05 May With Arms Wide Open

It’s around 10 PM Friday night and I’m standing on the sea wall beside Flagler Avenue, tuning in with both ears to the music of Passion Pit, Paul Rodgers, and Creed swirling around me. A fullish moon shimmers on Intracoastal chop. Turning my head like a radar dish, I set the Surround Sound balance between these three vastly distinct bands. They’re a symbolic SunFest trifecta: The new, teen-baiting synth pop of Passion Pit, Rodgers’ bruised-but-not-beaten classic rock, Creed’s modern vintage neo-grunge growl. Wandering south along Flagler, from one stage to another to another, is sampling the entire musical gamut of what SunFest has to offer. This is a quintessential SunFest experience.