The Chandler Chamber of Commerce’s annual Ostrich Festival celebrated 35 years with two weekends of fun for the whole family- including live performances from pop and country icons. Weekend two brought British pop icon Natasha Bedingfield and Boston rockers American Authors to the main stage, drawing huge crowds to the festival’s Saturday night headliner.
American Authors consistently provide excellent banjo-backed vibes and their opening set was a megadose of positivity. Singer Zac Barnett was armed with his acoustic guitar and decked out in a coordinating floral outfit and a massive grin as the band treated the festival to a bevvy of hits. They decided to open with “Believer”, a strong move that alluded to a rich discography.
The band was all about the crowd interaction, drawing the fans in to dance and clap along as the night continued. They also whipped out an Americana-tinged cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” to the absolute delight of the growing audience. The sunny energy emanating from the stage drew more and more attendees away from the neon glow of the carnival and into the starburst spotlights of American Authors’ performance. Naturally the group closed with “Best Day of My Life” and for the young fans on the barricade, the song was prophetic in its accuracy.
Shouts of “Queen” and “Mother” floated up from the crowd as Natasha Bedingfield swooshed onstage in a flowing black outfit- complete with ankle-length coat that whirled as she twirled. “Pocketful of Sunshine” was up early in the setlist and set the tone for the rest of the night. Bedingfield was all smiles, playing off of her stellar band and playing to the crowd who was ecstatic to sing along.
She kept the performance family-friendly in the spirit of the event and fully encouraged the crowd to continue American Authors’ energy by singing and dancing along with her. Throughout the tracklist of her own incredible original material, she tossed in renditions of Prince’s “Purple Rain” and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”- unexpected but welcome choices. The spring evening grew chillier as Bedingfield’s performance came to a close- but not without “These Words” and the windows-down classic “Unwritten” to wrap up another amazing night at the festival.
The music ended but the carnival still beckoned as families made their way back to the bright lights of fair food and death-defying attractions- a worthy final weekend to mark over three decades of fun in Chandler.
