by Angela Betancourt
The Tortuga Music Festival wrapped up its second year on the sands of Fort Lauderdale Beach. With three stages, dozens of live bands, a variety of food options and even a water slide, there was never any shortage of things to do for fans of all ages.
What initially might have come across as just a country music festival, turned out to be that and so much more. In addition to huge country stars like Eric Church and Luke Bryan, this year’s festival also included several musicians of different genres. Ziggy Marley and Sheryl Crow were among a few of the non-country performers to play their biggest hits. Based on the audience response, it was a smart move by the festival’s organizers, Huke Entertainment.
Even before the festival, Huka Entertainment co-founder and CEO A.J. Niland, said that they had already exceeded some of their goals. The festival turned out to be bigger than last year in terms of attendance, media attention, and their message of marine research and conservation.
Like last year there, there was a Conservation Village within the festival grounds that offered a variety of interactive, educational experiences to all the festival goers. The village had games, cooking demonstrations, and examples of the latest ocean technology; all as way to engage and educate on the importance of helping the ocean.
The first day of the festival kicked off with a great performance by Black Jack Billy, followed by fantastic performances by Moon Taxi, Quaker City Nighthawks, Brett Eldredge, Ziggy Marley, The Revivalists, Billy Currington, Slightly Stoopid, Chase Rice, Hank Williams Jr., Train, and Delta Rae. The show ended with an electrifying performance by Eric Church on the main stage.
Despite heavy rains on Sunday, the show went on. Some fans embraced the rain while others huddled beneath umbrellas. Sunday’s lineup included Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay, Sons of Fathers, Brett Dennen, Cole Swindell, Brothers Osborne, Sheryl Crow, 38 Special, Parmalee, Brantley Gilbert, Dierks Bentley, and White Denim. Luke Bryan closed the show that night.
It would be hard to deny that Luke Bryan’s performance was over the top, in an amazing way. Like last year, the main stage was set up with a runway that extended into the audience. At the end of the runway was another large circular stage. All weekend performers shook hands, signed autographs, and even took selfies with fan’s own cameras.
Little did the audience know that the stage also functioned as a Luke Bryan prop station. This is how the music star started his performance; the video to “That’s my kind of night” begins to play on a giant screen. Then a real black pickup truck slowly rose from beneath the stage and Luke Bryan appears and climbs to the top of the truck. Suddenly the audience is living in the music video.
The truck later sunk back into the stage only to make way for a piano, and later a wooden dock. Despite all the impressive props, it was Luke Bryan’s gyrating hips that really drove the crowd wild.
The entire weekend was a party atmosphere but Tortuga was about more than music and beer. The festival was about bringing awareness to ocean conservation and the organizations that are taking the lead on the issues currently affecting the ocean’s delicate ecosystem. The Rock the Ocean Foundation and The Guy Harvey Foundation, along with many other partners, all aimed to educate and increase public awareness, support scientific research, and create programs designed to preserve and restore ocean life.
After another successful year, the Tortuga festival will definitely be back in 2015. To learn more about ocean conservation and the amazing causes behind the Tortuga Festival visit: rocktheocean.com, guyharvey.com, and www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/. To learn more about the festival as well as their other partners www.tortugamusicfestival.com