This past weekend on September 21st and 22nd, Iron Blossom Festival returned to Richmond, Virginia for its second year. This year’s lineup was packed with fantastic acts, such as Caamp, Mt. Joy, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Turnpike Troubadours, and many more. I was able to attend Iron Blossoms’ inaugural festival last year, with performances from Hozier, Noah Kahan, and Lord Huron. Last year’s sold-out festival was fantastic, and I was ecstatic to experience what this year’s event has to offer.
Iron Blossom did a fantastic job with the layout of the festival. The two stages were placed next to each other with a standing room section in front, followed by a section where people could lay out blankets, allowing everyone to enjoy all the acts without having to run to another stage or pick and choose who they wanted to see. Iron Blossom also provided an ADA section and separate entrance, allowing anyone to enjoy the live music. A shade tent was placed in the middle, providing a relaxing place to chill out and keep out of the sun, but the weather was perfect. The temperature was perfect all weekend, which is a huge thing I love about festivals that take place later in the year.
Iron Blossom expanded from last year and provided larger spaces, shade, water stations, and a larger food court. Food trucks and local food and beverage vendors offered refreshments to patrons of the festival, allowing concert-goers to experience the delicious taste of Central Virginia’s restaurants and breweries. I enjoyed the amazing flavors of Real Ginger Thai Cuisine, Bun’d Up, and my personal favorite, 1115 Mobile Kitchen.
There is nothing like Iron Blossom in the city of Richmond. The music scene in this city is incredible, and although there are some amazing venues, most people have to travel out of the state to attend outdoor festivals with their favorite artists. Iron Blossom provided a space for local Richmond bands to share the stage with massive regional artists, spotlighting Richmond’s talent.
The first day started off fantastic, with beautiful sunny skies and performances from Kenneka Cook, Victoria Canal, Julia Pratt, and Sarah Shook & the Disarmers. Julia Pratt’s voice was beautiful, her raw emotion felt by everyone, her voice cascading across the festival grounds. Sumbuck, Taylor Meier’s side project outside of Caamp, was incredible, providing tunes that got the crowd moving. Susto, a band headed by Justin Osborne from South Carolina, took the stage mid-day with a folk-rock vibe that perfectly encapsulated the theme of the festival. They will be returning to Richmond at the Broadberry in December, and I can’t wait to see them again. Trampled by Turtles, Indigo De Souza, and The California Honeydrops carried the energy throughout the day with some fantastic music.
Festival goers donned cowboy boots and flowy dresses awaiting Turnpike Troubadours’ performance. The crowd danced and sang throughout the whole set, watching the sun set beautifully as their performance came to a close. They played old hits such as “7 & 7,” “Long Hot Summer Day,” and “Good Lord Lorrie,” as well as songs from their latest album, A Cat in the Rain, such as “Mean Old Sun.” Mt. Joy ended off the night perfectly, as the sun had set and their stage production showered the crowd with light, creating an incredible atmosphere. The rain came down halfway through their set, but that did not stop fans from enjoying the performance, and singing until day one had come to an end.
Richmond’s local band Dogpark took the stage early on Sunday. The band met at Randolph-Macon University, formed the band that would grow to amass over 26 thousand followers on Instagram, and stopped at Iron Blossom in the middle of their cross-country tour. Their set was fantastic and brought the energy that would set up the day of good vibes and incredible music. Performances from Jack Wharff & The Tobacco Flats, Joy Oladokun, and River Whyless continued to provide beautiful music on day two of the festival. Traveling all the way from Kentucky, S.G. Goodman gave an incredible performance. Say She She took the stage saying “We’re here to make you dance!,” and that they did.
Nathaniel Rateliff brought incredible energy to Richmond. Even breaking a tambourine during one of the first songs, Rateliff continued to bring an energy that infected everyone, generating the crowd to dance along the whole set. Royal Otis, a duo from Australia, were outstanding and delivered the intensity needed as the sun went down. They sang their hit song “Oysters In My Pocket,” as well as a cover of the Cranberries’ Linger that made the whole festival sing along. Caamp started off with an amazing mix of their song “Believe” and Jimi Hendrix’ “War Pigs.” Taylor Meier has an incredible voice, and it was beautiful how it carried throughout the warm end-of-summer air. They played their most popular songs “By and By” and “Vagabond,” as well as an unreleased track titled “Let Things Go.”
The second year of Iron Blossom carried the incredible vibes from last year and is building itself to become a yearly festival that people from around the country travel to in order to see the amazing lineup of artists, food, and beverages of Iron Blossom and get to experience what Richmond has to offer. Richmond’s music scene is one of the best things about the city, and Iron Blossom provides a place where we can highlight it for others to see. I hope to return next year to see how Iron Blossom can top this year’s festival.
