Hangout Music Festival’s Iceberg of Artists

The festival’s most memorable performances from top of the charts to the bottom

Photos by AliveCoverage

written by Grayson Keglovic

If you’ve viewed an Instagram story within the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen a cartoon iceberg made up of different artists your mutual listens to. This graphic that is filled with both household names and artists who you may be unfamiliar with is from Iceberify and shows just how “underground” your music taste really is. The above sea level portion of the iceberg shows the artists that have the most streams, and each level below, down to the tip of the iceberg, shows the artists you listen to that are less common.

After attending Hangout Music Festival, I found that my personal iceberg was well-reflected in this year’s lineup – and the performances did not disappoint. The beach-side music festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama is known to have a lineup that offers performances from an array of genres. This year, you could hear Sommer Ray’s dj set, Chappell Roan’s summer tour kick-off, Sexyy Red or Cage The Elephant at sunset, and end the night with a euphoric ODESZA light show – all in the same day. With over 60 different acts on the 2024 Hangout Fest roster, four artists in particular completed my iceberg.

Tier 1 (most popular): Lana Del Rey

At this point, Lana Del Rey is a household name. Miss Del Rey was the festival’s closer for Friday night and was an act that was highly anticipated. If you talk to an attendee from this year’s Hangout Fest – or look at the festival’s Instagram comments – you’d find that her performance was either loved or hated, no in between.

Lana Del Rey’s set was allotted from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. To start her hour-and-a-half show, Lana was more than 45 minutes late. As a die-hard fan, this was a bit anxiety-inducing and disappointing, but it is also in true Lana Del Rey nature. Once she finally began her journey from backstage, she spent almost 20 minutes riding around on a golf cart – angelic and beautiful but we were on a time crunch. Unfortunately, her tardiness caused the set to be cut short.

As soon as she took the stage and started her first song of the night, all was well at least for me. Members of the audience took to Instagram to express their dissatisfaction with the performance, accusing the queen of being under the influence and not caring. I found Lana’s night to not only be magical but also “on brand” for the singer.

While we didn’t experience the full setlist, Lana brought out several guests including Tommy Genesis, Benson Boone, Nessa Barrett and Jelly Roll. 

Tier 2 (less popular than Tier 1 but still popular): Dominic Fike

Dominic Fike gave a performance that was both fixating and emotional. Upon the release of his second studio album Sunburn, Fike has gained more than 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify – less than Lana Del Rey’s 55 million monthly streams, but still extremely impressive. This was my third time seeing Fike live, and I can wholeheartedly say that each time is a different and memorable experience. While the singer-songwriter from Naples, Florida, maintained an upbeat set playing staples from his discography like “Babydoll” and “Phone Numbers,” I found myself drowning in the atmosphere, leaving me with a reminiscent feeling. I was able to share Fike’s performance alongside my little brother, who is my best friend and a huge Dominic Fike fan. This combined with Fike’s stage presence and vocals made for his set to be one of my favorites from the whole weekend. 

Whether you are an old fan or a new one, Fike made sure to play a show that showcased his talents and left the audience wanting more. I know my little brother and I didn’t want Fike’s hour allotment to end.

Tier 3 (popular to a sorta niche audience, but on the way to mass popularity): Chappell Roan

There’s really only one word that can describe Chappell Roan and seeing her live: Femininomial. Roan has been around for a while but recently gained traction after the release of her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, gaining more than 17 million monthly Spotify listeners. 

Roan sported a new look for one of the first shows of her summer tour and it was a game changer compared to her typical Mermaid, Midwest Princess, My Kink is Karma or Pink Pony Club themes. Roan came on stage in full custom football gear but better. Her jersey was an ode to her latest single “Good Luck, Babe!,” and set the tone for the rest of her audience-winning set. 

If you need a visual as to how energetic and pure fun Roan’s performance was, even the festival’s security guards were engaging with Roan and her crowd to share dances and lyrics. When Roan’s groundbreaking single “HOT TO GO!” was performed, fans and security guards alike partook in the iconic dance during the song’s chorus. Out of all of the performances I saw during my weekend at Hangout Music Festival, I did not see any security guards engage with the artist’s music like they did during Roan’s set. 

Tier 4 (popular to a niche audience): Hemlocke Springs

If the name Hemlocke Springs sounds familiar, you probably have a TikTok account. Born Isimeme Udu, Hemlocke Springs took the social media platform by storm when her 2022 single “girlfriend” became a viral TikTok sound. If the name still doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because she’s an up-and-coming pop star who is everything a Gen Z-er could ask for. 

With a little more than 500 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, she caught the eyes of Doja Cat, who she opened for on The Scarlet Tour in 2023. Hemlocke Springs has had the attention of big names and the social media masses, so I knew her Hangout Fest set was one worth watching. 

Shortly after the festival opened its gates on Sunday, May 19, Hemlocke Springs put on a show that was pure fun. Both her and her performance had a vibe that radiated positivity and forced a smile upon your face. As newer addition to the music industry, Hemlocke Springs gave a performance that was exciting and playful. 

This could be you ^ . Checkout Hangout fest on socials and web for tickets to next years festival once they go on sale! We can’t wait!

https://www.hangoutmusicfest.com/tickets/