Dave Matthews Band, Noah Kahan and More Sing in the Rain at Pilgrimage

Starting Friday and continuing through the weekend, Hurricane Helene struck the Southeast, killing more than 100 people and devastating a broad swath of Appalachia. The outermost edge of the storm barely touched Middle Tennessee, but did bring heavy rain that drenched The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin. This raised concerns that organizers might have to cancel the 10th anniversary run of Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival — or else risk a repeat of the 2018 event, which was put on hold and ultimately canceled when the skies opened a few hours into its first day. Setting aside a delay on Saturday, this year’s fest went mostly as planned, while fans donned rain gear and dodged (or else jumped right into) mud puddles scattered around the site.

Spitting rain kept some of the crowd away from the Gold Record Road stage Saturday afternoon, but those who braved the weather for Allison Russell’s set smiled brightly, sang along and clung to the barricades. Thanking the audience for sticking it out, the songsmith and activist opened with a clarinet solo. Backed by a three-piece version of her Rainbow Coalition band, Russell treated the audience to songs from her rich catalog like “Springtime” and “Hy-Brasil.” Hozier, who would later play a full set to close out the stage for the day, came out for a heartfelt duet on Russell's final number, the Grammy-nominated “Nightflyer.”

Meanwhile, Willi Carlisle dazzled the audience at the Americana Music Triangle with his antic stage presence and his heartfelt songs. He kicked off his solo set with “What the Rocks Don’t Know,” showcasing some footwork and accompanying himself on deer bones and harmonica. He switched to banjo for “Critterland,” the titular tune from his third and most recent album, and used his accordion for “Este Mundo,” inspired by a farmer’s testimony about Indigenous land rights. He dedicated “Penny Evans,” a ballad from the perspective of a widow from the Vietnam War, to Palestinians affected by the Israel-Hamas war. Carlisle wrapped with “Your Heart’s a Big Tent” — a fitting finale since this stage was under a tent and offered shelter from the elements.

Back at Gold Record Road, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real started their set a little late, but fans had a hoedown anyway as the rockers belted out favorites like “Find Yourself” and “Something Real.” A little later, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue brought high energy from the downbeat when they took the main Midnight Sun stage. The group hails from New Orleans, and their namesake frontman informed the crowd that he wasn’t going to let the rain stop him; sure enough, he and his trombone often appeared right at the front of the stage. Their variety of jazz- and hip-hop-informed NOLA funk is not for standing around, and the audience grooved till the set was over.

As the rain kept on in fits and starts, Saturday night headliner Dave Matthews Band kept the family-friendly festival crowd rocking well after dark. Matthews & Co. brought Trombone Shorty back out for a couple of tunes including “Louisiana Bayou” and loaded up the end of the show with catalog classics like “Crash Into Me,” “Warehouse,” “Rapunzel” and the indelible “Ants Marching.” The video panels at stage left fizzled out for a brief period, but otherwise the set seemed little affected by the dampness — although Matthews announced that they’d forgo the typical custom of leaving the stage and coming back for the encore. This drew a big cheer from the crowd, who kept it up as the band tore into their intense version of “All Along the Watchtower.”

The weather was lighter on Sunday, but the rain lingered. At Gold Record Road, London folk-pop singer-songwriter Myles Smith was in high spirits in spite of technical issues with his in-ear monitors; the attentive crowd helped him out by clapping along. “Thank you for keeping me on time — I couldn’t hear a thing!” he quipped. He delivered a mix of originals and covers, including a soulful rendition of The Neighbourhood’s 2013 hit “Sweater Weather” and his own latest single “Wait for You.” Smith kicked things up a notch with fan fave “Stargazing,” performing it twice.

Nashville alt-rockers COIN embraced the unpredictability the dark clouds brought to their main-stage set, using it to feed their energy and keep the crowd amped up. The set featured songs from their hot-off-the-presses sixth LP I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore, starting with the post-punk-by-way-of-Phoenix album opener “It’s Hard to Care About Everything.” They continued with older faves like “Boyfriend” and the whistle-worthy “Talk Too Much” and ended with the rowdy “Crash My Car.” Before leaving the stage, they announced that the extensive tour they were about to start will end March 6 with the inaugural show at forthcoming Nashville venue The Pinnacle.

Country champion Charlie Worsham finished out the weekend’s lineup at Americana Music Triangle with a set featuring songs he recorded on his 2023 EP Compadres with stars like Lainey Wilson and Dierks Bentley. After performing “Things I Can’t Control,” he thanked the audience for braving the rain and acknowledged those in East Tennessee and North Carolina affected by flooding. The crowd thinned early, but those who stayed enjoyed a sneak peek of four songs slated for Worsham’s next album.

As the end of Pilgrimage drew near, so did a massive run for folk-pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, whose headlining set marked the conclusion of a two-year, 225-date tour since the release of his breakthrough album Stick Season. “I don’t know if I’ll be back here on a headlining stage,” Kahan told the audience, “so if I’m not, let’s make this the best fucking last show ever.” He and his band launched into fan favorites like “New Perspective” and “Dial Drunk” — whose recording features Post Malone, one of Kahan’s many recent collaborations — while riffing with the crowd, reading some of the signs they brought and even trading a guitar pick for two Snickers bars. After a solo performance of “Maine,” a throwback to his debut EP Cape Elizabeth, Kahan brought out rising star Ashe for “Stick Season,” ending the wet weekend on a high note.