Shady Grove Music Festival Gives a Hopeful Glimpse into the Future of Live Music

Shady Grove Music Festival shot by Bre Cura

By Emily Herbein & Bre Cura

Over the weekend, a handful of core Philadelphia bands gathered in Arden, Delaware to play Shady Grove Music Festival, and for pretty much everyone there, it was the first live gig back in the real world since March. While getting to see some of our favorite bands live again was absolutely thrilling, the best, and most refreshing part, was getting to see faces that used to be weekend staples but have since been left to Instagram-only encounters. It felt normal, despite the masks and social distance precautions. Philadelphia showed up big time to support their friends, and if Shady Grove is any taste of what we’ll have to base live music events mid-pandemic off of, it seems to be as safe and successful as we could have hoped for. As with any crowd situation, it was an “attend only if you’re comfortable” sort of deal, and with that being said, fans were respectful of each other, the bands, and the grounds. This is the first time any of us are dealing with such a fragmented state of being, but the chance to get to see some of our favorite artists and socialize in real life and real time made the weirdness of the world completely worth it.

Shady Grove and the Arden Music Gild made what many people thought would be impossible into a reality. Temperatures were checked, masks were worn, distance was kept, and live music was played. All of the staff, bands, and merch sellers (shoutout to Britt and Colin) worked extremely hard to maintain a safe environment where all were welcomed. With the state of the live music industry still facing uncertainties, this was the perfect way to allow a breath of fresh air to those craving it.