More than 27,000 attend Sing Out Loud Festival

Dozens of recording artists have performed at Francis Field in St. Augustine, Florida including John Fogerty, Molly Hatchet, Snoop Dogg, Sister Hazel, Travis Tritt, JJ Grey and Mofro and many others.

Mumford & Sons brought their Gentlemen of the Road Tour in September 2013, with more than 20,000 on the field for that event.

The nation’s oldest city welcomed back Marcus Mumford and his band, along with The Black Keys — performing for the first time in St. Augustine. The Sing Out Loud Festival Francis Field Showcase took place Sept. 22-23, with the largest stage ever to be built on the site, which was 60 feet tall.

The two-day event brought more than 27,000 concert goers to the field, with performers the War Hippies, Yola, Lord Huron, The Black Keys, S.G. Goodman, Amos Lee, Elle King, Maggie Rogers, and Mumford & Sons.

Designed during the area’s off season, the Sing Out Loud Festival (Sept. 8 - Oct. 1) features area venues, vendors, food trucks and restaurants, and helps bring income to local business owners. The Francis Field Showcase alone employed more than 450 people.

“There’s been around 480 people working on the site — from the stage, stagehands, tent and structure crews, and throughout the general site,” said Carl Liberatore, Production Coordinator with the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, producer of the event.

Dan Auerbach, guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, has ties to the area and said he busked on Saint George Street as a teen in the ’90s.

“I used to busk for change in the old town … 25 years ago,” Auerbach said in a quick interview backstage on Friday, September 22.

“His uncle had some restaurants here,” said drummer Patrick Carney.

“My Uncle Ned owned Gypsy Cab Company, so I used to work here during the summers peeling onions and carrots and bussing tables,” Auerbach explained, “… and I would take my guitar to Saint George Street and play for change.”

“We only really vacationed in one place, and it was here, and it was once a year, and we would pack into the minivan and drive from Akron, Ohio down here, and spend a week on the beach and hang out with Ned.," he said. "I always have fond memories of St. Augustine.”

SING OUT LOUD FESTIVAL

The Sing Out Loud Festival continues through October 1 in more than seven St. Augustine venues including The Waterworks, Colonial Oak Music Park, Tradewinds Tropical Lounge, Shanghai Nobby’s, Odd Birds Cocktail Lounge, The Beacon Listening Room, and Prohibition Kitchen. See the full lineup at www.singoutloudfestival.com/events

The St. Augustine Songwriters Festival runs Sept. 29 - Oct. 1 with songwriters who have written hit songs for some of the nation’s top recording artists. The musicians will tell their stories and perform.

This free event is open to the public. More details can be found by visiting www.singoutloudfestival.com/events/st-augustine-songwiters-festival

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: More than 27,000 attend Sing Out Loud Festival