Review: Somewhere Fest stayed true to its mission but never quite took off
In its second year, the music festival and conference was “perfectly divisive” and occasionally thrilling.
If a series of Facebook comments about Bigxthaplug’s performance at Somewhere Fest and Conference are to be believed, Wichita didn’t show up for the rapper. Not only was the house not full for his headlining performance at Wave on Friday night, but a lack of respect and enthusiasm meant X couldn’t deliver. Or, others suggested, the crowd didn’t react because X didn’t earn it. He relied too heavily on his guest artists and spent the middle of the set casually pacing his bare-bones stage, microphone mostly off. (I lean toward the latter assessment, for the record).
You can hear the refrains of “this is why we can’t have nice things” and “why don’t good artists ever come to Wichita?” clanging against each other. It’s a perfectly divisive question: Does Wichita need to do better at supporting music before more of it comes this way?
While Big X’s performance was but one of dozens that took place during the festival, which ran June 13-14 in downtown Wichita, it feels emblematic of Somewhere Fest itself — perfectly divisive. Billed as a unique, social-change-focused event, it featured guests like Aloe Blacc, who was also the headlining speaker at the daytime conference. During the conference, Blacc talked about how positivity can change the world, and how music is a “connective tissue” that brings people together. Once assembled, we can collectively move the needle on a variety of festival-approved social movements, like protecting free speech and helping people recover from substance abuse.
On stage, after he and his band began their performance with a cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” Blacc sang songs like “The Man,” which includes the lyrics:
“Stand up now and face the sun / Won't hide my tail or turn and run / It's time to do what must be done / Be a king when kingdom comes”
We’ll get to kings and kingmaking in a moment.
The central idea of “The Man” and much of Aloe Blacc’s music is that love and joy are worth fighting for. At stations in the middle of the festival’s footprint, attendees could guide themselves through four pillars of change: Build, Create, Heal and Learn. Those are worthy goals — I certainly have room for growth and healing. But those vague self-help directives felt hollow.
If you’re familiar with the concept of pinkwashing or greenwashing (or even sportswashing), you couldn’t help but feel a distinct concert-washing vibe at the festival. It draws support from the Koch network, specifically its Stand Together Music endeavor and its founder, Koch Industries executive vice president Chase Koch. His involvement goes beyond casual funder: He plays in a band, 2Lot, that backed Aloe Blacc at the festival. Koch spoke at the conference, telling the audience what having a strong father figure meant to him. His father, Charles Koch, the co-CEO of Koch Industries, was there to hear the message alongside his wife (and Chase’s mother) Liz Koch. Throughout the festival, Chase Koch was visible, driving his mother around the festival grounds on a golf cart and catching late-night shows when he wasn’t personally performing. Chase Koch’s connection is direct, as he co-founded presenting organization Midtopia, but it’s worth noting the Kochs felt omnipresent on the festival grounds.
I talked to a panelist during the conference. I didn’t introduce myself as a journalist immediately, so I’m not using their name because they didn’t officially go on the record. But I can tell you the gist of the conversation: “I’ve got blood on my hands,” they said, referencing the event’s connection to the Kochs.
These are choices we make all the time, and there are few guilt-free opportunities to do anything. The NFL has concussion problems, shopping at big-box retailers squeezes out local businesses, and our demand for products impacts the environment in ways that may be irreversible.
The panelist I spoke to took the invitation willingly. Essentially, coming to Kansas to tell their story was so important to them that they chose to overlook the conference's funding mechanisms.
They presented to a group of music industry insiders. I observed several conference panels, and fewer than 100 people attended most of them. Less than 10 percent of those present were from Wichita. It was an echo chamber in more ways than one.
The festival arrived at a crossroads, and that’s not only metaphorical. Four blocks to the south of the festival’s downtown headquarters, several hundred gathered on Saturday (June 14) for one of many nationwide “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration, particularly its immigration policies. A few blocks west of the protest, the largest car show in Kansas took place that same Saturday around and inside Century II. I doubt there was much crossover between the events.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t physical space for something like Somewhere Fest to exist, and that it can’t benefit Wichitans in the process. Of the 14,000 who attended the first iteration of the festival in 2024 (when it was called Elsewhere Fest), about 50 percent of attendees came from Wichita, and the majority of the rest came from surrounding states, festival organizers said. Based on informal conversations with patrons at Somewhere Fest this year, I’d guess there was a similar-sized crowd and similar breakdown.
There was a lovely opportunity for Wichita families to stroll through the festival grounds, much of which were free to enter. While there, they could watch local skateboarders glide around a half-pipe, enjoy foods from local trucks, look at art, or sign up for a Wichita Public Library card. Many families did attend, but I would argue those elements of the festival were critically underpromoted. Information about the skate park, which was constructed on site by the Kansas Skateboarding Foundation, didn’t trickle out until about a week before the event.
Activations like a breakdancing area and an exhibition by members of the Kansas Skateboarding Foundation were part of the Somewhere Fest and Conference. As part of a community block party, the events were free to attend. Photos by Kevin Kinder for the SHOUT.
Likewise, I planned to meet some friends for lunch at the food truck court during a break between conference panels. I had just assumed it would be open, but didn’t learn until arriving the court was only open from 4-10 p.m. That’s ... fine, and shout out to Argentina’s Empanadas, because the smoked chicken empanada I went back for later in the day was absolute perfection. The crust was crisp, and the smoke flavor permeated the chicken and the macaroni and cheese that was also stuffed inside. But the point is that I had no way of knowing, and I was actively searching for information. A casual observer was unlikely to even know there was a food truck court.
That’s because the bands — and the social change element of the festival — got top billing, and the conference a little less so, followed by the free community programming. Arguably the social change elements weren’t community-focused, either. Organizations like the Wichita Public Library and Kansas Health Foundation were present at the social change fair, but many organizations at the event are pet projects of Stand Together (and the Kochs), such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the sober-living organization The Phoenix, which Chase Koch has personally supported and championed. The latter organization even got an on-stage shout-out from Blacc.
If I’m really being nitpicky, the idea of change via music festival isn’t exactly novel. The Bonnaroo Music Festival, which ran simultaneously to Somewhere Fest (but was canceled because of flooding) has given millions to charitable causes. The organization Reverb connects with festivals and musicians to help them minimize their carbon footprint and raise money for environmental causes. Speaking of environmental concerns and Wichita, any kind of recycling effort at Somewhere might have kept bottles and cans out of Wichita-area landfills. But I digress.
The Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning DJ and producer Joel Zimmerman, better known as DeadMau5, was the Saturday night (June 14) headliner at the festival. Performing both in and out of his trademark oversized mouse-ear helmet, his set was moved forward by about two hours in anticipation of rain that never arrived. Photos by Kevin Kinder for the SHOUT.
We’re left with a final question, then: Was the music itself worth the price of admission? On that metric, I would call the festival a success. Deadmau5 was clearly the top draw, and he captured the largest audience I saw during the fest. Performing on a purpose-built stage surrounded by shipping containers, the Canadian DJ started his show in his trademark cartoonish mouse-head mask before taking it off and continuing the performance. The intensity of his light show and the uniqueness of the stage made it a very cool experience, one that was augmented by a visual arts element created by Harvester Arts that projected images on the alley walls immediately outside the performance space.
Other highlights included the rowdy all-girl quartet Die Spitz from Austin, Texas. They are America’s answer to Wet Leg, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they reach that level of fame. Jesus Christ Taxi Driver also brought chaotic energy to the festival. During their Friday show, lead singer Ian Ehrhart barely stayed on stage during the performance, and during one song he tried swallowing the entire microphone. He got close.
That set took place inside another purpose-built space – the Where House. Built inside an abandoned building, it featured art installations by local artists Mike and Meghan Miller (and an army of helpers). It was likewise free and open to the public, and if anything was for Wichita, I would argue the Where House was the best example of it. It’s one of the coolest stages I’ve ever seen at a festival. Rudy Love Jr., heir to a Wichita music legacy, performed there with his band The Encore. When an uncle of Love sat in with the band, it felt like the best kind of festival experience, one that can’t be duplicated elsewhere.
The Where House, featuring the work of Wichita artists Mike and Meghan Miller and other Wichita artists, occupied a vacant building on North Emporia Avenue and doubled as a festival stage. All events inside the Where House were free and open to the public. The stage and art installations were purpose-built, and there are no immediate plans for the building following the festival, staff said. Photos by Kevin Kinder for the SHOUT.
A few other local musicians got to play at the festival. Dream pop artist Monnie performed her second-ever live set on Saturday to a crowd of 75 or so. Local singer and songwriter Paris Jane brought a six-piece band with her to the small stage inside the Somewhere Works building on North Emporia Avenue. She’s got the kind of effortless vocal power that comes from your soul and can’t be taught. About 100 folks packed into the building to see her set, which got started a little late. On the smaller stages that didn’t have the opportunity for pre-show sound checks, things tended to run behind schedule as bands needed to adjust their sound. The larger stages where the headliners performed stayed on time as far as I could see.
While many of the Somewhere artists were up-and-coming national acts, several local acts were part of the festival as well. Monnie (left) and Paris Jane both had sets at Somewhere Works, a venue on North Emporia Avenue that typically is used as a rehearsal and recording space. Photos by Kevin Kinder for the SHOUT.
Those times were altered on Saturday due to the threat of storms. Deadmau5 was originally scheduled to perform until midnight; instead, his set shifted from 9-10:15 p.m. and no programming was scheduled outside after that time. Safety is paramount, and if there was a threat, it needed to be respected. I applaud the organizers for making what had to be a difficult decision to shift the timeline around.
But it never rained.
I received a tip that there was a “surprise” waiting for everyone at midnight to celebrate the closing of the festival. It somehow involved outdoor spaces and a structural element. I was never told exactly what it was, but I suspect it may have been a fireworks show, or some kind of light spectacle. The surprise was canceled alongside the late shows.
Kind of like Somewhere Fest, it was an intriguing idea that failed to ignite in 2025. Even in divisive times, we can agree that music matters. I hope the festival comes back, and I hope it finds its Wichita audience.
Kevin Kinder never learned to play an instrument but has written about music for more than two decades just the same. He’s a freelance writer and journalism educator.
Support Kansas arts writing!
The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation.
❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs
❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities
❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns
❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art
❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'
❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections
The latest from the SHOUT
Shelly Walston
Kate Storhoff
Kevin Kinder
Sam Jack