I’m no JD but Adjacent Festival Day 1 Report
Posted by
Dano (aka dano)
May 27 '23, 20:46
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Gates were scheduled to open at noon. I got there at 10 after but they hadn’t started to let people in yet. It was almost 12:30 before they started letting people in, but once they did the lines moved fast.
For the setup, the two side stages were near the entrance right next to each other. They would setup one stage while the other was performing so they alternated performances between them with no gap.
I got there for the last few songs of Playing Dead. They were alternative power pop so right up my alley and I enjoyed them. Drug Church started immediately after on side stage 2. They were punk metal so not really my thing, but I was actually enjoying them. I stayed for three songs before heading to the main stage to catch The Linda Lindas.
That’s when I realized that the trek between the side stages and the main stage was a long walk on sand. It wasn’t crowded at all when I got there so I was up close. They put on a fun show. I know most of their songs and am a fan, and they were good live. They also brought Gina Schock on stage to play drums when they covered The Go Go’s Tonite for their finale.
Next up was Jeff Rosenstock, which became an “it’s not the band I hate, it’s their fans” scenario. I figured that I had a good spot so I would just stay there. On the main stage there was 30 minutes between sets. During that time it got very crowded so I decided to move back. I settled into what I thought was a good spot as the set started. Problem was that seemingly everyone was smoking or vaping something. It got to the point where I was starting to feel sick. I extricated myself and founded an uncrowded spot on the beach and laid down. I could still hear fine and Rosenstock was fine but I was wondering whether I was going to regret coming.
The bit of rest did help, so when it was getting close for Beach Bunny to start I figured I’d give the main stage another try. This time went much better. Beach Bunny was good but I didn’t realize how many of their songs sound the same until I had multiple instances of thinking “wait, didn’t they already play this song?” during their set.
Then it was time to head back to the side stage because I wanted to get a good spot for The Happy Fits. They were the main reason I came. I was looking for tour dates for them and they weren’t playing anywhere outside a couple of festivals. When I looked at the rest of the festival lineup I saw enough bands I was interested in to make it worthwhile.
I got a good spot at the stage and listened to Mannequin Pussy (eh, not my thing) at the stage next door. Besides getting there early, The Happy Fits seemingly have short fans which helped with my eyeline. The set was awesome. The band consists of a drummer, a guitarist, and a cellist. They had a lot of energy and engaged the crowd well. I was re-energized and it improved my mood.
I had 45 minutes before Jimmy Eat World so I took another sit down on the beach break before getting a spot for their set. The first song was rough and I was a bit worried, but it turned out that I think it was the sound mix being off so the rest of the set was good. The crowd was definitely there for the hits. They ended with The Middle. I must say I am a sucker for when a large number of people sing in unison. As silly as it sounds I find it beautiful when with everything going on that many people are unified through music. Especially with the message of that song I actually got a little choked singing every word with the entire crowd.
I figured I would stick it out at the main stage for the last two acts, Bleachers and Paramore, but I was getting tired. When Bleachers started I wasn’t really feeling it so I decided to leave. As I got to the side stage on the way out, Wheatus was just about to start so I figured I would watch them. Their set was basically a bunch of people standing around waiting for them to play Teenage Dirtbag. They do apparently have other songs. They were hit and miss. Of course they ended with it. A rousing sing-a-long of the song seemed like a good way to end the day so I headed out.
I’m definitely exhausted. Maybe my 5 mile run on the boardwalk this morning wasn’t the best idea before spending most of the day on my feet. There are fewer bands on my must see list tomorrow so I think I will spend most of my time at the side stages. They were a lot less crowded. I don’t know how long I’ll stick it out considering I also have to drive home but I’ll play it by ear.
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