Hot, bright and happy: 2023 Hangout Fest cruises into Day 2

The 2023 Hangout Music Fest surged into its second day, with crowds building early for a lineup topped by Paramore and SZA.

See photos of the day’s festivities in the accompanying gallery.

Among the acts drawing a big early turnout was Flipturn, a California-based rock quintet that opened the day on the Shein Surf Stage. The band has had considerable streaming success and has toured with Rainbow Kitten Surprise and other groups of note, and the exposure appears to have paid off: A big portion of the crowd was clearly familiar with the band’s repertoire, to judge from its reaction to specific songs such as “Chicago.”

As on Friday, the weather was clear but hot. Country artist Kidd G took to the Hangout stage at 1:30 p.m. in front of a small-but-enthusiastic crowd. Midway through his set, he stopped playing and asked if someone in the crowd was OK. The music stopped for a minute while he waited for a response. “Sorry, I just want to make sure she’s OK,” he said.

Eventually, he got an affirmative response. “It’s OK, all she needed was to drink some water,” he said. “Make sure you all hydrate out there.”

The festival does provide free water stations.

Later in the day, three friends who happened to be former track and football athletes in Mobile and Baldwin counties shared their strategy as they paused for a photo during Charlotte Sands’ set at the Mermaid Stage.

“We’re athletes,” said Jerry Bethea, attending the festival with Ken Adams and Edwin White. “We’re drinking water and Gatorade. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. You can believe whatever you want to hear.”

As for the lineup, White said the group was there to hear “anybody and everybody.”

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter took the Shein Surf Stage just before sunset. Though she played her pop hits, the 24-year-old former Disney star also slowed things down with a few country-inspired songs.

As she typically does, Carpenter ended her hit “Nonsense” with an improvised verse.

“Make some noise sweet home Alabama,” she ended the song.

After Carpenter came Paramore. The early-2000s rock band reunited in January 2022 and released a new album earlier this year. The band played many of their early hits as well as songs from their new album.

After a round of “Happy Birthday” for a fan, lead singer Hayley Williams closed the show with a nod to the next act.

“We’ll see you all at SZA,” she said. “Because let’s be real, she’s why we actually came here.”

This story will be updated with additional notes and photos. For ongoing festival coverage, visit www.al.com/hangout.

Related:

Hangout Fest 2023: See pictures from opening day

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