Article and Photos by: Sam Carbine

Live on the Green is always a party, but this week it was a little bit more. The annual event held weekly on Thursdays in August celebrated its 50th show at 1 Public Square in Nashville. Put on by Lightning100, the station also just received an award for the Best Radio Station for the second year in a row at the FMQB AAA awards in Boulder, CO.

Minus the Bear, an indy rock band from Seattle, kicked off the night with their blend of unique timing signatures and melodic riffs. Singed to Dangerbrird records and comprised of current and former members of Botch, Kill Sadie and Sharks Keep Moving, this is a very up tempo and in some ways nostalgic of bands like Tool. They are currently on the road with dates across the US. For more info on their tour, you can check it out here.

We were first introduced to Real Estate at Forecastle earlier this year. They had a day time set and they were great however a different dimension comes out of this band at night. Hailing from Ridgewood, New Jersey, they are partly labeled as Neo-Psychedelic.  Just one song in and you will understand why. They are one of those bands that you could listen to for hours on end and it just does not get old. Also currently on tour, they have dates on their website through November 12. To find out more check them out here.

Rounding out the celebration was LA based Local Natives and this set had it all. Just minutes before the band was about to hit the stage, the rain hit downtown cooling of what was a quite steamy afternoon. The crowd did not seem to mind at all as everyone stayed fixed to their plot waiting the final act of the evening. As if a thank you for staying around, lead singer Taylor Rice jumped off the stage and into the crowd three songs in to sing amongst the masses. They currently only have 2 American dates on the schedule. One in CA and one in Las Vegas. For more info on this stealer group check out there website here.

It was another amazing night at Live on the Green and the perfect celebration of 50 successful shows. Join us next week on the lawn for The Weeks, PORTUGAL. THE MAN, and Spoon.