Photo gallery: Evolution Festival 2025, Day 1 | 09.27.25

Photo of Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav by Karl Beck

The third annual Evolution Festival took over Forest Park one September weekend with an eclectic lineup of indie rock, neo-soul, hip-hop, and more. The Saturday lineup leaned heavily on the artists whose heydays were in the ‘90s, but their sets showcased newer material to prove that their vitality carries on to today. [Jason Green]

The Kills’ set way back in 2016 was one of the absolute highlights of that year’s LouFest, so it was a gift to have Allison Mosshart and Jamie Hince back onstage in Forest Park. The pair played songs spanning from their 2003 debut Keep On Your Mean Side to their 2023 comeback God Games, closing out with the ever-heavy “Doing It To Death.” [JG]

The Pharcyde took over the Lindenwood University stage for a half hour set that leaned heavily on their classic debut, 1992’s Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, but closed on their latest single, the 19999 WRITE THE FUTURE collab “Timeless.” [JG]

Brooklyn-based post-punk sextet TVOD took the dinnertime set on the NUTRL stage, touring in support of their third release, Party Time, released this past May on Mothland. [JG]

As their latest album title attests, The Hives Forever, Forever the Hives! The Swedish garage rockers played a typically energetic set on the World Wide Technology main stage, including new songs alongside classics like “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Tick Tick Boom.” [JG]

Corinne Bailey Rae’s set on the Lindenwood University stage appears to be her first stop in St. Louis since a 2016 visit to The Pageant. The neo-soul singer played a 10-song set, including a trio of songs from both her latest album (2023’s Black Rainbows) and her self-titled debut, including her set-closing smash, “Put Your Records On.” [JG]

Playing alongside Corinne Bailey Rae’s set over on the NUTRL stage, UK duo His Lordship crammed 20 songs into their hourlong set, closing with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” assisted by members of The Kills. [JG]

Sam Fender took the Evolution Fest main stage, turning St. Louis into a roaring Midwestern celebration. The band was electric with three guitars slashing riffs, a horn section with blazing saxophones, and backup singers stacking harmonies. “Seventeen Going Under” was the highlight of their set. “The Borders” closed the set perfectly. [Sevauna Stageman]

Public Enemy took the stage, launching straight into a booming “Make Love, Fuck War” chant that had the entire crowd fists-up and roaring. Chuck D yelled, “What’s up, The Lou?!” St. Louis answered with a roar of cheers. Flavor Flav and the crew never let the energy dip, trading bars with the audience. Classic after classic, such as “Rebel Without a Pause” and “Bring the Noise,” fueled the crowd with nostalgia. [SS]

Sublime’s headlining set turned the main stage into a punk-reggae party, with every last festivalgoer crammed shoulder-to-shoulder. Energy was off the charts. Jakob Nowell perfectly channeled his dad’s spirit throughout the set. “Are you feeling the love tonight?” The roar was deafening. “Sing along if you know the words!”—and 40oz. to Freedom detonated, thousands of voices drowning the band in a singalong tsunami. Before going into “40oz. To Freedom,” Nowell requested the audience to “Feel the love and sing along.” Then came “Smoke Two Joints” with a massive video rolling behind them with Rolling papers, lighters, and cartoon clouds of smoke. The field was perfectly lit up with flashlights. The obvious fever pitch was during “Santeria.” The drummer kicked through, and guitar solos mesmerized the crowd. [SS]