MAHA Moments
This past weekend’s MAHA Music Festival was another success for the organization. According to the MAHA board, around 4,000 music fans were in attendance over the course of the day. The weather was as perfect as one could ask for, everything ran on time, the bands and artists put on excellent sets, and Stinson Park at Aksarben Village once again worked out as a venue that can handle these larger events.
I was backstage most of the day at MAHA, as I was making sure the stages ran on time. When I arrived at the park I was excited to see a second huge stage to the right of the permanent concrete stage. This would be where the local bands would be performing and is a huge step up from the space they had in the past at the Lewis & Clark Landing (which was a small stage on the grass next to the main stage).
Opening the local stage was the Big Deep who played to a smallish crowd, but one that was there to see them at 12:30 p.m. This was the largest 12:30 crowd that I have seen in the three-year history of the festival. In fact, all day at different times people back stage kept saying “there are more people here at this time than last year.” A lot of that had to do with the weather being inviting rather than stifling and that the early bands on the main stage had a wide variety to them.
Des Moines band Envy Corps brought people to the barricades in front of the main stage as they performed a set of mainly newer songs before closing out with some of their live standards. The Reverend Horton Heat had the first real swell of people in front of the stage, as the legendary psycho-billy band performed a set of their classic songs and gave the audience exactly what they were expecting. In the meantime the first Lincoln band to ever play MAHA, Machete Archive, had an energetic set that seemed to mesmorize a good chunk of the audience. Backstage, I witnessed Reverend Horton Heat drummer Paul Simmons express his appreciation of the band to bass player Saber Blazek.
J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. took the main stage in the mid-afternoon and sat down by himself in a circle of speakers and pedals with a music stand in front of him. He performed songs off of his new album “Several Shades Of Why” along with many Dinosaur Jr. classics. The strong songs, raw vocal delivery and the way he manipulated that acoustic guitar made his performance the strongest of the day for me. Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship and So- So Sailor’s put on strong performances on the Kum & Go stage. NAWAS put on the energetic and tuneful set that they have now become known for. So-So Sailor’s were a lot of fun with fantastic musicianship, catchy songs, and a unique sound for Omaha at this time. Rounding out the main stage was Lincoln’s popular live electronic dance band Somasphere. This band had a large group of people dancing in the daylight, showing that it’s not just all about lights and lasers with groups like this.
The three headlining groups on the main stage also brought the goods to the now surging crowds. Omaha’s own Cursive, brought out original drummer Clint Schnase for the set. The band plowed through many classic Cursive songs during their vintage set. The set ended up with many horns and friends on stage making sure that the band’s time on stage ended in epic controlled chaos. Guided By Voices brought their “classic” line up onto the stage next with full handles of tequila, bourbon, and coolers full of Miller Light. The band pulled out twenty plus classics and pulled off many rock-star moves that betrayed the bands graying hair. Under the full moon and under the watchful eyes of friend J. Mascis who was watching intently backstage the band pulled off one of the better rock shows that many in the crowd have surely seen.
Closing out the night was Matisyahu, who saw a slight crowd shift as many younger fans came up to the barricades. The crowd was probably the loudest all night when the tall striking figure that is Matisyahu made his way from the backstage area to the stage. He played a set of hip-hop-tinged reggae that included beat-boxing, his hit “King Without A Crown” and hundreds of fans on stage to close out the festival at his request. It was a perfect finish to what was a fine day of music. My hope is that the MAHA board listens to the people who are clamoring for this to take place again at Stinson Park next year. If the board is not planning on expanding in any way next year, this would make a lot of sense.
MarQ Manner has been involved with music in Omaha his entire adult life – from managing and booking bands to a 15-year run as manager at Homer’s Records to writing a local music column for the past 11 years. Currently, Marq is the Music Nominating Chair for the Omaha Arts & Entertainment Awards.