By Dave Parsons
The Tortuga Festival kicked off its highly anticipated, 11th anniversary 2024 edition with a bang, treating attendees to a day filled with unforgettable performances, vibrant energy, and the spirit only live music can bring. Tortuga is a unique festival in that they work with the Rock The Ocean Foundation, educating the huge crowd and raising money which is now over 4 million dollars.
As fans from across the country came together on the shores of Fort Lauderdale Beach, anticipation was high as day one kicked off at 2 PM. From the moment the gates opened, the air was filled with excitement as festival-goers made their way to one of the various stages on either end of the beachfront venue, or visiting some of the pop up shops, or the food vendors in the large festival village.
The lines for all of these got longer as the day goes on so everyone has their own strategy. And, with 80-degree, picture-perfect weather adding to the setting, the stage was set for a first day of musical magic.
Day one of Tortuga 2024 was headlined by Lainey Wilson. The bell bottomed girl has taken country music by storm in recent years, and her full blown stage production delighted the crowd through her 90 minutes of hits. Decked out in one of her trademark outfits she showed great stage presence, constantly moving from one end of the giant Corona stage to the other, and down the long catwalk, giving the folks down front, as well as those further back, a full diverse stage show.
Ashley McBryde played the Verizon Sunset Stage, about 200 yards down the beach, immediately before Wilson. McBryde is quickly establishing herself as a classic hit song writer and singer. Hits like Girl Going Nowhere, A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega, and Betty Get Your Bra On, complete with wardrobe to match!, endeared her to the crowd who, even on the lesser known hits, seemed to know every word and sang along. I questioned from the time I saw the lineup why McBryde was not on the main stage and her performance backed up my question. She is, and will continue, to be a force to be reckoned with in country music for a long time to come.
The Turnpike Troubadours, and their combination of country styles of music, (red dirt, honky-tonk, americana and country rock) are playing a string of country festivals this year, and for good reason. Their tight harmonies, and even better musicianship makes them a pleasure to watch, even their songs may not all be on everyone’s phones or Spotify playlists. Their show towards evening, on the first day of Tortuga, was a great spot as the crowd had gotten larger all day, and was reaching it’s peak about the time they took the stage.
The Tortuga festival is known primarily for it’s country acts, but they also add in acts from other genres that are known crowd pleasers. Such as it was with Teddy Swims. Still a relative newcomer, Teddy Swims developed a following with some cover versions he put on video and uploaded to Youtube. The popularity got him a record deal with Warner, and his first single came out in January 2020. A few Some small releases followed and Swims found himself on the charts in the summer of 2023. By this time, his live shows had caught on, with him playing several large festivals. His appearance at Tortuga shows you do not have to have dozens of radio songs, but just video covers and single releases that your audience likes. With his usual attire of bib overalls undone on one side, and the tattooed head, Teddy Swims took the beachfront audience on a musical ride in the Florida heat.
In another diversion away from the country music on tap, Tortuga invited 1990’s icons, Boyz II Men, to do a set at Tortuga 2024. Dressed identical in white t-shirts and shorts, the trio ripped into their basket of hits and took the crowd along for a nostalgic ride. Adding in perfect choreography and impeccable harmonies, the 45 minute set felt like only 15. Boyz II Men were an incredible add to this country festival.
Country newcomer, Priscilla Block took the crowd on a trip through her Youtube popular songs as well as songs off her forthcoming label release. Block has the ability to set each of her songs up with the story behind the song, so you aren’t left to assume such things on the fly. Block’s playful teasing, unmistakable sassiness, and her beautiful voice, are crowd pleasers, not to mention her outfits. And, the music…….yes!….her music runs the gamut between told you so numbers to rip your heart out ballads, with the under 35 crowd being her target audience. There are still so many great things coming in Priscilla Block’s career….she is just getting started!
This was just a taste of these two stages, facing each other, about 200 yards apart on the beach. In the middle of the two, there is a large white tent that hosted the Next From Nashville Stage. The music never stopped in this tent either, as it offered some great music, and some respite from the afternoon sun, especially if you were trekking down the beach between the main stages.
On day one, the Next From Nashville Stage offered a wide variety of acts including Huntergirl, The Castellows, Meg McRee and Anne Wilson. Each had a very brief set to impress and win over the crowd. The tent was jammed for almost all of the acts that performed and rightly so. It will only be a matter of a few years before these acts will be on the large beachfront stages at Tortuga.
As attendees made their way home, sun-kissed and smiling, they couldn’t help but look forward to what day two of the festival would bring. And if day one was any indication, it was sure to be another day filled with unforgettable moments and memories that would last a lifetime.
Disclaimer: It is impossible, because of overlapping set times on stages 200 yards apart, to photograph and review every act at the festival. I photographed as many as was possible each day.
Photo Gallery : Anne Wilson – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
Photo Gallery : Priscilla Block – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
Photo Gallery : Teddy Swims – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
Photo Gallery : Boyz II Men – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
Photo Gallery : Turnpike Troubadours – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
Photo Gallery : Ashley McBryde – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
Photo Gallery : Lainey Wilson – Tortuga Music Festival (04.05.2024)
