Hailing from the laid-back state of California, The Story So Far were anything but relaxed onstage. I had seen them earlier this Spring on the Glamour Kills Tour, and was blown away by how much the band have seemed to mature since I saw them play last. This was the band's fourth set (one each day of the festival, and an impromptu acoustic set on the boardwalk Friday night) in three days at the festival, and the band's hard work was rewarded with what seemed like a longer set than most of the other bands playing the Zumiez stage received. The band made the most of their time, playing most of the songs that comprised their debut full-length Under Soil and Dirt, and the energy from the band and crowd never let up throughout. It's always cool to watch a young band blow up before your very eyes, and if you've seen The Story So Far before, you're about to watch them become the next big thing in pop-punk.
Despite one of the more dubious stage assignments I've ever seen in the festival (seriously, how are Bayside not Main Stage?), Bayside proved once again why they're one of the best live rock bands in the world at Bamboozle. Playing a set that actually featured more songs from 2007's The Walking Wounded than their most recent release Killing Time, the band's progression on Killing Time brought a new flair to classics like "They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns," "I and I," and the classic "Devotion and Desire," and if this is any indication of what fans can expect from Bayside on this summer's Warped Tour, they're one of the can't miss-acts of the entire tour.
This year's Main Stage was huge. I mean, like, really, really big. Big enough to make a band who thinks they're all that feel really, really small. But yet again, The Gaslight Anthem have made themselves look larger than life, no matter the situation they're placed in. Plain and simple, Brian Fallon and Co. were born to play music to as many people as humanly possible. With a set that paid homage to the band's instant-classic The '59 Sound, the band also played the new single from Handwritten (due out in less than two months!), "45," in addition to a few choice cuts from American Slang. The coolest part of it all, however, was how comfortable the band felt with so many sets of eyes upon them. I had seen them with a significantly smaller crowd a few weeks ago, and they actually seemed a little more at ease at Bamboozle than they did for the "45" video shoot. Regardless, Handwritten is going to be awesome, and The Gaslight Anthem are going to be playing to crowds like the one they played in front of at The Bamboozle--and maybe even bigger-- for years to come.
Bamboozle 2007 was pretty awkward, and a lot of that had to do with Brand New. That story is too long for a recap like this, so I'll skip it. All you really need to know is that there were a few issues with Brand New's set, and that made their reappearance on the Main Stage in 2012 all the more interesting. Opening with "Welcome to Bangkok," the band took the stage by storm, and had the crowd (minus the Moms waiting for Bon Jovi) in the palm of their hands for the entire set. Sticking mostly to their monumental release The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me (the album they were supporting the last time they played Bamboozle), the band were very composed and genuinely into the set, which is a lot more than anyone who witnessed the debacle of Bamboozle 2007 (like me) can say. Ending with a bang (in more ways than one) with "You Won't Know," my personal favorite from the band, it was very clear that Brand New had just put on the best show of the entire weekend, and as Jesse Lacey screamed the title of the last track played, curled up and overcome with emotion, it was quite evident that, for better or worse (for the Mom Jovis, at least), the entire crowd had just watched a set they wouldn't soon forget from a band that is aiming to reclaim their throne atop the emo genre.
I watched Bon Jovi's set, too, but I'm either too young or not interested enough to understand how cool it was that they headlined the festival. They played just about every song you would have expected to, but at that point I was so blown away by the four bands I had watched earlier that day/night that I didn't even really care. The Bamboozle Festival has been such an integral part of my youth, and being able to see so many great bands on the same day is something too special to formulate a proper tribute to do so. If you ever get the chance to go to Bamboozle, make it happen. You'll never regret it, and chances are, you'll have an experience as good or even better than the one I had this past Sunday.
For those of you who did go, who did you see? What'd you think? Leave your comments, we'd love to hear from you!
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