As the crowds on AthFest’s main stage dwindled around 9:30 p.m., a line snaked around the Georgia Theater waiting for Gabrielli Delliponti, Hallpass and Wim Tapley & The Cannons.
Grant Keeler, a senior studying biology at the University of Georgia, joined the line around 10:15 p.m. For Keeler, this venue stands out among the other club crawl participants.
“(The Georgia Theatre) is a big venue, but you also feel so close to the bands,” Keeler said. “You’re kind of right on top of them.”
Although Keeler said he loves live music, he was at the Georgia Theater specifically to see Gideon Johnston, Hallpass’ drummer.
Gabrielli Delliponti
Gabrielli Delliponti took the stage promptly at 10:10 p.m. Dressed in a sparkly black bralette, rhinestone-encrusted miniskirt, fishnet stockings, and black leather combat boots, Delliponti brought pop music with a touch of girl power to the Georgia Theater.
Delliponti and her band wowed the crowd during their rousing performance. At one point, Delliponti crouched down at the audience’s eye level while singing. The group kept the energy high as they smiled, danced and sang their way through each song.
The laid-back set ended with a performance of PINK’s “So What” with special guests, indie pop artists Sarah Mootz and Lane Marie. Mootz, Marie and Delliponti wore t-shirts that read “More Pop Music at AthFest.” The trio joined forces to simultaneously promote female artists and the genre of pop music in Athens.
“We feel like Athens is so jam band and indie rock oriented that (all female pop artists) need to band together,” Mootz said.
The set ended with a bang: blue, pink and purple strobe lights filled the theater as the group delivered an energetic finale on stage.
Hall pass
The members of Hallpass hopped from foot to foot and chatted animatedly as they prepared for their 11pm performance. The group took the stage to arrange their instruments before the lights came on and the crowd began to chatter excitedly. The lights came on and immediately the crowd went quiet.
As the first chords of the opening song rang out, the crowd erupted in cheers. It was clear that Hallpass had begun their high-intensity set, with each song flowing seamlessly into the next.
At one point during the performance, the band’s bassist, Sam Smith, was bouncing and jumping around while strumming, causing the strap on her guitar to break. However, the minor setback did not stop the band from delivering an energetic rock session on stage.
Wim Tapley joined Hallpass on stage to sing one of their hits, “Maine.” Tapley sat at the edge of the stage and dangled his legs into the audience as he sang the last verse. Hallpass finished their set at 11:45 p.m. with songs the audience knew well, which was evident by the audience singing along to the lyrics loudly and clearly.
Wim Tapley and the Cannons
“Let’s rock,” said Wim Tapley as he entered the stage flanked by The Cannons.
The crowd applauded and cheered loudly as Wim Tapley and The Cannons began their performance at midnight. Some fans knew every lyric of the songs being played, throwing their arms in the air and belting out the lyrics.
The band delivered an atmospheric performance featuring brass instruments alongside their signature guitars and drums. The unique sound of each instrument was highlighted throughout the performance.
Bridget Sattele, a graduate of the University of Georgia’s master’s program in business administration, and Avery Lawler, a master’s student in sports management at UGA, attended Saturday’s club crawl just to see Wim Tapley and The Cannon perform.
Sattele said she saw Tapley perform in Athens and realized they were neighbors. After that, the two became close friends and Sattele supports her friend’s music in any way she can.
“Now I’ve forced all my friends to be Wim fans too,” said Sattele. “It’s not difficult either. You let them listen to a song and they think: ‘Oh, wow. He’s good.'”
Sattele and Lawler said not only is AthFest getting more popular each year, but so is Tapley. Last year, Tapley performed on the main stage at Wicked Weed and this year he headlined at the Georgia Theater. The pair said his success is well-deserved.
“Above all, he is a great person,” said Sattele.
While Tapley was in the middle of his performance, his guitar string broke. As he left the stage, he asked his band to play music while he addressed the problem. The band easily displayed a spontaneous funk flair during the break.
Wim Tapley and The Cannons’ performance ended around 1 a.m. Concertgoers left the Georgia Theater and returned to the streets of downtown to continue their evening, search for a midnight snack, or head back for a good night’s sleep in preparation for the second day of AthFest.
