As the sky cleared for an event-filled day at 2 p.m. on April 11, music fans from across Starkville began gathering around the Mississippi State University Amphitheater for this year’s Old Main Music Festival. 

Put on by MSU’s Music Maker Productions, the festival featured an array of art and food vendors, local bands, merchandise tables, family activities and a heavily-anticipated performance from Dayglow, this year’s headliner.

In the art market, vendors packed in to sell art prints, handmade jewelry, vintage clothes and crocheted plushies. Organizations such as Students for a Sustainable Campus and 91.1 The Junction also set up tents to widen their influence. 

Chloe Skelton, a junior animal and dairy sciences major, showcased her crocheted crafts and handmade jewelry at her stand. Skelton said this was only her second vending event ever and her first time attending the festival.

“It was such a pleasure to interact with all the new faces and show off my hard work,” Skelton said. “I have had so much help from so many wonderful people within the art community here in Starkville, and I am so grateful that I can now be a part of it.” 

While people circled the art market, musicians took the local stage, providing the festival with constant music throughout the day.

Smokies, a band from Jackson, Miss., brought a gritty and raw sound that shook up the energy and brought in fans. Robert Buie, drummer of Smokies, described his experience playing on the local stage and getting to interact with the audience.  

“Everything was arranged very well,” Buie said. “We were taken care of, and the production team kept in close contact with us throughout our day. The attendance seemed bigger this year, which was great to see.” 

After performing, the band explored the festival and met vendors and attendees.

“The environment was very refreshing, “ Buie said. “Students came up to us often to chat, and people were enjoying their nights thoroughly.”

At 4 p.m., rain began to pour, but instead of leaving, festival attendees packed under tents and trees and continued their activities, refusing to let the weather drown out the energy.

Once the sky dimmed around 6:30 p.m., more fans made their way to the main stage. The smell of Boardtown Pizza & Pints rushed over the crowd filled with people setting up their spots for the main show. 

Grammy-nominated band The Rumble, featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., was the first to take the main stage and sprung the crowd up to their feet for an energetic sonic wave of funk, jazz, hip hop and the kind of bass that replaced your heartbeat for a while. A group of people crowded the side of the stage and danced without rest. As each song progressed, more and more people stood up and joined the movement. 

As The Rumble left the stage, people began to pack in close and rock the barricade between them and the stage.

The Moss, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, followed The Rumble and drew the attention of devoted fans in the crowd. People began shouting song requests as the energy grew with each move of the lead singer. The Moss brought a surf-rock reggae sound to the stage and kept people on their toes with every movement — even performing backflips and dropping down to greet those at the barricade. 

As The Moss’ set ended, the crowd began to pack in even tighter than before as the festival’s headliner, Texas-native and indie-pop band Dayglow, was set to appear next. 

Members of Music Maker Productions handed out styrofoam light sticks, and the crowd lit up with a wave of color, screaming and moving with anticipation for Dayglow. As the lights started to die down, the band appeared and went straight into “Hot Rod,” from the album “Fuzzybrain.” 

The stage lit up in a kaleidoscope of colors, and with every song, the crowd grew louder. 

Sloan Struble, lead singer and frontman of the band, kept a smile on his face while watching the energy of the crowd. The band performed songs such as “Every Little Thing I Do,” “Listerine,” “Medicine” and fan favorite, “Can I Call You Tonight?” 

In between songs, Struble pointed out the tags still attached to their guitars. He informed the audience that there was a problem while shipping their instruments to the venue. They had to borrow guitars from Starkville’s own Backstage Music. His announcement filled the crowd with small-town pride as they heard the local music store mentioned.

After the show, the guitars were returned to Backstage Music, where they currently sit for sale — a testament to a beautiful night of music and hospitality. 

To end the set, Dayglow performed a cover of the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and led into the band’s song “Rule the World!!!,” which served as the encore for the night.

Joseph Slack, a junior political science major and the head of artist and member relations for Music Maker Productions, reflected on his experience watching the event come together. 

“[It] was a night I will not soon forget,” Slack said. “The Starkville and MSU communities showed up in full force on Friday night, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who attended.”

The festival night ended with a fireworks show that illuminated eyes all across Starkville and filled the air with the memory of music, arts, food and irreplaceable community.