It’s no secret Paul McCartney delivered an unforgettable show at Firefly Music Festival in 2015.
But who else brought some sauce to the festival in the decade since its inception?
In celebration of the Firefly’s 10th anniversary, launching this Thursday through Sunday, here are nine other memorable performances that graced The Woodlands of Dover.
Bear in mind, the music and interaction the artists had with fans during their set played a role in the making of this list.
Jack White in 2012
The first Firefly was much smaller than it is now. The 2012 event was only three days and featured around 30 acts, which pales in comparison to the 100-plus acts organizers are bringing this year for the four-day event.
Some fans miss that more intimate version of Firefly, which included an unforgettable performance by headliner Jack White. The rainy night added to the experience and mystique as fans sang “One Army Nation” in unison, while soaked in bliss.
During the 90-minute set Jack White also played favorites like “Love Interruption” and “We’re Going to Be Friends.”
The first Firefly set the tone and the rest has obviously been history.
HAIM in 2013
Two years before they toured stadiums with pop icon Taylor Swift, the rock trio Haim already was turning heads at Firefly in 2013.
This family band – comprised of sisters Este, Alana and Danielle Haim – delivered a memorable show with favorites like “Falling,” “Forever” and “The Wire.”
One of the things that stood out most was the level of interaction they had with their zany, beach-ball-tossing crowd.
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At one point in the show, for instance, the sisters were gifted hats by the crowd and they donned them mid-set. Alana wore a dad cap, and Danielle and Este wore similar bucket hats. A unique fan handed Alana a swan made out of aluminum, which means it was probably crafted from that fan’s lunch.
Nine years later, Haim will return for Firefly’s 10th anniversary, playing the Backyard Stage from 9:20 to 10:20 p.m., Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see what gifts fans will bless them with time.
Twenty One Pilots in 2014
There’s something special about a band that makes you forget there are only two people on stage. Twenty One Pilots arguably does that better any other group.
The ski-mask-loving duo of Tyler Joseph (frontman) and Josh Dun (drummer) whipped the crowd into a frenzy from start to finish.
Some of the highlights included Dun playing his drum set while crowd surfing, and Joseph surfing on the crowd while standing. The year before, Joseph made security nervous when he climbed the scaffolding at the festival.
In 2017, the explosive two-man crew finally headlined Firefly.
Paul McCartney in 2015
Before Firefly came along, it seemed crazy to think Paul McCartney would perform in Delaware, since the state didn’t have many venues to accommodate a big artist like him.But Macca eventually graced the Small Wonder as a Firefly headliner in 2015.
Firefly fans recall Paul McCartney show: Plus other unforgettable festival moments
Sir Paul, who celebrated his 73rd birthday the day before his performance, opened the show with The Beatles’ “Birthday” tune. Over 90,000 fans, spanning multiple generations, sang along with The Beatles legend during his 2½-hour show, which saw him running around stage nonstop
It was something else seeing McCartney work so hard for the crowd like he was a new artist with something to prove.
That year holds the record for the most fans in attendance at Firefly to date. Fans have Macca to thank for that.
Blink-182 in 2016
Pop punk and pop rock still make a lot of music fans happy today, and you can see that with Friday’s lineup that includes My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne and All Time Low.
In 2016, pop-punk band Blink-182 put Firefly fans on notice and showed them they could still scorch a stage.
The band, which formed in the early ‘90s, delivered classics like “Feeling This,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “First Date.”
A killer whale was also jamming to those songs in the crowd.
Waka Flocka Flame in 2017
One of the craziest moments in Firefly history took place during rapper Waka Flocka Flame’s set on the Backyard Stage.
But Flocka wasn’t the star of this performance. Instead, it was a sign language interpreter who went viral for passionately and aggressively doing hand signs for fans while Flocka rocked the stage.
Holly Maniatty is the name of the interpreter and she’s gained attention over the years for enthusiastically doing sign language at concerts that included the Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop.
But Flocka still gets love because he created the rowdy atmosphere for the show.
Thirty Seconds to Mars in 2017
The year after the DC film “Suicide Squad” hit theaters, Joker star Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars gave fans a good reason to lose their minds that weekend in The Woodlands in 2017.
The bearded Leto made fans happy with an acoustic set that included “The Kill.” He jumped in the crowd of that show and tickled fans with the floral-print green dress he wore, which looked like a kimono at quick glance.
Eminem in 2018
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Eminem had stans hanging on his every word when he headlined the festival in 2018.
He performed a bunch of hits like “My Name Is,” “The Real Slim Shady” and “Lose Yourself.” Slim even brought fellow rapper Royce Da 5’9” on stage to perform the song “Fast Lane,” a song the pair released as the duo Bad Meets Evil.
While Sir Paul has had the largest crowd at a Firefly show to date, Eminem’s gig is still pretty high when it comes to attendance at the festival.
Post Malone in 2019
One of the hottest artists of 2019 was the face-tatted singer Post Malone.
His debut in Dover that year as a headliner encouraged folks from college age to middle age to wear fake barbwire tats on their face as a tribute to Malone.
His show included pyrotechnics and he performed wearing a skull shirt that had a giant firefly on the back. Post Malone’s set featured songs like “Zack and Codeine,” “I Fall Apart” and “White Iverson.”
Billie Eilish in 2021
“Bad Guy” singer Billie Eilish was the opening headliner for the four-day festival in 2021. Normally, Thursday headliners aren’t the biggest act on the bill.
But in the case of last year’s festival, Eilish was the most popular artist of Firefly. Part of that is because Firefly promised fans that she’d come in 2020.
Billie Eilish signed a fan’s chest:He’s getting it tattooed.
But we all know the pandemic had other plans. So last year, revelers finally got to enjoy the young singer; and she didn’t disappoint. In addition to “Bad Guy,” she performed major songs like “everything i wanted” and “Ocean Eyes.”
The icing on the cake is she autographed a fan’s chest in the middle of her set. The excited fan said he was getting it tatted on him.
Firefly Music Festival returns to The Woodlands (599 Persimmon Tree Lane, Dover) from Thursday to Sunday. For more information, visit fireflyfestival.com.
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
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