The sun returned for day three of Big Ears Festival just in time for a jam-packed day of music. The stacked festival bill had attendees weighing conflicting sets and walking times across Knoxville. Sets reached capacity for David Virelles, Hatis Noit, Myra Melford, Beth Orton, Kokoroko, Herbie Hancock, Ash Future, and Shabaka. Fortunately, there’s incredible music to take in around every corner.
Read the Day One Recap
Read the Day Two Recap
Read the Day Four Recap
Secret Chiefs 3: Ishraqiyun
Secret Chiefs 3 returned to the Big Ears stage with their Ishraqiyun satellite band on Saturday afternoon. Melding Eastern and Asian musical influences with Western techniques, the band had a hypnotic hold on the crowd. While more dialed-in than their performance on Thursday, Ches Smith’s drumming still had the rafters in the balcony shaking.
Dibia$e
“Who needs a neck brace?” King Britt asked the crowd banging their heads along with Dibia$e. The LA producer filled Jackson Terminal with his alternative hip hop beats and smiling faces ecstatically grooving along with him.
Charlie Dark MBE
Charlie Dark seamlessly transitioned from Dibia$e’s set into his own all-vinyl performance. Kicking it off with dub, the legendary London DJ had positivity radiating from Jackson Terminal.
Cedric Burnside
Cedrick Burnside was all smiles as he channeled Junior Kimbrough for a cover of “Keep Your Hands Off Her.” The Mississippi bluesman with a musical pedigree brought the blues to Mill & Mine with a soulful performance of his own Grammy-winning songs.
Colin Stetson
“This is a thrill and I really appreciate you being here,” Colin Stetson greeted the crowd at the Standard. Wielding a bass saxophone, Stetson aggressively blew over a backing track as red lights flashed across the audience during his captivating performance.
Brandon Coleman
“Are y’all ready to go to space for a little bit?” Brandon Coleman asked taking the stage at Jackson Terminal. Along with Ricardo Jordan on drums and Byron Miller on bass, the keyboardist got the crowd rocking with a jazz and funk fusion. Coleman introduced “Giant Feelings” as coming to him in a dream before jumping on the vocoder for a funky groove.
Horse Lords
There was no use in counting the time signatures during Horse Lords’ energetic set at Mill and Mine. The Baltimore avant-garde rock quartet delivered a polyrhythmic set complete with a drum battle between Andrew Bernstein and Sam Haberman.
Digable Planets
Digable Planets brought old-school hip-hop to the Knoxville Civic Auditorium, and it felt as fresh as ever. Butterfly (Ishmael Butler) Ladybug Mecca (Mary Ann Vieira), and Doodlebug (Craig Irving) were backed by a five-piece band that had the crowd on their feet singing along with every verse from “Graffiti” to “What Cool Breezes Do.” “We appreciate you rocking with us. Before we go, we’re going to take it back to the beginning,” said Butler before the trio launched into “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” Thirty years after its release, there’s no one cooler.
Herbie Hancock
Jazz legend Herbie Hancock declared the audience to be the seventh member of his band, “but you don’t get paid.” A jubilant Hancock was full of jokes throughout his set. He highlighted the skills of his talented band members throughout the exhilarating set. Highlights included Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” arranged by band member Terrance Blanchard. Hancock noted that Shorter was his best friend. They followed up with “Actual Proof,” and “Come Running to Me.”
Hancock had some fun on the vocoder, claiming to be the “first or second person” to use a vocoder. In a robotic voice he proclaimed, “You’re a beautiful audience. I like making music for youuuuu.” After joking that nobody likes every member of their family he asked, “Do you know how many families there are on the planet? One.” The jazz icon ended the set by jumping up and down alongside guitarist Lionel Loueke. At 83, the musical icon is as vibrant as his timeless art.
The Messthetics
Just when we thought we couldn’t take in any more live music in one day, the Messthetics delivered a captivating set to end day three at Big Ears. The Messthetics includes Fugazi alumni Brendan Canty on drums and Joe Lally on bass as well as guitarist Anthony Pirog. Their jazz punk fusion is an experiment in instrumental music. Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis joined the quartet to blow the lid off the Standard and send everyone home humming their melodies.
