XPONENTIAL MUSIC FEST: ANI DIFRANCO, ADIA VICTORIA, STRAND OF OAKS & MORE

Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ, once again hosts the Xponential Music Festival with it’s beautiful Marina on the banks of the Delaware River and the Philadelphia skyline as the backdrop. Over the course of the weekend, over 20 artists/bands performed in the beautiful sunshine to a crowd who basked in the glory of live music after such a long period without it. Our photographer, Anthony Mulcahy, stopped by on Saturday afternoon to check out the happenings, and first stop was a party on the River Stage as Cimafunk got everyone on their feet dancing to the wonderful mix of funk, with tastes of Cuban roots, and African rhythms.

Cimafunk

Over on the Marina Stage, Adia Victoria in support of her brand new album A Southern Gothic blasted through the sweltering heat to give an all in performance. Delighted to be back touring again with her band, Adia gave us songs from what is undoubtedly one of the most important albums this year, as well as a couple from her 2016 record Beyond The Bloodhounds.

Adia Victoria

Back on the River Stage, Strand Of Oaks drew hardcore fans from around the country to Camden for the afternoon. The band fronted by Timothy Showalter, with his killer riffs, kept the heads nodding for the set.

Strand Of Oaks

A huge crowd gathered back at the Marina Stage to welcome the legendary Christone “Kingfish” Ingram back to the festival. The blues guitar virtuoso gave a jaw dropping performance and even spent some time in the crowd up close and personal with his fans as he laid down the blues.

Christone Kingfish Ingram

The evening came to a close on the River Stage as Ani DiFranco took to the stage. Ani laughed at how the tables had turned, as the crowd faced the sunset and it is typically the performer who is blinded by the light. Opening with “Still My Heart” and then treating us to a couple of new songs, Ani had the crowd in the palm of her hand for over an hour. “32 Flavors” as well as “Revolutionary God” got us singing along and she closed her set with “Shameless.” An amazing afternoon of sounds at Wiggins Park. It’s great to hear some live music again.