Written by Payton Lehman
Riding the high of day 2 and recovering from the Jane and Snow Strippers mosh pit, I was ready for a breather. Waking up for day 3 and checking the lineup made me feel a sense of relief knowing that my body wouldn’t be thrown around for the thousandth time in a mosh. Even though today wouldn’t be a real rocker, there was definitely much to be anticipated like Santigold and Mumford and Sons. With little delay, I dressed like a straight boss, and gathered my super wonderful, terrific best friend Claire. We had to drive a solid 30 minutes to the commuter lot in Des Moines, which went by super quick and didn’t take long at all. Once we made it to our lot, we hopped on the bus and set off to St. Charles for the day.
The bus ride up was super smooth. Rob Sand’s enchanting voice narrating what was to come for day 3 of Hinterland was a delightful touch to an already perfect ride. Me and Claire both bonded over the Donner Party and our love of Cameron Winter for a very quick 40 minutes until we reached the motherland (A.K.A Hinterland). When our bus pulled up, we of course thanked our bus driver, met up with some friends and hastefully set off to the stage.
As we approached the stage, we were very reluctant to arrive right as Julia Wolf was performing. Pre-Hinterland day 3, I was somewhat familiar with Julia Wolf’s work. Her viral 2024 hit “In My Room” was a song I had heard in the past on Tik Tok. I was also familiar with her classic feature with Yeat on his album that he dropped this year, ADL. Her performance did not disappoint. Most notably, her voice had an insane aura and was pretty incredible. Her set was quite nice and bittersweet and definitely satisfied an itch that was needed to begin day 3.
Unfortunately, I was very hungry at the start of the day and was still in pain from getting straight bodied in the pit on day 2 (thank you Snow Strippers). My gluttony got the best of me. I missed Amble and Waylon Wyatt’s set. Yes, I was looking for food for an hour because everything smelled super good, and maybe I also dabbled in some record window shopping. However, I did overhear both sets, and I thought they were both pretty good and definitely fit the vibe of the day. FOR FOOD THOUGH, I GOT VEGETARIAN PIZZA! As a proud local grown vegetarian, I was quite content and shocked with all of the vegetarian options, especially since there is just a ridiculous amount of variety. Seriously, I mean everything from vegetarian pizza, burgers, and burritos. I even got some vegan mac and cheese that was absolutely phenomenal; like maybe top 5 mac and cheeses I’ve ever had. I will DEFINITELY be tapping into that again next year for sure.
I ultimately settled on pizza because like c’mon its pizza! Might I add, An amazing piece of pizza. I still daydream about that pizza from time to time to this day. After getting lost in the world of vegetarian cuisine, it was time to return to the stage for the next artist of the day.
ITS CMAT TIME WOO HOO. CMAT was very very fun and her music felt perfect for a nice, sunny, relaxing day. Her fans seemed so engaged as well. Signs, shirts, and screaming intrigued me in such an interesting way. To be completely honest, I was spectating on the hill, getting some rays and her fans unvoluntary persuaded me to like to sprint down the hill out of sheer curiosity. I am not going to sugarcoat this set, but it was such a good time. Her stage presence was wonderful, and she and the band had an incredible sense of fashion and charm. Some highlights from her set were CMAT realizing Elijah Wood was born in Iowa, which was beautiful to witness first-hand. CMAT also jumped in the pit and ran around at the back half of her set. Unfortunately, I was nowhere near her (Insert Sad Emoji). Overall, I had such a fun time with her set. The crowd, her performance, the music, and her charm really set the bar for the day.
The latter half of the day was also just as enjoyable! Santigold really got the crowd moving with her excellent blend of Alt-pop, electronic music, and hip-hop. She also invited audience members on stage to perform in a dance battle, which may honestly be a top 5 Hinterland moment for me. The Format was also pretty decent as well. However, I did not know until half way into day 3 that Nate Ruess from fun. Was the founding member of the band. During their performance, I caved and decided to finger paint the cargo containers which was quite a blast. Claire also recorded some Tik Toks with some of my friends. We were lowkey vibing emoji.
NOW OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS ITS GOSH DANG MUMFORD AND SONS. I waited in the pit during Jessie Murph just to see this glorious moment, and let me tell you that they delivered so hard. This band genuinely felt like a life changing experience to see. All of the Mumfords were cooking with this one. They played all of their hits and the crowd was going absolutely bonkers. It was such a good time. Things took a complete 180 when MARCUS MUMFORD, YES THE ONE AND ONLY MARCUS MUMFORD, jumped into the pit and immediately started running around. Everyone was fan girling and screaming and it was the definition of a real hoot. I also got to touch Marcus Mumford’s shoulder, but I won’t gush about that moment too much. At the end of their set, they walked off stage never to be seen without even playing their biggest hit “I WIll Wait”. UNTIL! THEY CAME BACK OUT TO PLAY A “I WILL WAIT” AND IT WAS THE BEST ENCORE EVER! Truly the definition of beautiful and stellar.
Just like that, Day 3 was in the wraps. So many amazing memories were made today like dancing with Santigold, touching Marcus Mumford, and listening to boy mad with the one and only Jessie Murph. Day 3 just felt too perfect. Instead of taking the bus, me and Claire carpooled home with some friends and we reminisced on our favorite moments of day 3 and got doughnut. We all lived happily ever after.
All in all, I believe Day 3 delivered on all parts. I believe day 3 is a testament of how diverse Hinterland can be for all attendees. There is really something for every music lover to enjoy in St. Charles this year. The lineup for Hinterland this year almost feels surreal to me. The fact that Jane Remover, Geese, Katseye, Lorde, and Mumford and Sons all performed at the same venue is such a unique experience that I can’t help but appreciate.
