There seem to be new festivals popping up each year all over the country. Connecticut jumped in the festival waters a few years back with the Sound on Sound Festival, and now The Capitol Groove debuted in the shadow of the beautiful state capitol on the grounds of Bushnell Park. The festival was organized by GoodWorks Entertainment, the same group that runs the state’s 2 Infinity Music Hall locations.
The lineup featured 14 bands over 2 days. Being a new festival, it’s understandable that it wasn’t going to draw huge acts. Saturday headliners My Morning Jacket were arguably the only certified area-headline level act on the bill. Sunday night headliners Dispatch were a mid-afternoon band at last September’s larger Sound on Sound festival. While the lack of star power may have kept the crowd down, the fans that did attend had a wonderful experience (except for the weather, but I’ll get to that).
I arrived a few hours in on Saturday as Trampled By Turtles were beginning their set. As I walked around the festival, I noticed plenty of food and beverage vendors, more than enough restrooms, free water bottle filling stations, and well-defined walkways, all the infrastructure needed to make a festival successful.
Shakey Graves was next to the stage. He began solo and then brought his band out after a few songs. While the band was in top form, it did feel like a rather mellow performance. The crowd up front was into it, but further back in the park, there was a lack of energy. It definitely felt like the crowd wanted to be up dancing, but most sat on their blankets and watched.
As The Revivalists took the stage some rain started to fall. Even with the threatening skies, the band provided the jolt of energy the crowd needed to get up and really engage with the band. Frontman David Shaw worked the entire stage, seldom standing still, while guitarist Zack Feinberg and sax player Rob Ingraham led the band through its biggest hits. It was interesting that the band didn’t use its entire allotted set time, they took the stage a few minutes late and ended a few minutes early, leaving enough time for at least one more song.
If the day felt pretty low-key so far, My Morning Jacket was there to ensure it didn’t stay that way. From the second Jim James and company took the stage it was clear they were there to put on a big rock show. The opening of “Mahgeetah” into “Compound Fracture” had the crowd on its feet and singing along with hands in the air. The band was on its game with blistering guitars and James’ voice filling the night sky.
Despite a little rain, Day 1 was a definite success for this new festival. The weather gods had a different plan in mind for Day 2. I arrived on the grounds fairly early hoping to catch Tank And The Bangas. As I was walking from the parking garage to the park, the heavens opened up with torrential rain, thunder, and lightning. A Shelter-In-Place order was given and the grounds were evacuated with people being sent back to their cars or, as many chose, into one of the local restaurants. It was close to 3 hours before the festival could resume. I left during the weather, so I missed Day 2 bands such as Guster, The Head & The Heart, and Dispatch. Following the festival on social media, it looked like despite the weather, Day 2 was also a success.
Creating a new festival is a massive undertaking. This same weekend saw a metal festival in the state completely fall apart with bands canceling and the venue changed the day before the event. GoodWorks and its partners did an amazing job in year 1 of what will hopefully be a long-running tradition. I’m also hopeful that the success of this year’s event will help draw even bigger bands for next year.
