Hello, Music Festers.

Have you ever had the feeling a music festival's lineup was solely based off your Spotify playlist? Because that's how I felt as soon as I saw this year's lineup for Music Midtown 2016. The attraction was magnetic from the start. How a music festival had managed to book acts from Lil Wayne and 2 Chains to Alabama Shakes to The Killers, was wild beyond me. Pop to folk rock to funk to EDM, this place had it — how could I not go? I was determined to check out this city's crowned jewel; this was a no-brainer. And so, for the first time in my traveling life, I packed my bags, caught a plane, and left the great city of Miami to see what the festival in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia was really all about.

The moment I stepped into Music Midtown, I knew the next couple days would be nothing I have experienced before. Coming from South Florida, where some of our biggest music festivals are either genre-specific and/or sitting right by the beach, Music Midtown was the beginning of a culture shock. The first thing you see when you step into Piedmont Park is trees! And not the Palm kind. Instead, here were these tall, thick trees, standing like the festival's own natural security guards, which only made you only wish you were here a few weeks later so you could witness the incredible seasonal colors in full effect.

Four massive stages, all perfectly spread amongst the lower half of this 189-acre park, hidden by these bouncer trees and large hills truly alive with the sound of music, with a Ferris wheel parked on the right-hand corner of the closed off area. If you weren't in a crowd by a stage, you were hanging out on these hills, sitting and enjoying the view, eating a strawberry lemonade popsicle or barbecue pulled pork sandwich, maybe drinking a cool beer. For the Atlanta natives, this was the summer closer, the event of the year. Every detail of their outfit was planned, from the glitter on their faces to the rain boots on their feet. There were people everywhere — walking, laughing, dancing — ready for a weekend of their favorite music.

Pictures don't give the crowds that were at Music Midtown much credit. These crowds were massive! Most thought it was a curse brought by poor event management, forcing people who wanted to be in good view for their favorite band to start pushing their way through an hour and a half before the prospective set. But in the quiet moments between sets, when I would take a look forward, and turn to look back, the amount of people who surrounded me as an entity spoke for itself: this was bigger than myself.

The lineup for Music Midtown 2016 was filled with incredibly diverse talent. And I truly mean it when I say "diverse" and "talent." Chvrches, G-Eazy, Daya, Melanie Martinez, James Bay, and The Lumineers (to name a few) were sets I had the pleasure of dancing and vibing to. There were many artists that I saw (and even didn't get the chance to see - Sorry, Alabama Shakes!) that I could sit here and fangirl about for days. However, I'll make my honorable mentions as short and sweet as possible.

DNCE

My first set of the weekend and everyone's new favorite band. DNCE has rocked the world ever since it's first single "Cake by the Ocean" debuted over a year ago. This is my fourth time seeing DNCE live, and just like the Kirsten Dunst cheerleading movie from the 2000s, this band always brings it! Even with a crowd of thousands of people, the band's energy is crazy contagious, from frontman Joe Jonas's impromptu escape off stage to high five the crowd, to bassist Cole Whittle and guitarist JinJoo Lee running around stage and ending up falling on the floor to continue playing on their backs. The hour-long set felt like a Pop/R&B rollercoaster ride, showcasing hits off their EP, covers like "Scrubs" and "Hotline Bling," and even a jam to a song off their new upcoming album "Mean To Me." At one point, some bras even decided to join the band on stage. If that doesn't tell you that this band knows how to create a good time, I'm not sure what will.

Leon Bridges

I thought music and talent like this was lost somewhere within the 60s, but once I discovered Leon Bridges in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' song "Kevin," I was shook. Leon Bridges' soul not only translates in his timeless rhythm and blues voice, but also through his music. Songs like "Coming Home," "Brown Skinned Girl," and my favorite "Better Man" are found diamonds in the rough, unique pieces of music that stand out amongst the rest of today's pop culture favorites and still eloquently speak to people. Watching this Atlanta native and his band live was a blessing in itself. From beginning to end, Leon Bridges' presence on stage commands for your attention and for a good time. And now, I'll always have a spirited go-to when I'm hanging alone at home on a rainy day.

Twenty One Pilots

In my opinion, these guys dominated the entire music festival. If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing Twenty One Pilots live, here is what you're missing. You're missing a musical bromance, by the names of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, who play a variety of instruments on stage entirely themselves. You're missing hit songs like "Stressed Out," "Ride," and "Heathens" come to life before your very eyes. You're missing back flips, hamster ball crowd surfing, amazing light spectacles: overall, spontaneous shenanigans of what is the sub-genre "schizophrenic pop." The power only two people on stage have over a crowd of thousands leaves you inspired to be just as cool as these guys. The climax of the evening was during the song "Car Radio," where vocalist Tyler climbed the 100-foot tall stage, all the way to the top. There was a moment where Tyler just stood there, enjoying the view, as the crowd cheered in pure amazement for what just happened, just before he finished the last verse. Soon after climbing back down, Tyler shared with the audience how only two years ago, they performed for the first time in Music Midtown. Back then, they were early in the afternoon, but they stayed for the day, standing exactly where we were standing for that night's headliner Eminem. They were grateful for the progress they had made to play for their biggest music festival crowd to date, as I was equally grateful for the opportunity to just be there, having the time of my life.

The Shadowboxers

The Shadowboxers were on my list of new bands for me to check out, and although Music Midtown doesn't allow you much time to just casually check out new bands, I was able to stumble upon their set on my way to Melanie Martinez. This "pop meets funk" kind of band was probably made up of no less than 10 guys, playing all kinds of instruments like keyboard, guitar, saxophone, trombone, and congas. What really caught my attention was their cool guy cover of Beyonce's famous song "Crazy In Love." Unlike the rest of the weekend's crowds, this crowd was occupied with people dancing to the music, enjoying themselves even if they didn't know every word to every song. And unlike older bands who have mastered the set times, these guys played their music to the moment the sound system cut them off. However, that didn't stop the guys from finishing their song off with a bang, and having a roaring ovation lead them all the way off stage.

The Killers

When Daniel Craig, a.k.a. James Bond, comes out to introduce a band, you know immediately that you are not ready for the brilliant time you're about to have. If you are beating yourself up trying to remember where you've heard the band name The Killers, you might be familiar with a little song called "Mr. Brightside," which was one of the biggest millennial anthems back in the early 2000s. Let me just say: If you have never screamed your face off and danced to "Mr. Brightside" live, you have not felt total exuberance. The Killers have been in the game for more than 10 years, so it was impossible for them to disappoint the crowd's high expectations. From singing their classics such as "Somebody Told Me" and "Read My Mind," to singing more recent favorites like "Runaways," these guys were absolutely immersed in their performance, proving to the audience how much passion they have for what they do. The last moments of the festival ended with their song "When You Were Young" accompanied with fire sparklers and all, illuminating the band from behind. The Killers left such a deep impression, that on my walk back to the hotel, I was screaming the same line "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus!" Just before I left the hyped crowd, the guy standing behind me, who claimed to have seen The Killers more than 30 times, exclaimed how this had been their best music festival performance yet. Seems like a pretty legitimate statement.

Maybe it was the adrenaline of being in a new city, a new location for a music festival. Maybe it was being part of a crowd of thousands of other people, who were itching to see their favorite artists just as much as I was. Maybe it was the numerous amount of talented musicians who gave the performances everything they had. Whether it was a singular variable or a combination of it all, Music Midtown is a memory I will never forget. Not only has it reminded me that music is the forefront of my life, but it has also taught me that the moments in between are just as much a part of the adventure.

I can tell you this, I will be traveling to music festivals outside of Miami more often.