Baltimore, the self-proclaimed “Greatest City in America,” is better known for its ever-rising murder rate than its musical culture. But underneath the grime and crime there is, in fact, a thriving local scene, evidenced by the recent Whartscape 2007, a three-day festival that spotlighted local artists like Spank Rock, Dan Deacon, Cex, the Dirty Projectors, xbxrx, and the Death Set, supported by killer indie music retailers like the Sound Garden.
Contrarily, the second annual Virgin Festival, held this past weekend at the Pimlico racetrack, is a more corporate affair. There were no surprises or collaborations, just big name bands delivering their best to more 70,000 fans over two days. Here are a few photo highlights from the weekend.
This article appears in August 3 • 2007.