A Look Back at Bamboozle 2012

posted in: Features • Music News

I arrived at The Bamboozle Festival on Friday evening, just as the sun was setting over the Jersey Shore. I’d never been to Asbury Park before, so I decided to get the lay of the land before I wandered over to see Incubus. The layout of the festival was much different than it’s been the past few years, since it moved a bit farther south from its past location at the Giants’ Stadium parking lot.

I caught the second half of Incubus’ set and continue to be amazed at how tight they are as a live band…they’re as good as their recordings, if not better. One awesome thing about having the festival at Asbury Park is having the Main Stage right on the beach. Watching Incubus play “Wish You Were Here” with my toes in the sand was pretty cool.

It’s always surprising how many more people come to Bamboozle on the second day. By the time I arrived on Saturday afternoon, the beach was packed and people were ready to party. There was a rave on the sand, The All-American Rejects were rockin’ out on the Main Stage and I was headed to the Berkeley Hotel to interview Dan Didier, drummer for The Promise Ring. He had some interesting and insightful things to say about the band’s reunion and upcoming tour. Keep an eye on OurStage Magazine for the full article!

After the interview, I ran over to the Main Stage to catch Jimmy Eat World and My Chemical Romance (original headlining act Blink-182 had to pull out last minute due to a medical emergency, so My Chem filled in). Jimmy Eat World played a full set of classics and singles like “The Middle” and “Bleed American.” They put on a fun and dynamic performance that clearly satisfied their hungry fanbase.

My Chemical Romance has been one of my favorite bands for ten years, so it was a special treat to catch them at Bamboozle and performing in their home state of New Jersey. Playing a great mix of their four albums, the guys were as energetic as ever. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a problem with the live mix, so it was almost impossible to hear them for about half of the set. Even so, the crowd was certainly happy to see them and pleased with the eclectic setlist.

After MCR, I ran back over to the Berkeley to meet up with Matt and Josh from Motion City Soundtrack. Those guys were super nice and they were obviously excited about their upcoming album release. I made sure to catch their set later”coincidentally, they played back-to-back with The Promise Ring and frontman Justin Pierre was nearly speechless because he’s such a huge fan of TPR. The crowd went completely nuts for Motion City so I got a bit lost in the loud, unruly mix of crowd surfers, mosh pits and loud, drunken sing-a-longs.

On Sunday, I got to speak with Chloe Grabanski, Director of Communications/Benefit Coordinator for the nonprofit organization To Write Love On Her Arms. We’ll be doing a feature on them, so stay tuned for that! After checking out the merch tents and grabbing some free swag, I headed back to the Berkeley for an interview with Trace Cyrus. Most people know Trace as older brother to Disney star Miley Cyrus and frontman of the now-defunct Metro Station, but he was actually at Bamboozle to perform with his new project, Ashland High, and to promote his clothing line, Southern Made Hollywood Paid. Keep an eye out for that as well…

Once the final interview was over, I returned to the Main Stage to catch the last set of my weekend: Brand New. I hadn’t seen them live in a few years and have since become a much bigger fan of their music, so I was thrilled to be seeing them play again. Frontman Jesse Lacey seemed to be in awe of how many people they were playing for, commenting that the last time they played Bamboozle, they had the noon set time. Like My Chem, Brand New played a nice mix of their albums and put on an extremely energetic show that culminated in the smashing of guitars into the kick drum.

This year, the Bamboozle Festival delivered once again. They provided an excellent mix of artists for fans of all walks of life, while also offering fun activities, affordable food options and interesting vendors. I’m already looking forward to seeing who will be on the bill for 2013!