Lights, camera, dragons. Well, Imagine Dragons. LOVELOUD just put on their third concert on June 29th, 2019. The festival, founded in 2017 by Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, focuses on initiating conversations on what it means to love, understand and support LGBTQ+ friends and family. Last year, the documentary “Believer” followed Dan Reynolds in his effort to start a festival to bring together members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Utah and the LGBTQ+ community. The idea was to create love and fellowship among the two communities. In the documentary he also expresses distaste for a specific policy from The Church that would not let the children of gay and lesbian couples to be baptized in the church until they turn eighteen.
Dallin and I got to attend the festival for InQua. In this article, we’ll discuss the quality of the festival, whether it accomplishes its mission and how it has changed.
The Music
Kevin: Okay, first off let’s talk about the music of LOVELOUD. What did you think of the different performers?
Dallin: I liked the performances by all the bands I had never really heard of until the day of the event. The two I knew (Kesha and Dan Reynolds) were just ok, but the other performances were awesome. The stand out performance for me was AJR, they really seemed to get into their set.
Kevin: I agree, Dan and Kesha were definitely a disappointment. Kesha’s set was played like a punk goes pop version of Kesha. And, that didn’t translate well for me. It was also strange to have an acoustic set end out the night. I think that the festival would have played better to have a big act end out the night. Also, some Imagine Dragons songs just aren’t meant to be played with just piano and vocals. Those that do translate better to an acoustic set weren’t included. AJR was incredible, I loved the excitement and positivism they used to address some of their technical issues during the performance. They addressed problems with humor and charm. My favorite performance was definitely K-Flay. She has a great musical sense and in general it was a riveting performance. Daya also killed it.
Dallin: I agree, those were the three for me: K-Flay, Daya, and AJR. I agree that Keisha would have been better with her typical sound. Dan Reynolds performance was much much more focused on the message he was trying to deliver rather than just the music. Which can be cool, but it left me wanting more, especially on the acoustic versions of the Imagine Dragons songs.
The Message
Kevin: I’m with you, the messaging from Dan Reynolds was definitely the best of the night. I think he saved the festival from a messaging perspective. Speaking of the purpose of the festival, do you feel like it did a better job of helping people to be more accepting and loving of the LGBTQ+ community?
Dallin: I’d say yes to an extent. Being a straight, white male raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it was nice that when I asked a sincere question to someone, they didn’t take offense and jump down my throat, rather, they calmly and politely answered my question. It helped that the music is something we can all appreciate and via the concert we have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the LGBTQ+ and their struggles.
Kevin: Yeah, I really enjoyed talking to some of the members of the LGBTQ+ community about their opinions and struggles. And, honestly, I think a music festival is a great place to hold those conversations. I wish that the quality of the headliners was a little higher. Comparing it to last year’s festival, I feel like there was an even more loving atmosphere in 2018. And, that might also have to do with the speakers. I feel like this year a lot of the speakers didn’t do a great job conveying their message. In fact, I think the best speaker was Dan Reynolds. Whereas last year the best speaker was probably Tim Cook or Governor Gary Herbert. What did you think about the speakers?
Dallin: They were really hit or miss for me. Honestly, I’d chalk that up to public speaking. Some had these awesome stories of overcoming anxieties and telling their peers. The problem was that some, not all, felt like they were rambling without a clear message. I felt like that each had great experiences, but could have benefited greatly from someone helping them organize their thoughts into a more effective speech, one that could help match the emotion of the experience that they were relating.
Finding Balance
Kevin: I totally agree that clarity and organization was an issue for some. Also, I think that if part of the target audience includes members of The Church of Jesus Christ that they should tell artists to cut down on swearing. It sucks to keep people from speaking how they want. And, it is a concert, but that would increase the overall appeal to a lot of members. Acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is becoming more mainstream. Appealing to the groups who may still have some reservations about the community requires playing to some of their rules. Is there anything else that could have been done to better help both parties feel comfortable?
Dallin: Something that bothered me the most, especially with all the families there, was the Kesha performance. The language was pretty vulgar. I’d expect that at a typical concert, but not one where I was seeing kids well under 8 years old. I would also say that with the speakers, better direction could be given as to what the overall message was about. I honestly just thought they were all good stories and wasn’t really sure what point they were driving at until Dan Reynolds got up. But other than those, it was a great concert.
A Noble Effort
Kevin: I would say that despite its faults, I think LOVELOUD is a great festival. I wish festivals like it existed for other communities. I think one that focused on uniting republicans and democrats would be really cool. And, they’re accomplishing some goals. Recently, The Church of Jesus Christ changed their policy on children of homosexual couples. Although the LGBTQ+ community didn’t seem to be as encouraged by the change. It’s definitely a policy shift that LOVELOUD helped encourage. I hope that they continue this effort that is honestly having a positive effect.
Learn more about LOVELOUD and the good it’s doing for the LGBTQ+ community by visiting their website loveloudfest.com
Also, check out our interview with Ty Herndon, the first openly gay country singer.
Enjoy!