Words by Carson Huffer // Photos by Mae Krell

Martha’s Vineyard explored the hits of some of music’s brightest stars this weekend at Beach Road Weekend, a three day festival held annually on the island. The festival is small and has no overlapping sets between their two stages, offering an intimate outdoor concert for artists to connect with fans at close range. Tongue Tied had the privilege to get to attend all three days of Beach Road this year, read on to learn about our favorite sets!

Our weekend started with Ohio’s favorite folk rock band, Caamp. After catching Caamp a month ago at Newport Folk, we knew the band was set to give the Vineyard an explosive performance through their vast discography. Caamp regularly changes their setlists so the crowd was genuinely surprised and delighted by each track that came crooning out next, bouncing between new songs like “All My Lonesome” from 2022’s Lavender Days and older tracks like 2014’s “Vagabond” from their eponymous debut record. I simply will never get enough of the band, and the Beach Road crowd couldn’t help but sing and dance along throughout the entire hour. Check out our full Caamp gallery here!

Next, the Beach Road crowd was treated to a stunning set from The Head and The Heart. The Seattle indie rock group brought the festival crowd together for a serene hour that felt like an intimate jam session between the members. As the band treated the Beach Road crowd to “All We Ever Knew” and “Honeybee”, the energy of the park felt almost heavenly with everyone singing out and laughing together. The close of “Rivers and Roads” was particularly special, a vibrant and loving song off of the band’s debut record that truly made everyone come together in awe.

Patti Smith took the stage next, riding high on empowerment and calls to action to help save the earth we call home. With the explosive “People Have The Power” opening her set and then a passionate ode in memoriam of Television’s Tom Verlaine through a cover of “Guiding Light”, festival attendees early on knew that this Patti Smith set was something special. As she continued through her hour on stage, Patti felt both reverent and otherworldly through reminders of the power that each of us has within our own hearts. Check out our full Patti Smith gallery here!

Night one closed with Bon Iver in the final show of his tour. Bon Iver sets always feel a bit underground and hidden in secrecy, likely due to Justin Vernon’s own desire for privacy, which gave the crowd an excited buzz before the musicians even hit the stage. Once the audience caught the first winds of “Yi”, however, it was impossible for attendees to not fall in love with a variety of songs both new and old. I have always wanted to catch Bon Iver live, and hearing “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” from 2016’s 22, A Million just a few songs before “Skinny Love” from 2008’s For Emma, Forever Ago felt exploratory into the ways that artistry and one’s own taste can expand and still stay true to themselves over time. I adored this set more than I can express, and from the smiling faces that littered the festival’s grounds, it was clear that everyone confidently felt the same.

Our second day of Beach Road began with the incomparably energetic Sammy Rae & The Friends. The color-coordinated music makers bounced onto the stage with what can only be described as joy, lighting up the crowd with their own excitement to be playing for the Vineyard crowd. The set included dancing, a bubble machine, and as much crowd interaction as possible, connecting the band even closer with the audience who had been waiting since their 2022 Beach Road Weekend set was unfortunately rained out. I particularly loved hearing “Jackie Onassis” live, a vibrant ode to the former first lady that felt embodied by Sammy Rae’s own stage presence throughout the song. Check out our full Sammy Rae & The Friends gallery here!

Gary Clark Jr. took the stage next with fantastic grooves and easily the coolest outfit of any person in attendance. His hour on stage explored a wide variety of his career, bouncing from 2012’s Blak and Blu, 2015’s The Story of Sunny Boy Slim, and 2019’s This Land with the ease of a long established rocker. The crowd was in awe of Clark’s entire set and bold personality, and I easily could have watched another three hours of “Bright Lights” on repeat. Check out our full Gary Clark Jr. gallery here!

Opening their set with a beautiful and heartfelt land acknowledgement, Dispatch captured the attention of every attendee with lush guitar lines and their evident love of the art of making music. The Beach Road crowd absolutely adored getting to hear hits like “Only The Wild Ones” live, and as the set gained a few bonus minutes at the end, it felt like the crowd could have stayed in the realm of Dispatch forever. Check out our full Dispatch gallery here!

Arguably the most anticipated set came with Saturday’s headliners, Mumford & Sons. Storming the stage in style, the band lit up the packed out crowd by starting with old hits like “Babel” and “Roll Away Your Stone”. Mumford & Sons don’t often play many shows each year, so catching the band in such an intimate festival setting felt like a treat that left every audience member captivated with the band. My personal favorite moment of the set came early with Marcus Mumford taking center stage for “Little Lion Man”, stomping away at a kick drum and leading the crowd in a resounding chorus that could probably be heard on the mainland. Check out our full Mumford & Sons gallery here!

Day three began with the psychedelic Dinosaur Jr. The rock outfit careened through their expansive discography with joy. The Beach Road crowd seemed to love getting to know Dinosaur Jr through tracks like “I Met The Stones” and “Feel The Pain”, and the masterful cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” kept everyone on their feet in the summer sun. Check out our full Dinosaur Jr. gallery here!

Regina Spektor claimed the hearts of the masses with her stunning set of ballads next. Armed with a beautiful piano and her voice, Spektor took the stage with a flurry of high notes in the emotional “How”. I particularly loved Regina’s live rendition of “Two Birds”, which held a vibrant and evocative feeling that is almost indescribable but can only be attributed to her incredible power.

My personal favorite set of the day came from the electrifying Japanese Breakfast. With a floral gong, vibrant guitar lines, and a fun braided hairstyle, Michelle Zauner’s set took over the Beach Road stage with youthful energy that the crowd couldn’t get enough of. “Be Sweet” sounded even better live than I could have imagined, and I absolutely fell in love with the stunning “Kokomo, IN”. Zauner’s performance was explosively high energy, and with the artistic design of her stage set up and outfit – all the way down to the floral mallet for her gong – felt distinctly passionate and brought the crowd’s energy up in exponential amounts. Check out our full Japanese Breakfast gallery here!

Leon Bridges closed out the weekend in style with impressive vocals and a killer all white outfit. His band and supporting vocalists perfectly complemented each moment of the set, jump starting each individual song with ease. Bridges’ hour and a half long set felt cool and composed, a breezy ending to an intimate weekend of fun on Martha’s Vineyard.

Tongue Tied had an absolute blast attending this year’s Beach Road Weekend and we already cannot wait to see what incredible lineup comes next year! Be sure to stay up to date with Beach Road on their website and Instagram to be the first to know what’s to come next at the Vineyard!

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