Despite a late start due to inclement weather, the third iteration of J. Cole’s Dreamville festival brought attendees from all over to Dorothea Dix Park for the first day of the festival on Saturday, April 1. The festival opened its doors at 3 p.m. with an expansive lineup featuring performances from EarthGang, Usher and more.
Spread across Dix Park’s 300 acres of greenspace, Dreamville attendees passed several photo opportunities before even reaching box office lines, including the massive sign spelling out “Dreamville” Hollywood style. Once past the long lines for wristbands, attendees had access to the merch tent, ferris wheel, bar and food vending with plenty of photo opportunities and seating.
Lute began his soulful performance in the late afternoon at Rise, one of the two stages located on the sprawling festival grounds. The artist started off with mellow hit “Sleep Deprived” from album “Revenge of the Dreamers III,” transitioning into quicker beats with “Flossing,” “GED (Gettin Every Dolla)” from his 2021 album “Gold Mouf.” Lute closed his quick 20-minute set with “Juggin” and Dreamville classic “Under the Sun,” rapping to a spellbound crowd.
SiR brought the R&B with his smooth vocals and energy. The crowd was right there with him through his entire 40-minute set featuring some of his most popular songs such as “John Redcorn,” “Nothing Even Matters” and “Satisfaction.” He slowed it down a bit for “Ooh Nah Nah,” bringing a fan from the crowd on stage with him to sing and dance. He closed the set with “Hair Down,” the top hit off of his last album “Chasing Summer.”
Alternative rap duo EarthGang lit up the festival with an infectious set at the Shine stage, amid stills from the duo’s music videos. The performance featured hits like “Westside Like Gatsby” from the album “Mad Men,” “Swivel” from Earthgang’s third studio album, “Mirrorland” and track “Top Down.”
Sean Paul brought one of the most energetic sets of day one with constant movement to match his fast-paced rapping, Jamaican flag waving behind him the entire time. Paul moved seamlessly between tracks including “Give it Up to me,” “Shake That Thing” and “Temperature” without letting his pace up for a second.
City Girls performed their biggest hits, from the 2018 song “Take Yo Man” to “P—- Talk,” while headed over by the stage’s DJ. After rapping tracks “Where the Bag at” and “Said Sum,” the performance was intersected by a brief dance break from the group’s background dancers, featuring Coi Leray’s “Players” and other tracks. The duo performed “Jobs” with JT and Yung Miami ending the set with the hits that launched them to stardom, “Act Up” and Drake’s “In My Feelings.”
As one of the headliners for Dreamville this year, the crowd went absolutely wild for Usher’s set. Usher was the last performer of the night, with his setlist including tracks like “Caught Up” and “U Don’t Have to Call” and “Burn.” Highlights from the performance included an April Fool’s joke on the audience with Usher pretending to bring out Beyoncé, alongside a surprise performance of “Good Love” with City Girls. Usher ended his iconic set with an electric rendition of “Yeah,” complete with backup singers and clad in a bright blue outfit.
The festival’s branding brought back its recognizable flower focus, making particular use of stylized sunflowers appropriate for Dix’s iconic sunflower field. Rainbow lighting around the perimeter of the park enhanced the dreamlike atmosphere as the sun went down. Merchandise designs also tipped their hat to North Carolina with the inclusion of cardinals on several sweatshirts and hats. Despite the time commitment of standing in the merch line, the fun, unique designs as well as the range of options available made it worth the wait.
Kat Challawar, a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the set up and branding was one of the highlights of day one for her.
“I love the way they do the flowers and have a bunch of little spots to get food and bars,” Challawar said. “The way they set everything up is really nice.”
Both Challawar and East Carolina University undergrad Simrun Walia are most looking forward to day two’s headline of Drake and J. Cole, but said today’s lineup was also a draw despite some minor sound issues.
“Of course [I’m looking forward to] Drake, but I think the whole lineup this year is pretty good,” Walia said.
