Jim Beam Homegrown 2024 on the Wellington waterfront on Saturday was another incredible showcase of Kiwi talent under the warm sun, and attendees were loving every second.
The one-day festival came back to Te Whanganui a Tara again this year after a tumultuous few years - COVID-19 caused cancellations in both 2022 and 2020.
This year, again, the capital lived up to its famous quote - it was a mint day weather-wise.
The sun was shining on the crowds of 20,000-plus people from all over Aotearoa, made easier by the fact that ticketing was easy and the queues were quick.
There were several fast-moving bars, plenty of kai trucks and water stations around.
I felt the waste management lacked a little - but it didn't ruin the long-running city festival at all.
Across the five stages: Park, Electronic, Rock, Lagoon, and City, there was a mix of people from all walks of life equally jamming out to some of the best music in the world.
At the stage set up in Waitangi Park, Home Brew was the third main act to play, coming out to huge applause as fans filtered in.
Their set began with a nostalgic video of Tom Scott talking about the band's old days and his past self.
"That was then, my apologies for that," he told the humming crowd, before transitioning seamlessly into their first hit '80 Down Scenic'.
It was Scott's first performance of the day, also performing as part of Avantdale Bowling Club on a different stage - the first time he's performed in both of his bands on the same day.
The audience was immediately grooving, and it wasn't long before the energy rose another level.
"It's 5 o'clock somewhere", Scott said as the band kicked off their show with their hit 'Drinking in the Morning'.
That was followed up by 'Dedicated To' and 'Under the Shade', as more and more people filtered to the stage to hear the incredible tunes.
Another few songs were played before arguably their most well-known hit, 'Alcoholic' rang out across Waitangi Park.
Scott said he was "70 days off that shit", while bandmate Haz Beats followed up with: "and I'm 72 hours!"
The crowd was pumping and singing their lungs out, even more so during the chorus.
Then came 'Blowing Smoke' and Scott said: "This should be f**king legal, come on man… 2 percent forgot it was voting day!" speaking of the 2020 cannabis referendum.
Home Brew ended their set with 'Bad Bad Whiskey' and 'Bourbon and Coke', fitting for a festival sponsor like Jim Beam.
Next up was a quick walk along Ara Moana/Wellington waterfront to Frank Kitts Park.
Muroki, the musician from humble Whāingaroa/Raglan, attracted a decent crowd of young, old, and in-between to the City Stage.
"Personally, I'm a bit excited to get a double dose of Tom Scott on the bill," he told the enthusiastic revellers.
He kicked off his set with 'Bad Dreams' which got everybody dancing, and followed up that with 'Sweet Lime', and 'Love Cocoon'.
There were people enjoying the show from every angle, as the terraced seats at Frank Kitts Park allowed people to sit down with their meals, drinks, and still enjoy the show.
A sunny 16C afternoon helped to get almost everyone smiling as they boogied away to tunes like 'Everything Else'.
Then came 'Simple Pleasures' which set the crowd on fire, and 'Summer Season' was no different, getting some in the audience even screaming.
"You guys vibin' that man?" he asked the crowd.
"This is the last time you'll see me for a while. I'm moving to Germany for a bit," he revealed.
Muroki also performed a brief cover of Amerie's '1 Thing' and did a remixed outro of his hit single 'Surfin'.
He finished his set with the first half of 'Rehurehu', which is in te reo Māori, along with the second half of 'Wavy' in English.
"Peace and love to you all!" he said as he walked off stage.
Next on the agenda was Paige Julia. The in-demand DJ and musician has had an incredibly busy summer, playing show after show around the motu.
But she didn't fail to pull in some energetic punters to listen to her beats in the Electronic Tent, right next to Te Papa, with people mostly on the younger side.
I couldn't decide on a favourite between Paige Julia and Katchafire, so I tried to squeeze in both - and luckily their stages were right next to each other.
A short stroll away, Katchafire, veterans of Jim Beam Homegrown, who played all of their favourite tunes, also performed a cover of Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' which got everyone going even more.
The only bad thing about Jim Beam Homegrown is that there is so much you want to see, and you can't possibly see everyone you hope to.
With 47 acts to see in just one day, it's an incredibly difficult choice every time a Kiwi music fan looks at the Homegrown schedule.
So naturally, I couldn't stay long before I had to rush to get to Alien Weaponry on time, over at the Rock Stage, beside the Wharewaka.
The boys from Waipu opened their epic set with 'Raupatu', bringing an incredible energy that not many other acts can match.
I had been waiting years to see Alien Weaponry, and I was left mindblown at their unreal musicality.
It wasn't hard to see why they're in such high demand for European metal shows.
"Are we ready to have a good f**king time tonight?" said vocalist Lewis de Jong before their next song, 'Holding My Breath'.
The crowd was thrashing along to every tune, and it was an awesome sight.
"This is our first show of 2024," de Jong revealed late into the set, before ringing in classic waiata 'Rū Ana Te Whenua'.
Chants of "haumi ē, hui ē, tāiki ē" could be heard as the Waipu musos belted out their powerful tunes weaving te reo Māori and English.
A huge mosh pit formed at one point, involving what looked like nearly a third of the audience.
Alien Weaponry effortlessly blended favourites like 'Hatupatu' and 'Kai Tangata' as the sun said goodbye to the city, with impressive visuals to match.
Then, towards the end of the night, people started to pack into all stages, but particularly at Waitangi Park.
That's because L.A.B. were about to perform, as the stage's second-to-last act of the night, before Kora wrapped it up.
Lead singer Joel Shadbolt got the crowd vibing as they came onto the stage, and they pumped out tune after tune like 'Mr Reggae', 'In The Air' and 'Controller'.
The crowd at this point was packed in like sardines, and it was a mission to get through anywhere with the thousands of fans keen to experience the Kiwi reggae-rock legends in the flesh.
They played other hits too, like 'Oh No (Pt 2)' and even covered 'Don't You Forget About Me' by Simple Minds which went down a hit.
L.A.B. played a few more bangers before ending with my personal favourite 'Take It Away'.
It was a 10/10 day, and Wellington sure did put on a stunner for it. Jim Beam Homegrown 2024 couldn't have been better, and the fans couldn't have partied any harder.
Aotearoa-made music has a bright future - that's one thing for sure if these punters come back year after year.
