Photos by Jacob Mulka
Guest Written by Cheyanne Powell
Known as the city famous for techno, Motown, and some of the most well- known rap songs, Detroit City brought in yet another diverse music festival that lit up the riverside this past July 27th and 28th. Down in West Riverfront Park, the breeze was just soft enough to cool you down as the sunshine beamed through the clouds, all while good music rolled through the grounds. MoPop brought in music lovers of Indie Folk, Alternative hip-hop and R&B, and a circle of psychedelic pop enthusiasts. Fashion was a statement over the weekend as the attendees dressed and began to bring back the look of the 70 and 80’s. Hightop converse, corduroy dresses over solid t-shirts, baggy overalls, bell-bottom jeans with a splash of lyrical geniuses, and MoPop was rocking this last weekend.
Exploring The Villages
Strategically placed throughout the festival site, several villages held activities and interactive installations for attendees to explore, drink, create, and just be. Mo Arcade was hosted from the very own local Punch Bowl Social. The tent was the perfect spot for a cool down with the air conditioning and inside a bar. Arcade games such as Mario, Pac man, pinball and several others surrounded the perimeter of the tent as friends battled one another in a challenge to their favorite one. Music from a local DJ kept the scene alive.
Craft vendors had a world full of vintage, handmade jewelry, and art within several booths. Some of the coolest jewelry pieces were made out of real stone, all leather, and even wood. Goldeluxe Jewelry had every sparkling piece a girl could need and Artsshark gave back to the environment by designing pieces from reclaimed bicycle tires. Reware Vintage had old vintage records and transformed them into edgy jewelry pieces and funky notebooks. All related to music and pop culture. If you wanted to keep your chakras in balance, you sure didn’t want to miss The Moon Sisterhood. Their booth had card readings, crystals, and energy. Live Painting surrounded the vendors, artistic pianos lined the railing along the water for a talent of all kinds, and 3D installations were definitely used for the Instagram photos spelling out “Detroit” and “Mo Pop.”
Detroit Dart Club held some of the most intense nerf gun wars I have ever participated in. Barricades stacked on top of each other at various heights scattered throughout the battlefield as teams were split up into blue and red. Talk about an adrenalin rush when you have one minute to load the nerf gun before it’s game time. But of course, you couldn’t just play once. And after the third round, you knew how to play like a professional.
Food On Wheels
There were so many great food options to choose from this weekend that some may have even eaten three in a day. The famous Island Noodles had their mouth-watering mixture of noodles, cooked vegetables, and the option of vegan or chicken dishes. Delectabowl had you running back for their cornbread base bowls topped with bbq chicken, coleslaw, and cheese. Los Dos Amigos made sure that you had a taste of Mexican with fresh tacos and nachos. Over in The Shipyard, local Slows BBQ had folks lining up for hours as it zig zagged back and forth throughout the crowd as customers waited to order. Imperial Cantina, Fist of Curry, and others brought in many delicious items leaving everyone with a food baby for hours to come.
Sponsors and vendors treated guests with nothing but love and product the entire weekend. Big ups to just a few of them such as Patron Tequila, Stok Cold Brew, and Deep Eddy Vodka. Patron had a whole installation if you were 21 and older you could taste test one out of three different mixed drinks. They even had Patron ice pops to give out in addition to a virtual reality stimulation anyone could try. It took you through a social gathering of an old vineyard and luxurious home as guests sipped on Patron.
Have you ever had a flight? Not talking beer here folks. Stoke Cold Brew had free flights of coffee for you to test out. Four different fresh, cold coffees poured into small glasses and all you had to do was enjoy them while rating which was your favorite. Talk about a coffee lovers dream! Eddy Vodka was the main source of vodka at all bars including a mixture of flavors for almost any mixed drink you could think of keeping the party alive.
Falling in Love With The Artists
One of the most legendary, most beautiful sets of the entire weekend was Bon Iver on Saturday night. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. Bon Iver had the whole crowd speechless after his performance. There wasn’t a sound heard during his set as everyone was stunned and moving to his magical voice. I’m pretty sure the crowd cried in sync when he played “Holocene.” It felt like a once in a lifetime performance.
Killing her performance a little more every time, Billie Eilish hit the stage in a bright green hoodie and her firing attitude. At only sixteen years old, she had fans finishing the songs for her. Kicking off her set with “My Boy” with the Troyboi mix, she amped the crowd with her energy. Later in her set, she played several of her recent tracks including “&burn” and the new track “Lovely” with the admiring Khalid.
Brockhampton returned better than ever, and man do they know how to start a mosh pit. I’ve seen mosh pits at events but not any that continue through the whole set. As the fans started to file in as they hit the stage, the crowd was a massive cycle of people jumping up and down, against one another, as they shouted every lyric of the likes of “Gold” and “Bleach.” Brockhampton fans for sure know how to support their artists.
Saturday and Sunday consisted of so much good music, and since the two stages alternated there wasn’t a single set missed. Vince Staples performed during a gorgeous sunset, accompanied by the incredible music from Rex Orange County, and Clairo, a young and beautiful artist who even took the time to jam out in the crowd after her set. Others like Dermot Kennedy, Portugal. The Man and many more had phenomenal performances going above and beyond expectations.
Mo Pop 2018
Detroit did it once again; hosting one of the most exciting festivals this summer. Another year is down and Mo Pop left attendees happy and full of love as they experienced art, interaction, and music. It’s like when Bon Iver mentioned he hoped that everyone felt every emotion possible while listening to the music. We can assure you that everyone left feeling everything and more.
Thank you Mo Pop 2018!