Fest 19 Festival • Page 16

Eve 6 and Modern Life Is War both dropped.

 

Legit super bummed about Eve 6 and also hope their guitarist gets better but then having to drop is also the funniest way this meme could end

 

Happy Fest everyone! If you see me around feel free to say hi, I’m rocking black shorts and a black shirt LOL j/k Black shorts and a white Get Dead shirt

 

That SLS set

would’ve loved to hear some Mexico but get their set length is limited and beyond that it was pretty near perfect

can’t wait for TWY

 

The wife and I just made it to Bo Diddley for TWY and Frank. It’s a beautiful night!!

 

The ska stage has been lit tonight

 

can’t wait for Skatune

 

That Skatune set made me so happy

 

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Bummed I didn’t get to see TWY but Kill Lincoln was totally worth it. Sounds like KL will be playing Downtown Fats on Sunday, so if anyone missed it you get a second chance. I missed Skatune, WATU, and Mustard Plug regrettably, but the mosquito situation at Heartwood was a little rough going to make sure I have spray today in case I head over there. I’ll definitely be at Hans Gruber, AWS, and Comeback Kid today, say hi, rocking a Heartsounds shirt

 

I’m the tall guy in a Suicide Machines black metal longsleeve today if anyone wants to say what’s up!

Awesome Fest so far

 

Apparently Downtown Fats has $3 tequila shots, ope. I’m wearing a complicated Dan Flashes shirt and have Willie Nelson braids if anyone wants to take one while singing along to ASOB!

 

I’m in! I’ll find ya I’m at DTF now

 

Reading this now… Pretty sure I saw the both of you! I was the dork that was one part of a Party Down costume at DTF!

 

Just seeing this, pretty sure I saw you at Fats. Do you have a mustache?

 

Yep!

 

Just a quick little recap

Had a really great time. As weird as everything was they really pulled it off. Heartwood was an awesome venue, and while it was a hike taking the scooters down there during the day was a blast and really made it easy to hop around. 4th Ave was also really cool and I enjoyed starting the day off chill with a coffee and watching some acoustic sets Sat+Sun morning. Fox Lounge was also really cool even though I was only in there for 10 mins.

Will definitely not be staying at the Stayable Selects (old Wyndham) again. They were basically just policing the whole time so no fun could be had, which could have just been Covid but it more so just seemed like they didn't want to have anything to do with Fest. Registration at Boxcar was cool though!

Best sets of the weekend if I have to pick: TWY, Comeback Kid, Copyrights (Boca), Strike Anywhere, WATU - ASOB cover set

Everyone was really great though. The ska stages on Fri+Sun I had such a good time at

 

My party made so many jokes about using scooters to go from venue to venue this weekend. Good to know it's actually a viable option!

How was that Copyrights set at Boca? I wound up leaving 8 Seconds after Crime in Stereo to get to Downtown Fats for the Kill Lincoln set so I missed both of their sets this weekend. Still not sure if that was the right move or not...

 

They were awesome! I actually ran into Mike from Kill Lincoln Friday night and he told me about the mystery set sunday so I knew I would have to make sure I got into the copyrights Boca set haha

Kill Lincoln started early though which sucked because I got in right as they were finishing That Song :(

HWM was also awesome both nights but I left in the middle of their set both nights and then made it back for their last couple songs both nights as well. Lot of hopping around lol

 

My own recap.

Fest has changed a lot in the decade since I last went. Mostly for the better. Things feel a whole lot less chaotic and a bit more professional without losing any of the fun. Was pleasantly surprised at the vegan options available everywhere (both at Bo Diddley and in various restaurants surrounding the venues).

I hope Heartwood sticks around as a venue. It was a bit of a hike, but definitely had a cool vibe that still felt small and intimate despite being outdoors. Conversely, I kinda felt like Bo Diddley was too big for a lot of the bands who played that stage. But that's not necessarily a bad problem to have...

Favorite sets: A Wilhelm Scream, Pears, Kill Lincoln, Tightwire, Catbite, Broadway Calls, and Crime in Stereo. In that order.
Best surprises: Being able to see Kill Lincoln and Catbite twice. Cliffdiver. Bad Operation.
Biggest disappointments: Eve 6 and Jen Pop cancelling. Missing the Copyrights not once, but twice.

Hard agree that having the the ska venues were an absolute blast every night. And it was cool to see Catbite get big upped to Bo Diddley and get a great response. Hope they continue that next year.

 

Yeah that is the problem with Bo it doesn't really work out for anyone except the headliner.

Strike Anywhere and IATA both had nice little niche crowds but would have been so much better inside somewhere

Broadway Calls and Crime In Stereo were awesome, it was nice jamming with a little group that was super into it. What a setlist for BC as well! And ending with Wilhelm was perfect

 

Yeah, Kill Lincoln dropped the bomb about their mystery set on Friday night. Haha. Sorry you missed "That Song!" I went nuts for that and all the other covers during that set...

I caught the first 75% of Flight & A Crash on Saturday night but like you, I left for something else. They were good, but it also kinda just is at that point where it's "another Hot Water Music set." Haha.

 

Oh that makes sense for KL haha, So impressed with Cresswell in HWM though he gets better every time. And annoyed he didn't at least do an acoustic set this weekend

 

I always forget what songs Wollard sings. Cresswell nails it every time! And when I saw him there on Saturday, I felt for sure he was going to be the mystery band at 4th Ave on Sunday AM! But nope...

I don't even know if I would qualify that as a complaint, but it definitely made the acts earlier in the day feel much less-attended than they actually were. And I think just based on virtue of the venue, people don't go off quite as much.

But one of the things I kept marveling at over the weekend was how not stressful it was getting into most of the venues. And I think a big part of that is because you can now throw some of the acts that would normally have to play at like, 8 Seconds or High Dive... Earlier in the day. Which bumps other acts up to a bigger venue, etc.

One of the reasons I stopped going to Fest was because of the capacity limits. It started to feel like a gamble: Do I want to get there 30 minutes early so I might be able to get in and see Band X while I miss seeing Band Y at a venue I'm already in but want to see a bit less? That sorta thing. The last year I went, I literally showed up at the High Dive 60+ minutes ahead of doors... And missed the first band (Dear Landlord) because it hit capacity.

I think being able to toss a band on in the afternoon for their "main set" and having the option of doing a surprise set later in the weekend is kinda great because it opens things up a bit at the smaller venues. And I really think having Heartwood as an option now too will help with that even further. It just made the weekend feel much more "open" and less stressful.

I'm sure there were some sets where that happened, and admittedly, I think a lot of the bands I wanted to see were a bit less "in fashion" but still...

 

it also feels like they just sold less tickets because covid. also a lot of bands/members played several sets

 

The only set I couldn't get into due to capacity issue was Chris Gethard's set saturday and from there I just went to Loosey's and I was one of the last people in for Spanish Love Songs acoustic set.

Copyrights at Boca I think I was lucky as well as I saw the line stop moving after I got in and same with Catbite's No Doubt set

But yeah it's normally a lot worse. I was shocked that I was able to get into the mystery Wilhelm set since I got there about 20 mins late