August 2 and 3 2025 Payson Park Portland, Maine Pictures by Angel Simon
We decided to venture up to Portland Maine to check out the newest festival offering from the people at Goodworks Entertainment. The schedule looked nice, and it had been a while since we had ventured up to Portland. We took the chance on a hotel (the Germaine, sounds nice, right) and cruised up Friday afternoon. We got to the hotel, and it was fine, and it turns out to be a remodeled Howard Johnson’s in South Portland.
The festival didn’t open until Saturday so we cruised downtown Portland. We took in a short set of Portland’s Sparxsea at Bayside Bowl. The room was cool, and her set was good, opening for Vapors of Morphine. We caught a couple of notes of Vapors and then ventured through Portland. We ended up at the Thirsty Pig briefly, and then found ourselves at Aura music hall. I talked our way in there hoping to see a friend who had been on the bill (Portland’s favorite son, Dave Gutter) and caught the first few songs of Chris Webby, a rapper who performed over live drums and a DJ. The place was packed but it wasn’t our scene.
We caught up with Dave the next day where he talked about his various musical projects (he’s got a new hip hop album out called Oystah Gutt with Maine’s Oystah who raps about seafood, no lie) and we chatted about Rustic Overtones and other things that he is doing. For those who don’t know, Dave has written songs for Erik Krasno, Aaron Neville (for which he won a Grammy), bensbeendead, Tedeschi Trucks, and more. It was great to catch up with him, and then we were off to the festival.
We went to one of the designated parking spots to catch the shuttle. It was easy to ride the bus provided, and we ended up right on the festival grounds. This festival is nestled against the Bay in Payson Park, which afforded us with great ocean breezes on a perfectly sunny day. We ventured in and wandered around, checking out both stages which were separated by a 3 minute walk. It was impossible to tell which one is the ‘main’ stage as they were both big festival stages with huge bumping sound systems.
Croweboys were on stage when we were exploring and as we settled in for a little we caught the end of the Sarah Kinsley set. But we were anxious, and wandered over to the other stage and got ourselves situated for Cimafunk.
I feel bad for any band trying to follow Cimafunk. I had no idea how great they are. The band is named for the lead artist and proclaims themselves to be AfroCuban Funk and boy are they, ever. The band is a nine piece, with two horn players, drums, percussion, bass, guitar, ieys, and Cimafunk doing the majority of the vocals. Imagine if you were seeing Santana’s Abraxas band at their height, or James Brown at his peak, or Fela Kuti- and give it an Afro Cuban flavor and that’s what you have here.
Every player was sick, the energy was huge, and the crowd was awed by their amazing set. There was movement, dancing, rapping, singing, and musical agility that could hold up against any other band touring on the planet. I was so happy to catch this set. It was an absolute highlight of the weekend and we were just getting started.
Griffin William Sherry did a set next. Another favorite son of the Portland music scene, Sherry spent the last many years stealing the hearts and ears of New England music fans in the band Ghosts of Paul Revere. This set focused on a post Ghosts reality for Sherry. We were wandering around and didn’t catch that set but could hear it on the wind. You could easily catch both stages any time, the walks weren’t far and there was plenty of space in both concert fields but still felt like a nicely attended concert in both places.
There were good facilities everywhere, bars, vendors and food, and plenty of signage. This was a nicely contained festival, very manageable and well run. Despite being the first year of the event, it had a very organized and competent feel. This is no small feat, as we’ve all been to plenty of festivals that seemed to be running off the rails. Goodworks has their act together when it comes to running festivals. They had the Capital Groove festival back in June, and labor day weekend they run the Rhythm and Roots festival in Rhode Island that also has a sick lineup this year. Check out their lineup and info here.
We wandered back to the Longfellow stage for The Roots. The Philadelphia funk and hip hop group were a late addition with the departure of Andre 3000. I had never seen them so I was stoked, and the band delivered. They are a band that is easy to feel as if they are familiar to you, as they have spent the last decade or so as the band for the Tonight Show. Easily recognizable faces like Questlove on drums, Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter on the mic, and Captain Kirk Douglas on guitar make you feel like you’re seeing a friend’s band. They fired through an hour of energetic funk and hip hop. The energy was high, and the band had no troubles controlling your attention throughout their set. Douglas in particular took an incredible guitar solo toward the end of the set that had everyone from the first note to the last.
Another band on my wish list was up next on the Baxter Stage, Saint Paul and the Broken Bones. I had been hearing buzz on this band for a long time, and I was excited for their set. The band is set up in a classic lineup for R&B, funk and blues bands, a full band that includes horns and a rhythm section all focused on featuring and supporting the band’s dynamic lead singer, in this case Paul Janeway.
The set included songs like Sushi and Coca Cola, and Call Me. I’m not familiar with the band aside from what I’ve seen on video and random internet chatter. Janeway is a dynamic singer, able to achieve nearly anything vocally, and the band was super adept. I didn’t quite connect with the particular character of his voice but it’s easy to see why folks like them. The hour long set showcased their strong abilities and if you like bands featuring a strong vocalist straddling R&B, blues, and gospel you will like this band, for sure.
We had recently seen Thee Sacred Souls at the Capital Groove festival so we took this opportunity to head out and save some energy for day two. It happened that we weren’t curious about that day’s headliner, Lord Huron- but judging from all of the shirts in the crowd fans were ready to check them out, too.
Read the review of the Capital Groove festival by Paul Bloomfield here.
Back for day two and we had an even easier time using the shuttle now that we knew how it worked. We sauntered back in early afternoon to catch MadiDiaz who played a variety of feisty indie rock originals. Diaz has been around, including touring with Harry Styles, appearing at the Newport Folk festival and more but we were not familiar with her music. It was definitely decent and engaging. We spent much of her set hanging out with new friends on our blanket, which is another reason to love festivals!
We skipped Chance Pena on the other stage, and chilled for this perfect sunny day, soaking up the vibes and enjoying the breezes. Another target of our interest was next on the Baxter stage, RIPE. We had hoped to see them at Capitol Groove but fate had different plans for them on that day in June. We got up close and found their hour long set to be well worth the wait. They were mesmerizing, mixing elements of pop and funk and jam very effectively. Dynamic lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn has the pipes to lead any band. Jon Becker was very dynamic also, and his guitar playing and stage movement helped to compliment Wulfsohn. The whole band was super tight.
Ripe played mostly originals, and a spirited cover of the Kinks ‘Lola.’ Horns and rhythm combine for a potent and dance inspiring mix. Wulfsohn plied the crowd with his ironic jokes and banter- which at times bordered on preachiness, but mostly was self deprecating. In a weird way they reminded me of early Maroon 5, full of pop and funky goodness, with an excellent singer and a ‘we’re going to do it!’ vibe. I’d be happy to see them again anytime.
Margo Price was up next on the Longfellow stage. She brought some old school country vibes and I can see why people dig it. The same was true of the Turnpike Troubadors who brought that same kind of old school country band vibe to the Baxter stage. I’m not a huge country guy, but both bands were more of a throwback to the roots of country music rather than ‘new country’ to my relief. Both bands were excellent.
Lucy Dacus (also of boygenius) was a nod to a younger audience, and brought an indie folk rock sound to the Longfellow stage. The vibe and music was a tad down tempo but super solid. There is a very positive LGBTQ vibe going on there, and as we were wandering the grounds we saw four couples get up on stage to be married by Dacus. It was endearing and fans seemed to super enjoy Dacus’ set.
And finally, the main motivation for our trek to Maine was ready to get to the stage. It was the first time that the crowd felt ‘packed’ to concert level. This wasn’t just our highlight of the weekend, it seemed to be the peak of audience and excitement for the weekend. White took the stage as a quartet and from the opening notes it was loud and filled with energy.
White unfurled nearly ninety minutes of the raw emotion and raucous sound for which he has become famous. I was surprised at how much I knew, as much of the material was The White Stripes. Songs were punctuated by choppy blues solos and lots of strutting around the stage. The quartet included bassist Dominic Davis who really felt like the backbone of the band, aside from White himself. He was adept at injecting groove into the heavy riff laden set. At times he quietly took over from the rear of the stage, and he’s one of those cement and glue guys that truly shape modern rock and roll, not from the spotlight but from the heart of the band.
On drums it was Patrick Keeler (who is also in the Raconteurs) who held the band either to straight rock rhythms or was able to groove when that’s where Davis took the band. The other performer was keyboardist Bobby Emmett who has his own Grammy wins and nominations to his credit. He played keys and organ, and was a bit of a spectacle with a crazy organ stand that he could rock back and forth like it was in a giant cradle. Each supporting band member was excellent, and instrumental in pulling White’s sound together.
But let’s not kid ourselves, it is Jack White himself that is the enter of the universe during his performance. Dirty guitar, vocals that bark with precision, and an indie rock vibe and cred that border on royalty status. It is well earned as he knows exactly how he wants the songs and show to sound, and then he gives it to you in bucketloads. To me, this is the hallmark of any great performer, that they know what people like about them and then they heap it on.. I was happily surprised to hear the Raconteur’s ‘Steady as She Goes’ as I had mistakenly thought that was more of a Brendan Benson song, and perhaps it is.
The energy of the crowd ascended to cyclonic levels. From hipsters to hard rockers, these festivarians were ready to rock. The peak of course was the ending choice, ‘Seven Nation Army.’ Few songs encapsulate a generation the way this song does, and people were pitched into a feverish fervor, nearly creating a mosh pit, but more personal and cathartic. And when it was done, White put down his guitar and walked off stage, and you really didn’t think he was coming back. He had done it, achieved what he set out to do, rock your face off. What more is there to do once that is completely accomplished.
Setlist
Old Scratch Blues
That’s How I’m Feeling
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground / Ball and Biscuit (The White Stripes song) (Snippet)
It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)
What’s the Rumpus?
I Cut Like a Buffalo (The Dead Weather song)
Fell in Love With a Girl (The White Stripes song)
Hotel Yorba (The White Stripes song)
Broken Boy Soldier (The Raconteurs song)
What’s Done Is Done
Cannon (The White Stripes song)
Number One With a Bullet
Icky Thump (The White Stripes song)
Lazaretto
Steady, as She Goes (The Raconteurs song)
Underground
Little Bird (The White Stripes song)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes song)
Back Cove is a part of a movement of some festivals to not be a camping festival but be a multi day event. This has some great benefits including that people are not getting super wasted. Everybody can have a great time, but you needn’t also worry about your sleeping arrangements or clothing or other things that come with a camping festival. For the price of basically just seeing one of the headliners, you can get the whole day’s festival. You can have a big meal before or after the day’s festivities and choose local restaurants or the festival’s vendors. There is a level of freedom that you get from these non camping festivals. They tend to be less budget conscious, but there is a tidiness and efficiency that comes with it.
Back Cove was an excellent festival, well run straight out of the gate. Fans should be able to count on the event returning in coming years.
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