and indie rock that made a bubbly environment led by her musical genius.

Hanna Eid

Hanna Eid, musical up-comer, gave powerful performances with a punchy beat and crunchy guitar melodies.

Saturday was graced with the show stopping band The Moss as well as Sun June and Noah Pope.

The Moss

The Moss is a rock band that puts most other rock performers to shame with their stage presence. Backflips, running laps, and jumping into the crowd, all of this while done barefoot. Their eclectic rock sounds leads the crowd raining with the infectious energy. While their most favorite songs “Insomnia” and “Grand Hoodoo” had the fans singing, every piece had expressive lyricism that transported fans to a serene happiness.

Sun June

Sun June had heartfelt songwriting and the music could almost serve as your guide to a dream scape.

Noah Pope

Finally, opening the show was Noah Pope, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee. His indie americana music style is complimented by his soulfully beautiful voice. His range and more acoustic set gave an earthly soulful performance that was a joy to hear.

Lastly, Briston Maroney finished off all three nights with some of his classic hits and unreleased songs. Maroney’s music is undeniably electric of emotion and a light that fills your soul. His art informs people’s hearts and minds with endless rock that is almost cinematic to experience. Maroney and his team composed an environment of friendship and creativity that was almost surreal to experience in comparison to other concerts and festivals. It left fans into a hypnotic state of bliss and chaos which signals you to realize, Paradise Fest is like nothing else.