Tunes From The Tombs

Matthew Sweet — he wrote songs that expressed everything I thought I knew about love at age 13. So when the bill was announced for this years TFTT, I bought tickets immediately. I hadn’t been prior, but Oakland cemetery is awesome, so why wouldn’t a show be?
I’ll be honest, I only came for Matthew Sweet and it was impossible to enjoy for the following reasons:
1. People were allowed at the level (or was it on?) the stage. Meaning there was no way anybody could see the show. They were literally standing five feet away from the artist and towering over them. It was bizarre.
2. The stage was positioned uphill-​also contributing to a lack of view.
3. The sun was behind the stage-​meaning directly in everyone’s eyes.
4. The sound sucked — too quiet — this may have been in compliance with a noise ordinance and was forgivable.
Ultimately, we couldn’t stay because it was miserable. I hope they reconsider these flaws for next year and maybe I can just catch Matthew Sweet somewhere else when he comes back to town. I’ll be waiting!

This was my first year attending Tunes From the Tombs and it will definitely become an annual tradition for me. It is such a unique experience to be able to listen to great local music and picnic while surrounded by the beauty of Oakland cemetery.
I was thoroughly impressed by the tour schedule during the event. Tours were free with admission and you could take as many as you like. The «Sights, Symbols & Stories» tour ran ever 30 minutes and was an abbreviated version of this tour on a normal day at Oakland. They also had each of the other tours («Civil War Families,» «Art & Architecture of Oakland,» and «Women of Oakland») running at set times during the day.
The food trucks were great — but they definitely could have used a few more particularly for the number of people at the event.
As other reviewers have mentioned the beer lines are LONGGG. Long to the point where you get a second King of Pops instead of a second beer because it is just not worth the 30 minute wait. Hopefully next year they will add a few more beer booths to help cater to their beer-​thirsty clientele. They could have converted a few of the water/​soda booths to beer booths in my opinion…
Tickets are $ 10 in advance and $ 15 at the door. This is one of the cheapest festivals I have been to in Atlanta, and also one of the best particularly since it benefits such a great cause

This is a must attend event for me every year! You could not ask for a more amazing location to throw an outdoor concert than in the gardens of Oakland cemetery. From the large old growth trees to weathered marble mausoleums, there is an air of the old world the exudes relaxation in nature. The gardens are fresh and vibrant with smells of rosemary and other flowering plants wafting in the air. Two main stages bounce tunes off the markers and hills as you are free to enjoy local craft beer and divine food truck noms. Free tours go on throughout the day and you are always welcome to meander through the plots at your leisure.
The only warnings I give people are: people will lay on gravesites and markers. If that makes you uncomfortable, know it will happen en masse. Secondly, the beer lines are longgggg. Often over 50 people deep, buy two and carry with.
Bring your lawn chairs or blankets, but leave your coolers at home. I carry a camelbak with me for water and that’s a-​ok.
There is something surreal and relaxing about how luscious the gardens are and how vibrant the people and music are when combined in this place. Probably goes back to the original design of this land as a city park.
If you haven’t been, put it on the calendar now!

Great music, great food, great beer, great people, family friendly, beautiful setting, great mini-​tours, great price. We have made this a family tradition (three years can make a tradition, right?).

I didn’t make it to the 1^st annual Tunes from the Tombs, but I have to say that I thought the 2^nd annual was great. It was helped by being an unbelievably beautiful day. The sound issue no longer exists; I only sat at 2 different stages, but never heard another stages music at either one. There were some food trucks and other food vendors scattered around the park. I like the local band feel… I even knew a couple of the performers which was nice. I really like having multiple stages and bands playing at each stage the whole time. It gave me a choice of music which I dig. Hopefully next year they will put the type of music each band plays next to their name in the program.
The best things about this fest are:
–It’s cheap
–It helps raise money for this beautiful cemetery, of which I use often (I walk my dog here).
–Loads of places to spread a blanket
–Hours of all different types of music
–I can bring my pup
I will be back next year fo’ sho’

Oakland Cemetery is a part of Atlanta everyone should see. I was lucky enough to have my first time there to also be a part of a music/​art festival. This was their first Tunes from Tombs event…$ 10 for one day, $ 15 for 2 day. All proceeds went to the Oakland Cemetery. It was a good time, but there are always some kinks to work out, especially one your first try. Below I’ve listed my pro and con list…
Pros —
* Free fortune teller in one of the mausoleums.
* Cheap drinks (beer/​wine were $ 5 and less).
* Good food options and they were pretty affordable. They had BBQ, Six Feet Under and some corn dog truck.
* King of Pops was one of he first carts you saw when you walked into the cemetery. That’s always a plus.
* They gave 30 minute free tours. Just enough info to get you hungry to go to on of their typical tours.
Cons —
* There were some decent local bands, but it would have been nice to have at a few bigger names.
* I would suggest only one performer/​band at a time or they lower the speakers. There were a few times when a few bands blended together and the sound was a bit too much.
* I would have loved to see more artists. Atlanta is full of local art and this would have been a perfect place to show it off.
* More food options would have been nice.
Overall…I will definitely be back to the cemetery for one of their tours. If they add artists/​bands to next years event… count me in to that, as well.

Oakland Cemetery is one of my absolute-​most-​favoritest places in Atlanta. I love the history, I love the trees, I love the gift shop, I love the location, I love a walk through it as a great date. I love it.
Tunes from Tombs was their first ever two-​day music festival, featuring a variety of artists on a variety of stages. A one day pass was $ 10, and a two day pass was $ 15. Looking at the money as a donation to the Oakland Foundation, it was a good deal. If you look at it as admission to a music festival… eh.
Some of the performers were really excellent. Unfortunately, the bad ones were much louder, and the sound carried over the whole cemetery. Next year, I think it would be neat to encourage all acoustic sets, or only have one performance going on at a time, no matter which stage.
The food options were great, and the drinks were cheap (under $ 5 for a beer, $ 1 for a soda or water). They also offered a variety of previews of their normal guided tours, and the 30 minutes we spent on «Love Stories of Oakland» was awesome. The guide struck just the right blend of information and entertainment. It definitely made me want to go back and go on a full length tour sometime soon.
Would I do this again next year? Probably not. But it was still a nice afternoon spent at one of my favorite destinations in the city.