GULF SHORES, Alabama — Crowd surfing on inflatable whales, getting photobombed by "The Vinny Show" star Vinny Guadagnino and holding up Twenty One Pilots as they bashed away at drums while hoisted up by fans. Those were just a few of the highlights of the first day of Hangout Festival.
With action taking place on five stages, two of which are located right on the crystal sand beaches for a spectacular view you won't find at any other summer gathering, the only question was which direction to head.
Twenty One Pilots helped kick off the steamy day with a high-energy show that included singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun standing on wood planks on top of the audience's hands and bashing away at drums to end their triumphant set on the Letting Go Stage. Just next door at the Boom Boom Tent, EDM superstar Afrojack got the party moving and Passion Pit became one with the surf thanks to the warm embrace of hits including "The Reeling."
We also set loose fellow superstar DJ Dillon Francis on the crowd, sending him out with a GoPro camera to spend some quality time with his fans. He thought he spotted a Pikachu (but he was wrong) and got way into some boot-scooting fiddle playing. Meanwhile, model and special correspondent Chrissy Teigen mingled with the masses and scaled the giant inflatable waterslide set up between the main stages on the beach and had a wet and wild ride.
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But nobody enjoyed their time on the shore more than Vinny, who spent much of the afternoon photobombing unsuspecting fans, many of whom didn't realize who'd jumped into their shot until it was too late. Those special moments and many more are among the performances you'll find on our Hangout hub, which includes songs from Twenty One Pilots, Ra Ra Riot, Toots & The Maytals, Lissie and Macklemore & Lewis.
The Seattle hip-hop duo served up one of the day's hottest sets, with some crowd surfing atop inflatable whales and hits including "Can't Hold Us," "10,000 Hours," "Thrift Shop" and a moving "Same Love," which included an impassioned plea from Macklemore for marriage equality.