Article and Photos by Andrés Alvarado
A sense of freedom overtook Atlanta when the Big Night Out collective of concerts came about. Since March of 2020, stages across the country, nay, the world have been shut down while we deal with the ongoing consequences from the COVID-19 virus. That being said, Centennial Olympic Park played host to a much needed trifecta of nights of socially-distanced live music performances.
More than a handful of concerts, Big Night Out was about the yearning for a dose of normalcy; or at least what we remember as normal. We, concertgoers, want to support our artists, want to support our venues and vendors. We want our stages open and flourishing. For a weekend, for a moment, Big Night Out gave us just that. It was normalcy, even if we do not know for how long it would last — outside of this weekend.
As far as individual presentations go, there was no low moment to point to; except Mother Nature’s plans for Saturday night. From Pigeons Playing Ping Pong to Moon Taxi, Goodie Mob and Killer Mike‘s cameos on closing night to Marcus King Trio and, Atlanta son, Big Boi‘s presentations, the Big Night Out weekend shindig was far and wide above expectations. Big Night Out was secure, fun, nostalgic, dance-inducing, buzzing, thrilling and, more importantly, normal — which in 2020 is not a given sensation.
LoudSound Magazine 