2023 Hangout Music Fest blazes into home stretch: See photos of Day 3

“This has been beautiful,” said rapper Yung Gravy, near the end of his Sunday afternoon set at the 2023 Hangout Music Fest.

It was 4:30, and the sweltering heat of the day was beginning to break. Maybe just a little, but it was the first taste of the golden hours to come, when the 2023 festival would enjoy its final sunset on the way to its last round of top acts, including Kevin Gates, Skrillex and Calvin Harris. But first, Yung Gravy had to wrap things up, with Lou Rawls “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” serving as his outro.

See photos in the accompanying gallery.

“Y’all having a good day so far?” he asked the massive crowd that had cheered throughout his loud, energetic and sometimes comedic performance. (He handed out Lunchables, at one point; he also jumped into the crowd to give out roses, then tripped and fell flat before finishing.) The response to his question could not have been more positive.

The day might have gotten off to a slightly slower start than Saturday, but plenty of fans braved the hazy-bright heat of the early afternoon. Electronic dance music duo Hippie Sabotage, in particular, drew a near-capacity audience to the Boom Stage.

The festival’s trademark variety of acts was on full display. As the sun set, Ashnikko brought her horror-tinged, transgressively humorous songs to a set that provided an appropriately dystopian backdrop. If it was a little strange to hear her introduce a song by saying “This one’s for Dolly Parton,” then maybe Priscilla Block, playing a short distance away on the Mermaid Stage, would have been more your cup of beer. The country artist drew an enthusiastic crowd to the smaller stage, where she kicked off the party with “My Bar,” a song she played at the 2022 CMT Music Awards. (The Ashnikko song in question was “Working B--ch,” inspired by a flight of fancy involving Parton’s “9 to 5″ album.)

In the evening, rapper Kevin Gates took the Boom stage. He played many of his hits, such as “2 Phones” and “I Don’t Get Tired (#IDGT),” to a packed and energetic crowd.

A big focus of his set, though, was mental health. Gates said he used to harbor a lot of anger but had worked on changing his attitude and live positively.

“If you need to hear this, I love you, you’re never alone,” he told fans during his concert Sunday.

For continuing festival coverage, visit www.AL.com/hangout.

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