After Brazilian 2wins threw down the gauntlet and set the bar for entertainment on this day of the festival, Christopher The Conquered had to get the crowd back right away. His method was pretty sound, jump up on the speakers and get the crowd dancin’! It worked, and the rest of the set never let up.

Second song in, Chris was in the audience among people up and getting familiar with all his fans. He had his collaborator Patrick Tape-Fleming bring out bottles of water for everyone. Then he threw handfuls of Laffy Taffy into the outstretched hands of the concertgoers. The idea behind this was that laughter is the best medicine-and there’s nothing funnier than the jokes on Laffy Taffy wrappers.

I’d never seen Chris with a band before (always solo or with Gloom Balloon), and these dudes can play. Especially the lead guitarist, who was ripping off solos like a hustler playing three-card Monte.

The Nationwide Stage was the place to be this afternoon, I think everyone there would agree. The vibe was a great setup for the Run The Jewels set that followed on the Hy-Vee main stage. Christopher The Conquered has a new album coming out next year, so watch out for that and go see him if he’s in your town!

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