In the wake of the first summer without a cross country Vans Warped Tour, Rockstar Energy brought our favorite bands state to state with the Rockstar Energy Disrupt Festival. The festival featured a wide array of bands including The Used, Thrice, Sum 41, and Andy Black with different acts performing at different dates of the festival. The festival kicked off in Texas and is set to tour the continental US for five weeks, ending in New Mexico.
While South Floridians are well acclimated to sweltering heat and triple digit temperatures, the day of the festival in West Palm Beach's Coral Sky Amphitheater had even the most veteran of festival goers pounding water between sets. One of the best features of Disrupt Fest is how the day was broken up: the afternoon at the Festival Stage featuring Juliet Simms, Four Year Strong, Sleeping with Sirens and more, while the evenings headliners performed under the amphitheater on the Main Stage. Despite the Festival Stage being out on the hot pavement during the peak of the afternoon, the set up of the day allowed fans to see each and band with no overlapping performances.
The highlight of the entire festival was without a doubt The Used's performance. While each band brought high-energy and fan favorite songs, The Used pulled out all of their career spanning hits for an epic nearly hour long performance including “Take It Away,” “The Taste of Ink,” and “Buried Myself Alive.” As the band performed their signature heart logo from In Love and Death hung glowing above the stage, an incredible tribute to the old school fans of the band, and a truly breathtaking sight to see.
My favorite thing about festivals is the crossovers that can occur seemingly out of nowhere. The crowd erupted into cheers when Sleeping with Sirens' Kellin Quinn came onto the stage and had a duo performance with Bert McCracken for their last song, “A Box Full of Sharp Objects.”
Though the The Used put on a stunning live show, the night was not over as Thrice were actually the headliners for the evening. While the theatrics were minimal, and the band fairly stationary, Thrice continues to wow fans with their live renditions of their songs like “Only Us” and “Black Honey.”
Main Stage
Thrice / The Used / Circa Survive / The Story So Far / Memphis May Fire
Festival Stage
Sleeping with Sirens / Andy Black / Four Year Strong / Trophy Eyes / Juliet Simms / Hyro the Hero