The final day of Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival brought fans a second day of intense heat, great food and another lineup of incredible music.
Muddy Magnolias were the first group to really garner a crowd at the Synchrony Financial Midnight Sun main stage — and for good reason. They brought rocking soul, killer harmonies and gospel background vocals that really served their sound. This was certainly a good show to kick off the day.
Langhorne Slim brought his signature rock edge to folk music. He gave a lively performance and engaged the crowd, encouraging fans to release their inner child while listening.
It was clear that the Portland-based band Joseph was made up of three sisters, as the group enjoyed a very visible bond during their performance. Their three-part harmonies were a highlight of their energized set. The group performed mainly newer material, which served the main stage crowd — still rocking from Muddy Magnolias — extremely well.
Amanda Shires gave a heartfelt folk performance, which showcased songs from her last album “My Piece of Land.” Her husband and Nashville icon Jason Isbell joined her on stage. As Shires has been backing up Isbell for a long time it was a fun change to see him do the same for Shires.
The Revivalists took the stage next, and proved to be the cohesive family unit that saxophonist Rob Ingraham described in The Vision’s exclusive interview. The band couldn’t have appeared more excited to be performing, with lead singer David Shaw even climbing into the audience at times. It was a scorching rock performance during the most scorching part of the day.
Fitz and the Tantrums drew a huge crowd of dedicated fans to the Infiniti Gold Record Road side stage, with many of them singing along throughout the show. Fitz brought a poppy, high energy and fresh performance to a crowd weary from nearly two days of music and sun, and was easily one of the most enjoyable parts of the two-day festival.
It’s no secret that Mavis Staples is known for her epic soul voice and on Sunday she certainly delivered. Even at 78 years old, Staples somehow performed with the same fervor as she did in her earliest years. Staples’ vivacious personality was one of the highlights of the entire festival, and she undoubtedly brought the party like no one else.
While Justin Timberlake brought tremendous pomp and swagger Saturday night, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder brought unrivaled heart and poignancy to Sunday’s crowd. After opening with a new song — “Share the Light” — Vedder walked to the front of the stage and took a knee, in solidarity with several NFL player protests on Sunday.
Except for a duet with Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron on “Just Breathe” and local teenager Jack West on “Society,” Vedder remained alone on stage for the majority of his performance.
In between classic Pearl Jam songs, Vedder criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis with North Korea.
“Quit f____g with the lives of millions and millions of people,” Vedder said.
Vedder ended his set with a call for unity during divisive times. It was a unique and poignant end to Pilgrimage’s third year.