From April 5 to 7, Margaret T. Hance Park was packed for the March Madness Music Festival, presented by AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Capital One. The festival featured various big names in music, plenty of food and drink, and even a Ferris wheel.
Several artists performed each night of the three-day festival. Reneé Rapp and Remi Wolf performed on Friday, and the night ended with a headlining performance by Zedd. On Saturday, Leven Kali, Bebe Rexha and the Jonas Brothers took the stage. The festival ended on Sunday with performances from Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Mumford & Sons.
Audience members Nanette Okoree-siaw and Rigel Bobadilla were excited to hear that Phoenix was holding a free music festival, and they were especially excited for Remi Wolf and Reneé Rapp on Friday.
“Her [Remi Wolf] music, her energy, her style,” Dilla said. “She’s a good performer.”
Okoree-Fiaw discovered Rapp through the HBO show “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and started listening to her music.
“She’s [Rapp] is amazing. I love a lesbian icon; her voice is so good,” Okoree-Fiaw said. “I watched her on the HBO show she’s on first, and then her music is so good. She has a very likable personality.”
Audience member Connor Santilli came with a group of his friends on Friday, excited to enjoy the festival. Santilli was thrilled to see Zedd but still enjoyed the other performances.
“We just saw Remi Wolf, who we all love and then we’re super excited to see Zedd as well,” Santilli said. “He’s [Zedd] the pinnacle of generic EDM dance music for me, where everybody knows his songs, so they all go crazy and it’s just a lot of fun to dance to.”
On Sunday, Kowen Anglin went to see the Black Keys performance but saw Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats perform as well.
“It’s beautiful, man. I’m really surprised with how well they sound live,” Anglin said. “I came for The Keys, but the Night Sweats are great live.”
For many, the March Madness Music Festival was a welcome surprise, allowing locals and visitors to hang out with friends and listen to some live music.
“I thought it was awesome,” Santilli said. “I mean, just to provide a free concert for the city like this is great.”
