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Casey Phillips’ pick for the final night of Riverbend: Here Come the Mummies wrap up the festival in funky form

Here Come the Mummies perform on the Coca-Cola Stage during the final day of the Riverbend 2015. The band is returning to the Coke Stage tonight as the early headliner, preceding Southern rockers 38 Special. Here Come the Mummies perform on the Coca-Cola Stage during the final day of the Riverbend 2015. The band is returning to the Coke Stage tonight as the early headliner, preceding Southern rockers 38 Special.

By Casey Phillips June 18, 2016 2 min read

If you go

› What: Here Come the Mummies› When: 6:30 p.m. tonight› Where: Coke Stage› Admission: Riverbend 9-day wristband ($55); one-day wristband ($25)

For all that I honestly can’t stand Kiss, there’s a part of me that wishes more bands embraced their love of spectacle. Live music should be larger than life. It should transcend the ordinary and rise above being a mere diversion. It should be pleasurable, yes, but more than that, it should entertain.

Here Come The Mummies is one of the rare modern bands that understands this.

A Nashville-based funk ensemble, the 10 members of the Mummies don’t just walk out on stage, they parade to it through the crowd while playing their instruments. They perform while wrapped head to toe in linen and often under a slathering of makeup. They dance and cavort during their shows and go by stage names like Eddie Mummy, KW Tut, Will Pharaoh and Mummy Cassanova.

See our Riverbend 2016 coverage

But they’re not dependent on this shtick. They’re not leaning on the costuming and props like crutches or using them to distract from substandard playing. They’re good – really, really good.

The Mummies have put in frequent appearances at stages in Chattanooga for years now. They used to march through Big River Grille to get to the stage at Rhythm & Brews, where they played to a room so packed it’s a marvel more people didn’t suffocate and join the ranks of the undead themselves.

Clearly, Friends of the Festival have become fans of Here Come the Mummies, too. In 2012, they booked them on the Bud Light Stage, where they played to an enormous crowd. Last year, they were featured as the early Coke Stage headliner on the last night of the festival, a slot they’re filling once again this year.

But this is one time when familiarity isn’t breeding contempt.

The Mummies are incredible musicians, but more than that, they’re fun and – in the truest sense of the word – spectacular. Perhaps by seeing them in the spotlight more frequently, more bands will take note and incorporate a bit of that drama and adventure into their own shows.

Besides, who better to wrap up the festival than a bunch of mummies?

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.