July 30, 2021

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The Wonderstruck Festival had it all! Lakeland Community was home for the 2 day event. It provided a great layout for fun, food and entertainment. There were plenty of food and beverage choices, restrooms, and activities (corn hole, inflatables, photo booth to mention a few) for all ages. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the grounds during the weekend. The weather also cooperated and brought the heat. Of course, the reason why everyone was in attendance was the music.

 

London Thompson, the Independence native took the stage with her band and backup dancers. She performed an energetic set that included Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA” and her Tik Tok hit song “I Wish It Would Rain.”

 

Royal & the Serpent with the Beauty School Dropouts backing her provided a high energy set. The first couple of songs were great but unfortunately the remaining performance was filled with vulgarities. I went from “I really like her vibe! She has great energy!” to being put off by her language. She did end the set on a high note by performing her Tik Tok hit song “Overwhelmed.”

 

JP Saxe, hailing from Canada, played a mellow set that reminded me a little of Ed Sheeren. He mentioned his collaboration with John Mayer on his song “Dangerous Levels Of Introspection.” He performed his noteworthy Tik Tok song “If the World Was Ending.”

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Tate McCrae, also from Canada and a very recent high school graduate, announced that this was her first festival. If she was nervous, it didn’t show. With her backup dancers and band, she gave a performance of her hit “You Broke Me First” among other songs. MaCrae has a Billie Eilish sound to her. 

 

Lennon Stella may be recognised as Maddie Conrad from TV’s Nashville, but she was a real life star when put on a soulful performance that included “La Di Da” and a duet with JP Saxe called “Golf on TV.” After watching, my first thought was that she can sing a story.

 

Third Eye Blind provided the crowd with their quintessential 90s hits such as “Semi Charmed Life,” “Jumper” and “Never Let You Go.” They gave a tight performance that the crowd really enjoyed, singing right along with the band.

 

Walk the Moon’s performance was amazing! They had a phenomenal stage presence that radiated joy and happiness to the audience and the audience was soaking it all in. The stage lighting was like another member of the band that really enhanced their performance. Their set consisted of well known songs such as “Shut Up and Dance,” “Work This Body” and “One Foot.” You couldn’t have asked for a better closing act. It left everyone wanting more.

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Review by Judy Benson

Photos by Greg Drugan

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