My 2 days at Bamboozle Left!
I
spent the past weekend at Bamboozle Left, a 2 day music festival in
Pomona, California. Nick (NOGH) and I arrived at 11:30am on Saturday
for Day 1. As soon as we got inside, it seemed as if it was a "DJ
Rossstar Reunion" as over 50% of the bands playing the show have been
on my show before, whether in studio or over the phone. In fact the
majority of the day was spent backstage, catching up with old friends
and bands who I haven't had on my show in a while and eating the free
carrots and cheese that Bamboozle provided. I also got a chance to meet
some of the bands whom I have done phone interviews with but have never
met in person.
The first band we got to watch was The Matches.
It doesn't matter that they played acoustic at my house Thursday night
or that I have seen them live at least 7 times, I STILL get excited for
their set. The band is so energetic on stage that even newcomers to the
band will be able to get into them, even if they do not know the words
yet. The band set was only 30 minutes, like most of the bands, but it
was good to hear them play some new songs.
After The Matches,
Nick and I walked around the outside venue, which was at Cal Poly,
Pomona and was a lot more enjoyable than Warped Tour, in that it was
smaller, with less people and much easier to get around. We stopped by
many of the booths and talked to a bunch of our friends who were
working them.
The next band we saw was All Time Low. I have
known those guys since my Maryland/DC days as they were guests on my
show was back in 2003. We stood on stage for their performance and they
definately won over the crowd. In fact, I even got a shoutout during
the set :) If you are a sucker for pop punk like I am, then you will
LOVE All Time Low.
Immediately after All Time Low, we ran over
to the Main Stage and got to watch Sugarcult. Standing on stage, you
are able to see just how many people love the band and sign a long to
every single word. They played a great mix of songs from their 3 main
albums and rocked the stage like they always do. I definately didn't
understand why they were on so early in the day but regardless they had
a huge crowd.
After Sugarcult, we headed over to one of the
smaller stages to catch Big Japan. They were guests on my show about 2
years ago and play some good indie music, which is often overlooked by
the fact that Adam Brody (The OC) is the drummer. In fact, after their
set, a huge crowd of fans piled on the fence to get his autograph and
after he started to walk away the crowd continued to follow him.
After
Big Japan, we headed back over to the Main Stage and watched Cobra
Starship from on stage. It is still weird seeing Gabe on a stage
without the rest of Midtown but he performed well. It wasn't
incredible, but it wasn't bad.
We caught the end of Halifax and
then walked around for 30 minutes. I ran into a large number of fans (I
think almost 50 total) throughout the day and it was incredible getting
to meet everyone. I know some of you took pictures with me, so I hope
you send them!
At 5:55 we headed over to watch Van Stone. I made
sure we got on stage for this performance. I have seen Van Stone a few
times and was more excited to see them than anyone else on the bill. I
can't explain them in words. Think 80's metal mixed with comedy,
complete with outfits and attire that inhcluded assless chaps, a
shotgun guitar and a ginat penis that squirts the crowd with water. The
highlight was when the singer jumped off stage and into the crowd, in
which he started to mosh with everyone while singing. I told everyone I
know to watch Van Stone and those who did were very pleased.
After
Van Stone we walked around the venue again for about an hour. Jack's
Mannequin played at 7:35pm but Nick and I were hanging around the other
stage with our buddy Jeff from Cute Is What We Aim For. I definately
heard all of Jack's and the mini-3 song Something Corporate set, but it
was way to crowded to physically see it.
Cute Is What We Aim For
played at 8:20pm and were the last band of the night on the second
stage. I watched them from on stage and they definately brought of the
largest crowds of the night and played a tight set.
The final
set of the night came from Dashboard Confessional. Maybe it was an off
night for him, but he definately did not sound as well as he usually
does, and I am a fan of his music. We watched him play but weren't
paying too much attention. Maybe he was sick. I still enjoy his CD's.
After
Dashboard, Nick and I hung around backstage and waited for the after
party...and waited and waited.....It ended up being Nick, Jeff and I
just standing around and everyone else was gone or in their buses. We
said goodbye to Jeff and left for Denny's to meet up with a few
friends. After Denny's we arrived at our hotel, only 5 minutes away.
Steve and Chelsea roomed with us and we watched the show "Cheaters"
which is a wild hidden camera show that only airs at like 2 am. We went
to sleep after "Cheaters" in order to rest up for Day 2.
We
arrived at Bamboozle Day 2 at 11:30am and chilled with our friends in I
Am Ghost before their set. We got to watch them start off the second
stage and they are definately one of the best live bands out there
right now in this genre. In fact, I do not like heavy music but I enjoy
them because their live set is so energetic and they are talented
musicians. Steve Ghost gave me a shoutout on stage so special props to
him.
We spent the next hour walked around and once again
catching up with old friends and bands who have been on the show. It
took us a full day and a half, but we also discovered that backstage,
between the two main stages was a Red Bull tent that was filled with
free redbull, a live DJ, video games, a pool table and free food. We
stopped by there a few tiems throughout the day.
At 1:55pm we
went up on the Main Stage to watch Van Stone again. This time, they
were EVEN funnier and more extreme than the day before. Once again, I
urge you to check them out at www.myspace.com/vanstone I can't even
describe how funny and original they are.
We watched Drop Dead,
Gorgeous on one of the smaller stages. They drew a huge crowd for such
a small stage and new-ish band. I was impressed.
After DDG, we
ended up walking around again. We caught part of Sound The Alarm. Great
bunch of guys. Apparently Day 2, was more screamo/metal based which
isn't our thing, so we spend a lot of time talking with friends,
meeting some more fans and drinking some incredible ice tea from the
pizza stand. My old friend Adam from Fueled By Ramen gave me some FBR
released I didn't already have for some reason, so I have more FBR
material to play on my show for you guys!
Yellowcard and Amber
Pacific played at the same time. They were the only two bands playing.
I wonder if it was intentional. (Ben Harper, ex-Yellowcard is now an
official member of Amber Pacific.) It was good to see Ben back on stage
again and he truly looked happy. Ben was one of the first people that
offered to take me out when I moved to LA so I hope the best for him.
We
caught the end of Yellowcard's set and headed over to watch Psitolita
on stage. The band was over a few months ago and I had never seen them
play before. It was definately a more relaxing set then the majority of
bands that had played earlier. The band is very talented. Check them
out.
30 Seconds to Mars played next on the Main Stage and failed
to impress me. Their was a huge crowd (probably to see Jared Leto,
which is sad) to I am sure the band was happy but the vocals were not
good. We mainly walked around while they were playing and chilled in
the far back during Chris Conley and Thrice.
We caught The
Spill Canvas' set from on stage as they closed the Second Stage. The
band is very talented but the music is way to slow for me. They
definately had a large crowd for them. In my opinion, I Am Ghost should
have closed the Second Stage.
Brand New was last and I do not
care what hate mail you send me, it was not good. Jesse's vocals were
not what they normally are (perhaps he was sick like Chris Carabba.) I
was very disappointed as I am a fan of their 2 CD's. We headed towards
the cars after the 4th song and apparently other people felt the same
way we did, as large groups of people started to leave. I will still
buy their CD though and hope it was an off day.
Overall,
Bamboozle was incredible, although I did enjoy Day 1 a lot more than
Day 2. It was great to catch up with so many bands who se careers have
continued to grow along with mine. There were a lot there visitiing
from out of state so it was a ton of fun to hang with them as well. I
can only hope Bamboozle conitnues to come to the West Coast each year.
Thanks to all the fans who came up to talk with me. It makes me happy
that so many of you love and respect what I do.
I HOPE YOU ALL TAKE SOME TIME TO COMMENT ME BACK ON THIS POST SINCE IT TOOK 60 MINUTES TO WRITE!
--DJ ROSSSTAR
Posted on 10/16/2006 8:37 PM
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