Make The World Better Fest Live in Philly
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
On Friday, July 25th, Jay Som, Hop Along, and Lucy Dacus played beautiful sets at FDR Park in Philadelphia as part of the two-day-long Make The World Better Festival. The Make The World Better Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia founded by Connor Barwin and Jeffrey Tubbs. Make The World Better Festival focuses on making parks and community spaces in Philadelphia. These bands played on the first day of the fest–the second day was on Sunday of that week.
Jay Som opened up the show, playing the first set of the night. Because of a thunderstorm which landed right as they were supposed to start playing, the bands played about an hour later than scheduled and their sets were a bit shorter. Jay Som, the indie pop project of Melina Duterte, announced her first record since 2019 this year, to be released in October on Polyvinyl Records. Her band played “The Bus Song” first from her 2017 album Everybody Works; the rest of the setlist was mainly newer songs from the forthcoming album. The songs were groovy and atmospheric and gentle, and a perfect way to start off the night.
Next up was Philadelphia’s own Hop Along. Hop Along, an indie rock powerhouse band formed in 2004, haven’t released a record since 2018’s Bark Your Head Off, Dog but play shows occasionally in Philly. Led by Frances Quinlan, the set was heavy on songs from 2015’s Painted Shut, such as “Waitress,” about working in food service. They closed the set with the anthemic song “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which Frances dedicated to their nieces. Quinlan’s rough and tumble, uniquely creaky voice shined during this set.
Headlining the night was Lucy Dacus. Dacus used to live in Philly for a spell and mentioned that as she took the stage. She opened with “Hot and Heavy” from her 2021 album Home Video. Dacus recently became an ordained minister and during one song, officiated marriages for several couples onstage. This was a sweet moment and very memorable. She plans to continue officiating marriages throughout her tour. She brought Quinlan up to sing “Bullseye” from her latest album Forever Is A Feeling. Dacus closed the night playing the classic 2017 banger “Night Shift” in the encore. This was a truly special show and for a great cause as well.
Photos by Jay Leiby
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