My 5 Favorite Performances at Forecastle Festival 2022

Loud music, sparkly outfits, cans of liquid death; all of my senses were stimulated as I ran through the massive crowd, holding tightly onto my friend’s hand as we rushed to get to the crowd in time for the COIN set to start. The first show at the first music festival I’ve ever attended was unforgettable, and the performances only got better as the weekend went on. Forecastle Festival is an annual three-day long music, art, and activism festival held in Louisville, Kentucky. In May of 2022, I attended the festival for the first time, and I’m here to tell you my top five performances of the weekend.

(Photo of Forecastle Festival taken by me)

5. Clairo

Coming in at number five on my list of Forecastle performances is Clairo. If you aren’t already familiar with Clairo’s music, I would describe it as lofi indie soft-rock. Her tone in her songwriting is definitely emotional and very chill, which totally matches her sound. Clairo’s style may not be your typical idea of a great performance for a big music festival, but as it started to softly rain soon after her set began, I couldn’t have imagined a better atmosphere to listen to her music live. There was a sense of togetherness in the crowd as we all sang along the heartbreakingly relatable words of her songs as we danced together in the rain. Clairo’s performance was a full experience that I won’t soon forget, and that earns her the number five spot on my Forecastle Festival rankings.

Favorite song performed: Amoeba

(Photo of Clairo, taken by me)

4. Jack Harlow

Our Louisville king came back to his hometown to headline the first night of Forecastle Festival, and the energy was electric. When you’re from Louisville, you listen to Jack Harlow even if you don’t listen to rap music. As his fame has skyrocketed in the past year and he went from being “that SoundCloud rapper that went to Atherton” to a household name around the country and the world, Jack has never forgotten to bring the love back to his hometown, and that love is reciprocated during his set. Everyone in the enormous crowd was screaming the words along to his songs old and new, many of which shout out iconic Louisville and Kentucky places. The feelings of pride and excitement in the crowd were infectious, and I can’t imagine a more fun environment to have seen Jack Harlow perform for the first time. I left that performance on cloud nine, and that earns Jack the number four spot.

Favorite song performed: 21C/Delta

(Photo of Jack Harlow, taken by me)

3. COIN

As I mentioned in my first paragraph, COIN was my first performance of Forecastle Festival, and there was not a better set to kick off my weekend. COIN, an alternative pop-rock band, wasn’t on everyone’s “must-see” list for the festival weekend, but anyone who was there would tell you how lively this performance was. There was such a connection between the four band members on the stage and the crowd, and everyone was dancing, jumping around, and having a blast for their whole set. The vibes were great, the music was upbeat and electrifying, and if you weren’t familiar with COIN’s music before experiencing their set at Forecastle, you added it to your playlist afterwards. I overheard many people talking to their friends about how much fun they had in the crowd and how they were shocked they hadn’t heard more COIN songs before as we walked away from the stage as the set ended. I think COIN definitely deserves more recognition, as well as the number three spot on my rankings.

Favorite song performed: You Are The Traffic

(Photo of COIN, taken by me)

2. Tyler, The Creator

This high ranking hardly requires an explanation, as Tyler really requires no introduction. A five time grammy winner, music and fashion icon, and the favorite artist of literally half of my friends, Tyler the Creator was able to exceed my expectations despite how high they already were. As the most highly anticipated headliner and the final performance of the weekend, the crowd was ready to give every ounce of energy they had left from the exhausting weekend, and Tyler delivered a performance that allowed us to do just that. Every single time a new song would start, screams were heard from all around the entire crowd. Performing songs from his newer albums and even giving us a few throwbacks from as far back as the “Goblin” era, Tyler gave Forecastle exactly what they wanted and more. He was feeding off the energy of the crowd, and we were feeding right back off of him as he danced and strutted across the stage in typical Tyler style. He asked the left side of the crowd to make noise, then the right side, and even told us to boo him, and of course we didn’t do it loud enough because he’s Tyler. I’ve never felt energy like that at a concert before, and there was no better performance to have ended the festival weekend on, earning him the number two spot.

Favorite song performed: NEW MAGIC WAND

(Photo of Tyler, the Creator, taken by me)

1. Tame Impala

The Tame Impala set was one of the most unique things I’ve ever experienced, and I mean it when I say I experienced that set. Beginning with an eerie introduction video, the anticipation grew exponentially in the crowd as all of the sudden the lights started and we heard the music begin to play. Tame Impala is a psychedelic indie-rock solo artist, and he knows how to put on a show like no other artist I’ve ever seen. Between the trippy lights show, the bass so loud the ground shook below your feet, and the electro-rock music, I think the best way I can describe this performance is “out of this world.” Everyone in the crowd felt like they were floating as we sang along and danced around to Tame’s music. This performance exceeded my expectations so much that I would say it was the best concert I’ve ever attended, and I maybe knew five songs total before the performance. This was the set that defined the weekend, and that’s why I’m giving Tame Impala the number one ranking for the Forecastle weekend.

Favorite song performed: Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

(Photo of Tame Impala, taken by me)