29 Apr Thursday In Review: Drew Holcomb, DJ Joe Murphy, Jason Derulo

Day two has wrapped! Thursday was another startlingly beautiful day in South Florida and our afternoon was filled with fantastic sounds.

First warming up the Ford Stage for Train, was South Florida’s own Mike Mineo. Drew Holcomb (who we interviewed earlier) called MM’s performance a “really, really, good show.” And it was! The young star is much more polished and poised than his colorful bio suggests.

Photo by Chris Salata for Sunfest |Copyright 2016

Holcomb’s show was also soothing and a nice change of sound. The Americana rock band played music across their decade-long catalog, including new songs off their album “Medicine.”

My favorite track was “I Like To Be With Me When I’m With You,” a painfully romantic tune that Holcomb wrote for his current wife and former bandmate, Ellie.

“I fell in love with my wife a long time before she returned the favor,” Holcomb shared. “I wrote this song to take her from a ‘no’ to a ‘maybe.’”

Quite the southern gentleman, Holcomb and his Neighbors were charming and talented all at once. 

Later in the evening, at the Tire Kingdom Stage, a youthful fan base awaited the arrival of Florida’s own Jason Derulo. It was there that Derulo’s DJ, Joe Murphy, perhaps earned his own performance at a future festival.

While we waited for Derulo and friends, Murphy kicked off a wild dance party mixing the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Icona Pop, and the Harlem Shake. Girls were hoisted high on shoulders, hands waved in the air. The crowd loved him.

Photo by Chris Salata for Sunfest | Copyright 2016

Derulo soon came out to claim his stage with a team of incredible dancers. If you did not know, Derulo has moves that I’m pretty confident leaves Justin Timberlake jealous. The soulful singer, backed by a full band, left us swooning with his hits (mashed with other favorites– like LMFAO’s “Shots”).

Derulo and his dancers performed backflips, cartwheels, and jaw-dropping high kicks. All eyes were glued to the lead singer’s swift, sharp movements (and incredible abs). It was a treat to hear Derulo’s beautiful vocals, sure, but his choreography and charisma stole the show.