Who are the Flaming Lips? A guide to music and more at the 2024 Word of South festival
Take 100 artists and 50 events sprinkled across 10 stages over three days at Cascades Park and you have Word of South, a festival of literature and music. The words fly April 26-28 for the 10th year.
It's like everything everywhere all at once. You might miss something you had meant to see but on the way you'll stumble on something else delightful. There are events geared to children near the playground, for example, and cool seats inside for jazz lovers.
First thing, look for a map and schedule to grab when you enter the downtown park at 1001 S. Gadsden St. to help with locating the stages.
Sapped by the sun? There are abundant spots for cold libations, snacks and shady places under trees and awnings to revive yourself. Some events are inside in the air conditioned Marriott AC Hotel Ballroom while many artists perform under tents.
Keep an eye on the weather, though. Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, water and folding chairs come in handy. In case of rain, check Word of South social media.
The festival is all free except for the The Flaming Lips show on Friday.
Here's a guide to navigating all the culture.
Festival updates
Tommy Prine will not be appearing at this year’s Word of South due to illness.
Visit Tallahassee Director Kerri Post will replace Jay Revell as the moderator of our Bicentennial Panel at 3 p.m Saturday on the Midtown Reader Stage.
Rebecca Renner has moved to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday instead of 3 p.m.
More festivals: Looking for fun events? Top 5 things to do around Tallahassee
First up: Flaming Lips kick it off
The Flaming Lips live in concert as the kick-off act of Word of South fest at The Adderley Amphitheater in Cascades Park. 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26. Tickets are $40 to $75. Almost sold out. Visit theadderleyamphitheater.com.
The first time the Grammy Award-winning The Flaming Lips played Tallahassee was when the novice Oklahoma City band had just released its debut album “Hear It Is” in 1986. The Lips, which also came back to the capital in 1987 when the follow-up “Oh My Gawd!!!” disc came out, were a loud, noisy, gee-tar band that played a blend of post-punk and psychedelic rock.
Initially, lead singer Wayne Coyne, on his first visit, still held onto his regular job as a fry-cook at Long John Silver’s. Coyne, who is also a gifted visual artist, got hired to draw a cartoon for Student Campus Entertainment T-shirts at Florida State.
In 1993, mainstream success strangely popped up when The Lips scored a hit single with “She Don’t Use Jelly.” Beavis and Butt-head called the song’s trippy video “college music” on MTV and the tune landed The Lips a guest spot on the then-smash teenage soap opera TV show “Beverly Hills 90210.”
Even the non-core audiences who recoiled at the band’s usual freak-out fare loved “Jelly.” Then it was back to experimental ways for The Lips. Just when it looked as if The Lips were destined to become a One-Hit Wonder of the Grunge Era, the band changed its sound, thanks mainly to the addition of multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd. The group transformed itself into something sounding like a symphony orchestra mixing it up in the parking lot with the world’s strangest pop band.
The recording studio practically became part of the new approach. The Lips’ lush album “The Soft Bulletin” blew nearly everyone away in 1999. “The Bulletin” paved the way for the gold-record selling concept album “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” (2002). The album’s swooningly melancholy single “Do You Realize??” quickly became a bittersweet anthem that people used on videos taken at births, funerals, graduations, and other major life events.
For a brief spell, “Do You Realize??” was named the state song of Oklahoma before a killjoy governor got elected and decreed, “Enough of that poignant stuff.”
When The Flaming Lips outfit returns to Tallahassee to kick off this year’s annual Word of South festival in Cascades Park on Friday night, April 26, the band will play the “Yoshimi” album, track for track in order, for the LP’s 20th anniversary.
And, yes, “Do You Realize??” is the final cut on the album. For all the math nerds out there, “Yoshimi” was released 12 years ago but a little thing called the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way. Better late than never. Cue the robots. — Mark Hinson
Here's the whole shebang:
Jazz: Feel the rhythm as Latin and Cuban jazz take an energetic spin at Word of South
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 26
The Flaming Lips, 7:30 p.m., Adderley Amphitheater. Gates open: 6 p.m. Show starts: 7:30 p.m. *This is a ticketed event.
Black Opry: Black artists put folk and country music in spotlight at Word of South
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 27
10 a.m. - Move Walk (Meet behind the Amphitheater)
Adderley Amphitheater Main Stage
11 a.m. - Rickards High School Marching Raider Band
6:30 p.m. - The Currys / The Krickets
8 p.m. - Rising Appalachia
Literacy Lane Kids Events
Noon – 4 p.m. Leon County Schools STEAM Bus
Noon - Bracelet Making and Watercolor Art with FINACIOUS
1 p.m. - Maya Johnson, Founder of Maya’s Book Nook
1:30 p.m. - Good Morning Tallahassee, Leon County Schools
2 p.m. - Dylan Snowden
2:30 p.m. - Anna Blalock
3:30 p.m. - Storytelling Workshop
Salvation South Stage
2 p.m. - Daniel Wallace / Chuck Reece
3:15 p.m. - Abe Partridge / Jim White / Tad Bartlett
4:45 p.m. - Tommy Prine / Chuck Reece
Club Downunder Stage at Centennial
1:45 p.m. - 911
3:30 p.m. - Ally Free
5:15 p.m. - Daniel Bedrosian / George Clinton / The P-Funk All-Stars
Cascades Stage
1 p.m. - Allison Clarke
3 p.m. - Phabrik
4:30 p.m. - Katie Skene Band
Flamingo Magazine Stage
1:15 p.m. - Virginia Chamlee / Frank Douglas / Doug Moody
2:45 p.m. - Hotel Fiction
4:15 p.m. - Anne Hull / Diane Roberts
5:30 p.m. - The Sh-Booms
Florida Jazz & Blues Stage at the Marriott AC Hotel Ballroom
12:45 p.m. - Peter and the Wolf
2 p.m. - Anne Bogel / What Should I Read Next? Podcast
3:30 p.m. - Anne Bogel / Lauren Groff
5 p.m. - The Road to Now Podcast (Bob Crawford and Ben Sawyer) / Jonah Goldberg
Midtown Reader Stage
12:30 p.m. - FBA Fiction Panel: Pat MacEnulty / Thomas Reed / Kweku Abimbola / Jessica Stark
1:45 p.m. - FBA Non-Fiction Panel: Doug Alderson / Phillip Hubbart / Sarah McNamara / Jacki Levine
3 p.m. - Bicentennial Panel: Jay Revell / Ely Rosario / Mandy Stringer / Tiffany Baker / Rachel Porter
4:15 p.m. - Suzanne Allain / Michelle Johnson
5:30 p.m. - Ed Gray Tribute: Jennifer Portman / Jane Kamensky / Katherine Mooney
FSU Credit Union Stage at the Marriott AC Plaza
1:30 p.m. - Leon Timbo
3 p.m. - Tray Wellington
4:30 p.m. - The Psycodelics
Amicus Brewing Ventures Stage
2:30 p.m. - The Eyrie
4 p.m. - Robocromp
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 28
Salvation Stage South
1:30 p.m. - The Black Opry: Ally Free / Leon Timbo
2:45 p.m. - Blind Boys of Alabama
4 p.m. - Blind Boys of Alabama Book Talk / Charles Driebe
Club Downunder Stage at Centennial Field
2:15 p.m. - Annie DiRusso
3:45 p.m. - Willi Carlisle
Cascades Stage
3 p.m. - Ginny Myers Sain / Sofia Camille
4:30 p.m. - Pat Puckett
Flamingo Magazine Stage
1:15 p.m. - Tananarive Due / Melinda Michelle
2:30 p.m. - Kelsey Barnard Clark / Leon Majcen
4 p.m. - Sarah Morrison
Florida Jazz & Blues Stage at the Marriott AC Hotel Ballroom
12:45 p.m. - Roger Glenn
2 p.m. - Son d’Aqui
3:15 p.m. - Panel on Latin and Cuban Jazz
4:15 p.m. - Pan Con Bistec
Midtown Reader Stage
12:30 p.m. - Rebecca Renner / Nancy Klingener
1:45 p.m. - Kyle Kimbrell / Kerry James Evans
4:15 p.m. - Sunshine State Biodiversity Group: Nathaniel Rich / Jeff VanderMeer
FSU Credit Union Stage at the Marriott AC Plaza
1:30 p.m. - Bill Wharton
3 p.m. - DJ Demp / Tokyo Extra0rdinaire
4:30 p.m. - Leyla McCalla
Amicus Brewing Ventures Stage
1:45 p.m. - Jim White / Mark Hinson
3:15 p.m. - Grant Peeples / Rosalee Walsh
FREQUENT Q&A
Can I bring my dog?
Yes! Your furry friend will love Cascades Park. Dogs are not allowed in the amphitheater area.
Can I bring a cooler?
No coolers. However, there will be food and drink vendors at the park during the festival.
Where can I park?
All State of Florida parking lots and garages labeled here are free and open starting 6pm Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28. See maps at wordofsouthfestival.com.
Where can I sit?
Word of South has open seating for all performances, except The Flaming Lips performance on Friday, April 26. The Saturday and Sunday Amphitheater shows are open seating in the seats and on the grass. All other outdoor performances will be under tents in the grassy areas of Cascades Park. Please bring your own portable chair, towels, or blankets to sit on. Chairs will not be available for stages designed on grassy slopes.
Is the park wheelchair accessible?
Yes, there is wheelchair accessibility throughout Cascades Park.
How do I access the Florida Jazz & Blues/Marriott AC Stage?
This stage is located in the ballroom of the Marriott AC, the new hotel at Cascades Park. The Marriott may be entered through the main entrance on Gadsden St. or the plaza facing Gaines St. To access the plaza, use the stairs directly behind the Capital City Amphitheater. (Need an elevator? Ask a festival volunteer for assistance.) The ballroom is on the same floor as the bar. Look for Word of South signage.
How do I access the Midtown Reader Stage and Bookstore?
These are both located in the Parkview Event space overlooking Cascades Park. The entrance is from the plaza facing Gaines St. Take the staircase behind the Amphitheater up to the plaza and look for Word of South signage.
What if it rains?
In the event of rain, Word of South performances will be moved to alternate venues. Check Word of South social media pages, or the Word of South app for schedule and location changes.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: A comprehensive guide to Tallahassee's 2024 Word of South festival
