120 bands, seven stages, and it all started with The Noise FM. That’s who kicked off Middle of the Map’s biggest year yet with a stellar performance at the Uptown in Kansas City. The music festival will see more bands than ever grace the large stage.

This inaugural night also saw a reunion from the Republic Tigers, although we saw them not too long ago at a secret Jackpot show in Lawrence. There wasn’t a single misstep in their lengthy performance, and you can expect to see a lot more of them soon (including a surprise Lawrence show in the next couple of weeks).

OK Go rounded out the evening with an explosion of color and never-ending confetti. Their optical illusions and video installations made you feel like you were watching a live-action version of those magic eye books some of us ogled in our childhood. The band conversed with the audience quite a bit, stopping often to take questions from fans during the show. They brought along a bag of tricks, including tiny noise makers and what we can only describe as human drum machines (this involved looping noises from the audience).

You can check out photos from Night 1 of Middle of the Map Fest below.

Words and photos by Fally Afani