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Music fans filled Seaside Park in Bridgeport over the weekend to take in the sights and sounds of the Soundside Music Festival.

There was a last-minute change as Foo Fighters dropped out of the event for undisclosed reasons. Some festivalgoers grumbled about that, but there were plenty of other musicians to take in, like Goo Goo Dolls, Boyz II Men, Lisa Loeb and Grace Potter.

Noah Kahan was Saturday night’s headliner. And Jessica Holm from western Massachusetts was pumped about his appearance.

“I hope Noah Kahan doesn’t cancel because of the rain. I came all the way here for him and it’s my birthday,” she said.

What was only supposed to be an hour of precipitation turned into a full day of misty and hard rain that came down relentlessly. Some came prepared with their own plastic ponchos and blankets. Others were left to figure it out, so some looked for garbage bags and others squished into one of the few tented areas.

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Charlotte Ettl, Elizabeth Ettl, Kendall Cunningham, and Sophia McCullough sit in the rain outside of the hair braiding station on day one of the Soundside Music Festival, Bridgeport Connecticut on Sep. 28th, 2024. “We’re okay, we’re just cold and wet. And we kind of don’t know what to do at the moment. But we’re excited to see Noah Kahan.” said Elizabeth Ettl.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

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“I’m so sorry, my hands are frozen.” said Shannon finch as she stands in the 63 degree weather, in the unexpected rain, with only a trash bag she received from the festival custodial team to help keep her dry. Two women, Shannon Finch and Kacie Power stand in the rain during the Soundside Music Festival, Bridgeport Connecticut on Sep. 28th, 2024.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

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People take cover and crowd the Craftbeer Hall on day one of the Soundside Music Festival, Bridgeport Connecticut on Sep. 28th, 2024. The Craftbeer Hall was one of the few tents on location open to everyone to be able to stand under during the rainy weather.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

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People sit in the rain with plastic poncho’s and garbage bags during the first night of the Soundside Music Festival, Bridgeport Connecticut on Sep. 28th, 2024.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

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People were covering themselves with trash bags to help keep themselves warm and dry from the cold rain at Soundside Music Festival, Bridgeport Connecticut on Sep. 28th, 2024.

Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public

Kahan, a Vermont native, was one of the most anticipated performances. He’s generated a national fanbase after his critically acclaimed and award-winning album “Stick Season.” He has a strong New England fanbase, too, as his songs are about growing up as a New Englander.

But during his performance, Kahan issued Connecticut an apology.

Previously, Kahan had said that Connecticut is not a part of New England — comments that generated some controversy.

“My name is Noah Kahan and I owe your state an apology. I see the weather! This is New England,” he said on stage.

He later sported a Hartford Whalers Jersey.

Kahan’s performance electrified the crowd, with people dancing, jumping and singing throughout the sold-out festival fields.

Despite the rain, other performances also brought in high energy. Boyz II Men performed their greatest hits, getting the audience moving and invested into the moment — having security workers and fans alike in awe.

On day two, acts like Greta Van Fleet, Teddy Swings and The Bleachers all took to the stage. Their performances had fans singing their hearts out. Some sat on shoulders, as giant beach balls flew through the crowd.

This weekend, thousands of music fans were expecting to travel to Bridgeport's Seaside Park to catch Foo Fighters close out the Soundside music festival on Sunday evening.

On Thursday, those expectations were shattered when it was announced the Foo Fighters were no longer performing at the festival — only two days before the two-day festival was set to begin.

"Foo Fighters will no longer be appearing at this weekend's Soundside music festival. Please check the festival website for more information," a statement on the Foo Fighters' Facebook reads. A representative from the Foo Fighters said that there is "no further comment beyond what the band posted." Soundside organizers also gave no further comment.

In place of the "Everlong" musicians, the festival has tapped Jack White, of The White Stripes fame, and hard rock group Greta Van Fleet. Both have performed in Connecticut in the past two months.

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Foo Fighters, Soundside Sunday headlining act, drops out of festival

The Foo Fighters' headlining performance was set to be the band's first performance since lead singer Dave Grohl announced that he had fathered a child outside of his marriage, according to the Associated Press. Grohl addressed the news in an Instagram post earlier this month.

Fans descended on the festival's social media accounts to express their opinions on the last-minute change. Hundreds of comments were made on the festival's Facebook page with with many fans asking about the possibility of refunds. Foo Fighters have turned off commenting on social media posts.

According to Live Nation's terms and conditions, available at the bottom of the Soundside website, "opening acts, as well as festival performers, are subject to change or cancelation at any time without notice. No refund will be owed if an opening act or festival performer is changed or canceled."

Maine resident Sarah Cummings commented on the festival's announcement post saying that she "lost a ton of respect" for the Foo Fighters after the band turned off its comments and offered zero apology or explanation about the cancellation. Cummings told CT Insider that she and her husband, who are traveling from Maine to Bridgeport for the festival, are "super bummed" about the news.

"We really only booked this trip to see them," Cummings said. "We will still have fun, but we are disappointed they waited until people couldn't cancel their hotels and stuff."

Foo Fighters fan Alex Cortez also commented on the festival's post, saying that he has been to several of the band's shows and now "will never go see them again."

"I am extremely disappointed in the lineup change, especially since Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age were the top acts of the festival. No disrespect to the rest of the acts, but none command such a high ticket price," Cortez said via Facebook Messenger. "Also (I) understand the fine print notes – the lineup is subject to change and a refund is not possible – however, in my opinion, this should be applicable only in the event of an illness and injury, and not because the lead singer of an act...is in hiding from the public."

Neither Foo Fighters nor Soundside have stated a reason for the cancellation.

A spokesperson for Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, Elizabeth Benton, confirmed that the attorney general's has already received seven complaints regarding the festival as of Friday morning.

“When you buy tickets to an event to see a big name performer, it’s frustrating and disappointing when that doesn’t happen. The question we ask in these types of situations involves disclosure," Benton said. "Did the promoter clearly and conspicuously disclose of the event’s refund policies? In this case, we have reviewed the refund policy and disclosures and found that the promoter did adequately disclose its no-refund policy regarding a change in performers.”

Benton recommended that fans "check the terms and conditions" before they purchase a ticket to any event.

In July, Tong's office announced a formal investigation into the Capulet Fest, another Connecticut music festival which was moved from its initial location at the Thompson Speedway and had many bands drop out following the change in venue.

The Soundside Music Festival is set for this weekend with two days of entertainment at Bridgeport’s Seaside Park. But there’s a last-minute change up to the schedule that caught some off guard.

While organizers were setting the stage, they had to change the headliners who will be on it. Foo Fighters announced Thursday that they wouldn't be performing on Sunday.

The band’s announcement on Facebook frustrated Adrienne Nagy, who says she spent $1,000 on tickets back in May to see the top-billed band take the stage. She says she’s reached out to the promoters hoping for a refund.

She says she saw Foo Fighters for the first time a few years ago at Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport.

“It was probably one of the best shows in my I've ever seen. So, we were so excited when we saw them coming back to play local.”

She says it’s also frustrating that there’s no context behind the cancellation.

“I did reach out to them and ask them if they would consider a refund, because what's disappointing is we were there to go see the Foo Fighters, primarily, and they've been replaced by bands that we don't even know,” Nagy said.

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Tom Russell is the co-founder of the Seaside Music Festival and said they had to make a quick change to fill the gap.

“The lineup for the festival is subject to change. And unfortunately, we got the news that the Foo Fighters were unable to perform. And we worked incredibly hard and incredibly quickly to add two incredible acts, and that’s Jack White and Greta Van Fleet,” Russell said.

Russell was at the festival grounds Friday afternoon for the final set up. Rows of food and drink tents were in place, along with a beer garden, picnic area, and a rotating stage that will host 20 bands.

“While one band is performing, the other band is literally setting up so once the band that’s playing finishes, the stage turns,” Russell explained. “It’s about a five minute process, and once the stage is right in place, the band is ready to rock.”

Boyz II Men, Norah Jones, Noah Kahan, and the Goo Goo Dolls are some of the names that will take the stage over the weekend.

“So, people can expect two awesome days of live music, tons of local food and beverage, and lots of activities to enjoy,” Russell said.

When Foo Fighters dropped out of Soundside music festival lineup with only two days until the kickoff of the festival, some fans were upset.

"Initially, we bought through the pre sale and (were) so excited for Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, but of course they both dropped out. It stings a little extra because we were at the Foo Fighters show in July at Citi Field when they stopped mid-show due to rain," said Kayla Dee, who traveled from New York City to the festival.

While the Foo Fighters' presence was noticeably absent Sunday from the Bridgeport festival, Soundside tapped Jack White and Greta Van Fleet to co-headline the Sunday night of the two-day festival in Seaside Park.

Kelly Suzanne, who was also at the aforementioned Citi Field concert, was disappointed about the Foo Fighters canceling, but found a silver lining with Greta Van Fleet's appearance. Suzanne came with her 18-year-old daughter, who is a fan of the hard rock group.

"She loves Greta Van Fleet and was excited that they were the replacement," Suzanne said. "We spent so much money between tickets, parking and hotel, so we just moved forward with still going."

Greta Van Fleet, anchored by twin brothers Josh and Jake Kiszka, took the stage first and performed an hour set of tunes that spanned the group's entire discography, including cuts from its most recent album, "Starcatcher." The group is no stranger to Connecticut, having performed at Mohegan Sun Arena just last month.

Coming out in black jewel-covered vests, the group took the audience by storm with a sound that has long since been compared to Led Zeppelin and in particular, vocalist Robert Plant. The set included costume changes, Jack Daniels nips and sing-a-longs worthy of a co-headlining performance.

Toward the end of their set, both Josh and Jake Kiszka descended into the pit area and interacted with fans on the rail — many of whom had been waiting all day — while they performed their song "Highway Tune."

Minutes after Greta Van Fleet finished its set, Jack White came on to close out the 2024 festival.

White recently performed a pop-up show at Toad's Place in New Haven this month, which set the record for the all-time, fastest-selling show there, according to Brian Phelps, owner of Toad's Place.

White's set was opposite of what many fans had seen with Greta Van Fleet — an intimate stage setup, a minimalist light show and no flashy costumes — giving what White called "Detroit rock and roll."

Crowd banter was kept to a minimum as emphasis was placed on getting through the blistering, near-20-song set that lasted only 75 minutes. Just as he did at the New Haven show, White opened with a number of songs from his latest album, "No Name," which was a surprise release this past summer.

Those who went to the Toad's Place show also got variations in the setlist of songs that White had not played at the 1,000-person club in New Haven including White Stripes' staples like "We're Going to Be Friends," "Hotel Yorba," "Cannon," "Ball and Biscuit" and "Icky Thump."

White ceremoniously capped off his headlining performance with a rendition of his iconic song, "Seven Nation Army," which has been adopted as an anthem for sporting stadiums around the world — and now, Bridgeport's Seaside Park, if just for one night.

After an energetic rendition of his hit song "Dial Drunk" to open the show, Noah Kahan stepped back to the microphone.

"My name is Noah Kahan and I owe your state an apology," Kahan said.

During his headlining performance on the first day of the Soundside festival on Saturday, the Vermont native made sure that the Connecticut audience knew that the Nutmeg State does deserve to be in New England.

Kahan's initial feelings about Connecticut were made public in July when he was on "Late Night With Seth Meyers." Kahan told Meyers that Connecticut "doesn't count" in New England and made a few digs at the state.

Kahan has performed in Connecticut a handful of times, including an early afternoon slot at Sound on Sound in 2022. When announcing he was headlining at the upcoming festival, Kahan posted an anecdote on social media about how he tried to attend the festival last year but forgot his wristband and wasn’t allowed in — and now he is headlining the festival. "Life is (expletive) crazy," Kahan posted on Facebook.

Crowds showed up early for Kahan with a number of fans camping out all day at the front of the stage to see the folk artist. Lauren Selip, Jenna Manoogian and Taylor Stone had been on the rail of VIP for his set and had been waiting all day. Selip, who has a tattoo based on something that Kahan had drawn for her, said they arrived at 9 a.m. for the performance.

Sean Del Castillo had traveled up from Tampa with his daughter to see Kahan for her birthday. Del Castillo said Kahan was playing a show in St. Augustine, Florida, but the trip to Soundside was more affordable.

During his 16-song, hour-and-a-half set, Kahan treated the audience of thousands in Seaside Park to a bevy of hits from his double-platinum album, "Stick Season." Songs like "New Perspective," "You're Gonna Go Far," "She Calls Me Back" and "Forever" were among the "Stick Season" tunes that comprised the first half of the set. In the middle of the set, Kahan deviated from playing "Stick Season" songs when he did renditions of "False Confidence" from "Busyhead" and "Maine" from "Cape Elizabeth," which was done solo with just Kahan and his acoustic guitar.

Kahan made the end of his main set a homage to New England with songs like "Homesick" and "Northern Attitude."

"You are part of New England, sorry about that," Kahan said after finishing the first frame of the show with "Northern Attitude."

For an encore, Kahan donned a Hartford Whalers jersey; performing both "The View Between Villages" and his most popular song, "Stick Season." Judging by the enigmatic audience reactions and sing-a-longs, Kahan's Connecticut audience had forgiven him for his past comments about the state.

Other acts that took the stage on Saturday include the Goo Goo Dolls, Fleet Foxes, Boyz II Men and Grace Potter. Soundside returns on Sunday featuring co-headlining performances from Jack White and Greta Van Fleet as well as performances by Bleachers, Norah Jones, Teddy Swims and Gregory Alan Isakov.

Includes previous reporting by Jarrod Wardwell.