Hinterland

August 2-4 - Saint Charles, IA

Photos by Jackilyn Cooper and Alyssa Goldberg

Words by Alyssa Goldberg

Hinterland was something out of the storybooks this year. If you’re still hearing sobs echoing from Hozier’s set –– it’s not us, we swear! Friday brought the heat with a stacked lineup –– from the enigmatic grandiosity of Orville Peck to the lush decadence of The Last Dinner Party. We also got to chat with the soothing Debbii Dawson, exuberant Odie Leigh and eclectic Hippo Campus.

We arrived at the festival early; already baking under the nearly 100º heat, we awed at the fans already camping by the entrance gates. The commitment was impressive but not shocking –– the lineup was alluring enough that Jackilyn and I traveled from Kentucky and New York to cover it. For me, it was a six-hour journey with layovers in Washington D.C. and Atlanta; for Jackilyn, a short flight to Michigan, and an eight-hour road trip to Saint Charles.

DAY 1

Debbii Dawson

Valencia Grace

The Last Dinner Party

But, the trek paid off. Despite the heat, which to be fair, was a drag, the festival delivered what it promised –– really good music. It was a cohesive lineup; each act blended seamlessly into the next, yet kept festival-goers excited and enticed.

In just over a year, this was my fifth Hozier show, with a few of those being by chance –– an extra ticket or photo pass popping up at the last minute. For the most part, I’d attended these shows alone –– one as a fan in London, the other times shooting. They’d all been special in their own ways, from tiny Eat Your Young pop-ups in London and New York to waterside performances in Boston. But sharing the experience with Jackilyn, who shares my deep love for his music, felt different and made it worthwhile to keep coming back to him.

Orville Peck

Hippo Campus

However, the night's end brought chaos, with fans waiting hours for the festival-provided shuttles to Des Moines, long walks back to the campgrounds and hikes back to the showers. Fans complained of inadequate water stations and disorganization, suggesting the festival had been oversold. It had been the most popular year for the festival thus far, with all three days selling out nearly instantaneously.

Hozier

DAY 2

Blondshell

But Saturday was promising. The festival had posted a statement on the heat and water stations, amending festival policies to allow attendees to carry in their own water. In the parking lots, workers cracked down on the organization to reduce traffic.

Day two felt like a proper kickback, with relaxing sets from Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners, Lizzy McAlpine and The Red Clay Strays, and invigorating sets from artists like Blondshell and Vampire Weekend. As fireworks lit up the sky above Vampire Weekend’s performance of “Harmony Hall,” we were finally HOT-TO-GO for Sunday. And while it was a little too hot for stick season weather, we couldn’t wait for Noah Kahan’s closing set.

Madison Cunningham

Richy Mich and the Coal Miners

Lizzy McAlpine

The Red Clay Stripes

Vampire Weekend

DAY 3

Odie Leigh

Day 3 was something special — we laughed and cried through Noah Kahan’s set, danced to Chappell Roan and Flipturn, and chopped it up with Odie Leigh over a couple of red and green icees.

Flipturn

Sunday was my third time seeing Chappell Roan. I photographed her in October 2023 at the House of Blues Boston and Governor’s Ball NYC in June. Her shows are exhilarating, fun, expressive and cathartic, and always make me want to cry. The queer joy is immersive and expands beyond the space of the stage or crowd, filling the air with a strong sense of community and unabashed pride that seeps out in a sensation that can best be described as pleasure.

Chappell Roan

Ethel Cain was equally emotional. Walking through the photo pit, I saw one fan swap a hat from a pink, decorative Chappell Roan design to a brown Ethel Cain hat. Fans flipped their posters around, swapping their adoration for Roan to Cain. Roan’s set was a party; Cain’s was a spiritual experience, and both were absolutely killer.

After their sets concluded, a flock of fans departed for the weekend. But, Noah Kahan and Mt. Joy fans arrived en masse.

Ethel Cain

Mt. Joy

Jackilyn and I were not emotionally prepared for Noah Kahan’s sets, and shed more than a few tears. Growing up in Connecticut, I constantly switch between identifying with New England or telling people I “grew up an hour outside the city.” When I listen to Kahan, I’m pulled back to childhood summers in New Hampshire and Vermont; or visiting my grandparents in upstate Connecticut and watching the mountains change colors from their back porch in autumn.

When I spoke to Kahan in 2023, he told me that it is difficult for him to accept success, because if he lets himself be happy, he may lose “the sadness that creates the music.” Seeing him at Hinterland and a few weeks prior at a sold-out Fenway Park headliner, I can’t help but reflect on our conversation, and hope he’s taking it all in.

There’s something odd about hearing “Stick Season” and “Homesick” in Iowan fields –– what do they all know about growing up in New England? But while those of us from the Northeast share that connection, his music transcends any regional borders. It’s about loss, mental health, love and trying to let the people around you in. There’s no better place than a festival, filled to the brim with incredible live music and people to share it with, to let that happen.