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The inaugural Best Friends Forever Fest kicked disconnected October 11 astatine the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center arsenic a three-day solemnisation of midwest emo, ’90s indie stone and the connections we’ve made on the way.
In galore cases, this was the archetypal clip successful decades festival goers were seeing this lineup, which included seasoned bands similar Cap ’N Jazz, The Dismemberment Plan, Built to Spill and Unwound. The Blood Brothers, for instance, were reuniting to observe their 20-year-old album, Crimes. Others, similar noise-rock vets The Jesus Lizard, were performing successful enactment of their archetypal LP successful 26 years. And the festival did a bang up occupation of creating abstraction for those moments, yet scheduling bequest acts connected the main Best Friends Forever stage, portion their newer, much hardcore contemporaries played the Third Street Stage.
October’s antithetic vigor question didn’t bode good for galore festival goers, who sought refuge nether the DLVEC’s ample structure setup, wherever misters and fans awaited them. On Day 2, the Weekly was primitively told complimentary h2o would beryllium nary longer disposable aft 4 p.m. However, festival organizers clarified that water, successful fact, had conscionable tally retired and was restocked by nary aboriginal than 5 p.m. Outside of that miscommunication, the play ran smoothly, feeling aptly similar a chill reunion with each of our favourite bands. Here are immoderate of the highlights.
Friday, October 11
We’ve been looking guardant to catching Vs Self astatine BFF Fest since our interrogation with guitarist and vocalist Kyle Schlenker past week. They harped connected the value of being connected the aforesaid measure with immoderate of their astir influential bands and we conscionable knew they were going to amusement out—and amusement retired they did. Standing among the caller procreation of emo kids astatine the Third Street Stage reminded america what it looked and felt similar to await your existent favourite set to instrumentality the stage. They stood giddy, but not for long, arsenic the set ripped into mosh-heavy jams similar “Leave Everything,” “Yesterday By Beatles Or: Imagine By Yoko Ono As Sung By John Lennon” and “Mourn.” The pit swelled and shrank, bodies dropped beneath and surfed supra the assemblage successful communal frenzy. This was 1 of the astir amusive sets of the time and was worthy leaving with sticky skin. –Gabriela Rodriguez
By the clip Foxing hit the signifier astatine 5:30 p.m., fans were drenched successful sweat from the harsh heat, but vocalist Conor Murphy demanded adjacent more. “Get each sweaty truthful the American Football guys tin odor you,” helium said. “If they don’t odor you, you’ve failed. You’ve gotta stink good.” The set past barreled done ear-rattling cuts from their self-titled LP, with Murphy’s mildly delivered intro connected songs similar “Secret History” belying immensely cathartic screams. By the extremity of the set, 1 antheral grabbed his friend, saying, “That’s bully euphony close there. This s**t makes maine truthful gladsome I’m alive.” Indeed, brother, indeed. –Amber Sampson
American Football, the set that erstwhile tore unfastened our teenage guts and spilled them connected our chamber floors, conscionable gave america the acquisition of reliving it all—live. For the 25th day of their debut medium they played the full thing. And those who thought they’d outgrown the backstage turmoil of teenage sadness, were instantly proven wrong. As frontman Mike Kinsella and the set settled into the intricate, mathy guitar lines, determination was a stillness successful the crowd. “Honestly, I can't retrieve (teen dreams)/ All my teenage feelings, and their meanings” a enactment from the “Honestly?” hung successful the aerial arsenic shimmering guitar motifs, introspective strums and drumming unfolded. While the acceptable went on, we recovered ourselves zoning out, consumed by aged memories and thoughts. But earlier going excessively acold into the abyss, immoderate adjacent comedic alleviation brought america back. “This is an AirBnb ad,” quipped a fest-goer, referencing the photos of the Urbana, Illinois location that were displayed connected stage. The house, famously pictured connected the emo-acclaimed medium cover, has since go a philharmonic landmark that was aboriginal purchased by the set successful 2023. “I don’t cognize if this is simply a funeral, oregon a precocious schoolhouse reunion, oregon a ceremonial for a precocious schoolhouse reunion,” said Kinsella earlier the opening riff of 1 of the top emo songs of each time, “Never Meant”—a opus astir coming to presumption with a failing relationship. After an hour, the acceptable wrapped and we had to locomotion away, instrumentality a heavy enactment and shingle disconnected the dense feelings earlier the adjacent act. –GR
Fiddlehead’s Patrick Flynn wasted small clip winning the assemblage over, joking that helium was “incredibly honored to person this new, young set American Football play for us.” The pb vocalist went connected to explicit his gratitude for American Football and different definitive ’90s bands similar Karate, who had a profound interaction connected him. Fiddlehead past proceeded to pummel america with its crunchy, vibrantly toned guitar playing and mountain-moving energy. “Grief Motif” exploded successful power, some onstage and off, arsenic the way threw the GA and VIP pits into a sweat-soaked frenzy. Security had their hands afloat arsenic radical assemblage surfed and 1 instrumentality attempted to unreserved the stage. Flynn for his part, dangled the mic retired to each riled up group, belting the lyrics backmost to them and stomping his feet truthful aggressively you’d deliberation they were connected fire. —AS
Saturday, October 12
La Dispute, the five-piece set from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been an influential beingness successful the experimental hardcore assemblage implicit the past decennary and is cultivating a caller epoch of fans arsenic clip goes on. And it’s with bully reason. The band’s discography faces the truths of the existent satellite and thrusts the listener into a sometimes uncomfortable and dim place. Vocalist Jorgan Dryer inactive stands arsenic 1 of emo’s champion spoken connection storytellers. Seeing him propulsion his assemblage astir the signifier connected a blistery October day portion shouting the poetically acheronian lyrics from tracks similar “King Park” and “First Reactions After Falling Through the Ice” was cathartic. And portion this whitethorn not look similar a vibe astatine a Vegas centered euphony festival, the acceptable acceptable perfectly. Dryer took a infinitesimal to talk to the assemblage and present this sentiment—“It becomes progressively important that radical with large hearts and compassionate minds look retired for the radical astir them and propulsion backmost against oppressors successful favour of the oppressed.” The radical closed with 1 of their shortest but beloved tracks, “Such Small Hands,” which invited the assemblage to outcry along. –GR
Following an incredibly choky acceptable from Built to Spill, Sweet Pill devoured the spotlight connected Day 2. The charismatic Zayna Youssef flexed her stagecraft connected “High Hopes” and “Red String,” twirling successful circles and wagging her mop of gorgeous curls into her eyes arsenic her guitarists danced their fingers implicit the frets. The Pool Kids vocalist Christine Goodwyne besides joined the set for a song, astonishing fans who weren't expecting Goodwyne and her unit until the pursuing day. Eyes remained glued connected Youssef though, who exhibited a vocal powerfulness that recalls that of Paramore’s Hayley Williams. This band, portion inactive developing, is bound to spell far. –AS
Sunday, October 13
If you weren’t dancing successful the pit to Drug Church on Day 3, were you adjacent there? Patrick Kindlon took nary crap erstwhile it came to moshing astatine his rowdy set. “Come connected up!” helium called retired to a assemblage surfer. “Hop connected over!” helium said to another. “F**king move!” At 1 point, the pb vocalist stopped to analyse wherefore the VIP section’s vigor had begun to wane. “Your parents passed on, near you the location successful Rhode Island and present you don’t deliberation you gotta enactment enactment into the pit?” That reinvigorated the older lot, who joined the GA successful going ballistic for “Million Miles of Fun,” a item of the acceptable that reinforced conscionable however damn bully hardcore tin be. –AS
Mics were dropped, brew cans were thrown and crowds were surfed by The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow. It was a amusement of epic proportions, bolstered by the vocalist’s wild, and astatine times precarious, signifier presence. Yow opened the acceptable connected the main signifier by revealing helium and his sister had been calved successful Las Vegas. After a warmly sung blessed day to Yow’s sister, the debauchery began. The pb vocalist unbuttoned his garment and catapulted himself into the crowd, singing straight to them, oregon much aptly slurring to them successful a mode that was giving drunk uncle astatine Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jesus Lizard kept their composure, tightly blasting done newer songs from the band’s Rack LP. Before fans knew it, the 64-year-old Yow was being crowd-surfed done the air, giving america a finale we’ll ne'er forget. –AS
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