Over the weekend I spent two nights at the MidPoint Music Festival in downtown Cincinnati, specifically the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Each night I started at the recently renovated Washington Park, which served as a great venue for the festival. A temporary stage was setup just in front of Music Hall, providing a really cool backdrop. I don’t know if there are extra noise restrictions in the area, but it seems like this space could have been better utilized with additional bands taking the stage rather than ending at 8 or 9 each night.

Washington Park Stage

The reason I would have liked more bands at Washington Park is that it is really big space. Throughout the rest of my late nights, I ran into some very crowded venues and was even completely shut out of the Emery Theatre for Ralph Stanley. Some of the bands that were playing at Grammer’s such as Dinosaur Jr. and The Walkmen would have brought a decent sized crowd to this space. The outdoor area at Grammer’s is not an ideal place to see a show, plus it could eliminate some of the walking if it wasn’t used anymore.

The Walkmen

Despite this complaint I still had a great time and discovered some really great bands. A couple of my new favorite are Hoots and Hellmouth and Holy Ghost Tent Revival.

Hoots and Hellmouth

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

I only managed to see about four full sets each night. Had I stayed out until the very end each night I probably could have added another couple of bands each night. However the last bus back toward home left before 1am each night. If I were to do it again, I’d try to convince a friend in the neighborhood to come along to split a cab home with me. Other than that I think I got a great taste of what this annual festival is all about.

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