Fest 13: Day 2: Farewells, Redemption, and Beer Showers
After mashing the snooze on my alarm about a thousand times, I woke up to an all caps text message from a friend timestamped at around 3 AM telling me that Greg from the Menzingers was playing some songs in the hotel lobby. It was a shame I missed out, but my Fest was so packed with bands to see, the solid night of sleep was welcome. The sky-high plate of tofu scramble at the Wooly was also incredibly welcome. After double fisting some coffee, it was time to get back to Festing. (Editors note: Double fisting is a cup in each hand, in case any English people get the wrong idea here.)
I started off the day of bands on a bittersweet note. Mixtapes had announced prior that Fest was going to be their last show ever, but what came as a great surprise was that their actual, final show was going to be held at the intimate Bar 1982 as a mystery band set. The band decided to end on a nostalgic note by playing their debut record “Maps” from front to back with some other surprises thrown in the midst. Mixtapes had always been a Fest staple for me and it made me completely nostalgic for Fest 9 when they were a brand new band sharing “Maps” with people for the first time. They even did their cover of “Werewolf Shame” off their split with Direct Hit! joined by DH! frontman Nick Woods. Closing out with “Hope Is For People” was the perfect way to end, and it really was hard to say goodbye.
I figured a great way to cheer up would be some fresh air and a band that never fails to make me laugh, so it was off to the new Fest venue, Bo Diddley Plaza to see Masked Intruder. The Intruders and the beloved Officer Bradford made sure everyone in the plaza was ready to dance and commit petty theft (allegedly) or obey the law depending on who you ask. The band played a variety of songs off of both records and Maura from Mixtapes joined them to sing her part of “Heart Shaped Guitar.” As the set continued, Officer Bradford’s clothing gradually disappeared until he was down to only a jockstrap with his bare ass basking in the Florida sun.
Throughout the weekend I heard a lot of mixed feelings about Bo Diddley Plaza. I maintained my initial impression of the place for the remainder of the weekend. I loved being able to see headlining bands outside in the sun versus the dark, and smoke ridden Florida Theatre of past Fests. I have lost count of how many times I’ve drunkenly tumbled down the stairs in that place. For an outdoor venue the sound was nicely done. Another one of my favorite things about the Plaza was that there were plenty of vantage points where you could still see the bands even if you were further back and it was big enough to hold even the largest crowds meaning everyone could get in. I ended up scoping out Dear Landlord from afar and appreciating how well executed the Plaza was.
Sooner or later, I always end up back at the Wooly, and I found myself catching the latter half of Sorority Noise’s set. The next band I was super excited to see was Captain We’re Sinking. Their set at Fest 12 was apparently legendary, but Rockey’s reached capacity before I could get in. This meant that I was most definitely not going to miss them this year. The set was heavy with material from “The Future Is Cancelled” which was my top record of last year. They most definitely didn’t disappoint this year.
After Captain, I cooled off with a burrito and getting to see Chumped in a very packed Palomino Pool Hall. It’s amazing to see how far this band has come in such a short amount of time. They played quite a few songs off their upcoming record and ended up putting on one of my favorite sets of the day. I’m really excited with the direction the band is heading and can’t wait to hear the rest of the new record in the coming months.
It then suddenly hit me that I was soon going to be seeing the Descendents and I got extremely stoked. They are one of my favorite bands and the only time I got to see them, it was rainy and at a really awful venue and I was under the weather. After my positive experience at Bo Diddley Plaza earlier, I got excited at the prospect of actually being able to enjoy them. I took advantage of the great vantage points the Plaza had to offer and ended up getting to shout along with my friend that I got matching Milo tattoos with years ago. It seemed appropriate and it made the night feel almost magical. It was nice to get a second chance to see the band and I never thought I would ever get to say that I got to see Descendents at Fest, but here we are.
This was the chilliest Fest I have ever been to, for the record. I was ill prepared and only packed jorts so the next place I ended up was out of necessity for warmth. I ended up taking refuge in Durty Nelly’s where I got turned onto yet another band I never heard before, the New Lows. They had a great energy about them and it was just the thing I needed to get myself dancing and warmed up.
I decided to close out my night with the Dopamines and in true Fest fashion I ended up getting completely showered in one of the most intense storms of beer I have ever been in at Fest. It was so intense I almost forgot about the Dopamines completely, as fantastic as they are.
It was then I decided to retreat back to the hotel. Being soaked in beer made the walk colder, so my real, actual shower was super rewarding. I had to have a fresh start for the next day’s beer showers after all.