Denver’s inaugural Grandoozy Festival in pictures

Day 1:

Full of good vibes and sunshine, the first day of the first-ever Grandoozy Music Festival delivered on their promise of a grand show.

Opening the first day, AMZY, a local Colorado band, warmed up the eager crowd with familiar songs such as “5 to Midnight” and “Words.” Up-and-comer Jade Bird gave powerful, country-esque vocals felt by everyone within earshot.

One of the only jam groups permitted to perform was Andy Frasco and the U.N., who encapsulated the audience through comedy and fulfilling covers.

Ty Dolla $ign put on an incredible and dynamic show, having of the most devoted crowds to him as the artist. He seemed to feel well at home with his fans and comfortable enough to smoke a joint with random people that were brought on stage.

Big K.R.I.T. ripped through intricate lyrics and Miguel swooned his audience with hot, sexy songs delivered with admirable stage presence.

Finally, Kendrick Lamar performed for the grand finale of the night. Although some hardcore fans were present, the crowd was fairly tame. It appeared that Kendrick could tell songs from his Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City album were more well-known lyrically, so he adjusted his set accordingly.

Day 2:

Setting the stage, the Colorado band Gasoline Lollipops opened the day with a sound described as “uncompromised, vicious, and authentic” by the Denver Post. This high energy band mixed punk and folk into a sincere concoction that the audience drank up and carried with them the rest of the day.

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe impressed the crowd both visually and audibly with their classy suits, robust vocals, and dazzling brass instruments. 

Snow Tha Product came out swinging on Grandoozy’s biggest stage- the rock stage. Her first song had more people bouncing than the peak of Kendrick’s performance of the previous night. Possibly the most powerful performance of the day, the rapper rode the flow without missing a beat.

Young the Giant brought the house down just before the headlining set. Everyone sang along to iconic songs from this alternative rock band like “Cough Syrup”, “Silvertongue” and “My Body”. Sameer Gadhia, the lead singer, showed his audience how to let loose. His relentlessly fun dancing and general stage presence inspired the crowd to follow his lead and get crazy.

The final performance, Florence + The Machine, won over Grandoozy’s heart with her beautiful, enchanting and pure vocals. The instrumentals gave Florence Welch the weight she needed when her voice under-performed as the day’s finale. 

Day 3:

The third and final day of Grandoozy ended with a bang between Mavis Staples, De La Soul, Logic, The Chainsmokers and Stevie Wonder. 

De La Soul faced difficulty when it came to getting people to jam with them.  Eventually, they succeeded and took their fans on a trip down memory lane.

Logic also had to fight with his listeners a little in order to get their hands in the air. When he noticed people were getting lost in his lyricism, he switched the pace to his more crowd accommodating new songs.  However, his last few songs “Everyday” and “1-800-273-8255” really worked, possibly due to the impassioned speeches leading up to them.

The grand finale, Stevie Wonder, created an atmosphere that was unparalleled to any other vibration at Grandoozy. He made it very clear that he was just having a good time on stage, so people followed suit off stage. 

In the end, Grandoozy provided an adventure that stayed fresh all weekend. 

Contact CU Independent Staff Photojournalist Hunter Allen at Hunter.Allenbonney@colorado.edu