Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor
Bare feet pressed into the grass as live music carried through the open skies of Midtown Green, where Iron Blossom Music Festival returned Sept. 19 to 20 for its fourth year as the final days of summer unfolded.
Blankets and inflatable couches filled the grass as people of all ages played, laughed, cheered, danced, talked and sang along to the music while frisbees and footballs were tossed across the field. Music drifted between the two stages: iron and blossom.
When the sun moved in and out of the clouds throughout the days, the crowd had grown larger as the day continued and headliners took the stage.
This year’s festival headliners included LCD Soundsystem, Jack White and Richmond-based bands, Shera Shi and Night Idea. Over the two-day event, which began in 2023, people came together around the live music.
For attendees Julie Slivka and Lauren Hennessy, the festival became a part of their yearly routine.
The two have been best friends for 31 years and counting, starting their friendship right next door. They have attended the festival together for three consecutive years.
Slivka and Hennessy’s plans for the festival began before the lineup was announced. They bought their tickets early without knowing the artist lineup.
“I guess we have to do this until we’re like 95,” Hennessy said. “This is our new thing.”
Returning each year has also meant hearing something different.
The festival’s music changed year to year, Hennessy said. She saw the changing music as a reflection of Richmond’s range of musical genres.
The first year felt more like bluegrass and country rock while the second year felt more folk and last year’s was more funk pop, similar to indie pop, according to Hennessy.
“Every year we’ve come, I found a new favorite band, which has been amazing,” Slivka said.
For the two, the festival was not only about the artists onstage, but about spending time together and being outside.
“We’ve gotten rained out the last two years and we still made the best of it,” Slivka said. “You got to make your own sunshine.”
Describing the event as both vibey and groovy, Slivka said the festival had a consistent atmosphere throughout the day, with its own identity that became more enjoyable as the event went on.
“The world is really heavy right now and when you come here you’ve got the wide open sky and just everyone’s here for a good time and to ground themselves,” Slivka said.
Raven Gagne came to the festival on slightly different terms. Gagne bought a ticket last minute after deciding to see Portugal. The Man, one of the top performers of Sunday night.
Gagne said they are usually selective about the artists they listen to, even though their music taste spans many genres. They were less familiar with much of the Sunday lineup, but still spent time listening to the different artists.
Gagne compared Iron Blossom to Bonnaroo, a week-long musical festival held in Tennessee. They found Iron Blossom easier to navigate and more approachable, describing it as a smaller version of a larger festival experience.
The festival’s schedule allowed attendees to see each artist without having to choose between overlapping performances, Gagne said.
“I think this is a really great balance, especially for people entering into the festival scene,” Gagne said.
Gagne said the festival was not overwhelming and appreciated the open space.
Alan Herbertson, a first time Iron Blossom attendee, saw the festival as an extension of Richmond itself.
“Richmond is one of my, if not, my favorite city in the country,” Herbertson said. “Iron Blossom is a perfect reflection of what this city is capable of with its partnering with all the arts and a just absolutely eclectic group of people and everyone just kind of coming together and listening to some good music and enjoying the city they live in.”
Herbertson was interested in LCD Soundsystem and said Phantogram was a highlight of the festival for him.
The people were what stood out most to Herbertson.
“It’s every walk of life, I mean Richmond itself is represented here at this festival,” Herbertson said. “It’s every single kind of person under the sun. It’s beautiful.”
When the moon appeared over Midtown Green, the festival moved into the cooler hours of the evening. The grass remained covered with blankets and people and music continued from the stages until nighttime.