X-Fest week was definitely an interesting one. Earlier in the week our radio station was taking part in the Children’s Miracle Network phone-a-thon, which required me to be at work at 10 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon. So I was working from 10 to 2, and then coming back to work from about 6 until 3 in the morning. It was tiresome but it was for a good cause.
Finally, the big day came on Friday; it was X-Fest time. Here is a band-by-band review from my point of view.
Meriwether:
They rocked the hometown crowd like I have never seen them do before. I have caught several of their shows in the past, and I have to admit they really stepped it up for X-Fest and gave the best performance that I have ever seen from them.
Billy Talent
I did not get to see much from these guys because I was backstage doing Meet ‘N’ Greets and getting things set up, but from what I saw they were very loud and very into it.
Story of the Year:
These guys surprised me. I did not expect them to be as powerful and energetic as they were. They got on stage and played like there was no tomorrow and even tossed some guitars around and threw in a set of back flips. For their closer they made the crowd part in the middle then had them collide together at the end of a song. Got to give them points for creativity.
Finger Eleven:
Finger Eleven played a more laid back set, and some fans took the time to sit down and relax. They did bring the crowd to their feet when they played hits like, “One Thing”, “Paralyzer” and “I’ll Keep Your Memory Vague”.
Puddle of Mudd:
I had noticed that Wes Scantlin, Puddle of Mudd’s lead singer, had snuck out from the backstage area earlier in the day to watch some of the other bands perform. Maybe that got him psyched up or maybe he just wanted to see the other bands; nonetheless, Puddle of Mudd went on stage and banged out the hits. The crowd began to mob the merch table when Scantlin said at the end of their set that they would be signing autographs there.
Atreyu:
At first these guys were a little nervous following Puddle of Mudd, because Puddle of Mudd are long time veterans and have sold millions of records, but Atreyu settled in and rocked the house. They brought a lot of energy and had two vocalists, their drummer and lead singer. If you did not pay close attention you really did not know who was singing.
My Chemical Romance:
These guys took the stage and just ripped into it. Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, seemed very fired up to be in Baton Rouge. His singing was to perfection and the band sounded tight. The majority of the songs they played were from their most recent album, “The Black Parade”, but they still dipped into their back catalog here and there. Unfortunately, they had to cut 1 or 2 songs out because of curfew. Despite that they still rocked the River Center.
The X-Fest after party was at The Varsity with Werewolf performing. The Fish got into a fender bender on the way there so I just kind of ran around and talked to people and had a good time.
I would like to thank everyone who came out to X-Fest and the after party. You are the true stars because none of it could have happened without you and your support. I also appreciate everyone who came up and wanted to take pictures, I hope you enjoyed the silly faces I made in your pictures.
