EDGEFEST 2015 SOARED WITH HEADLINING ARTISTS THE OFFSPRING, AWOLNATION, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

Photo by Diego Donamaria

The Texas heat can be brutal on a body with even just the most mundane everyday activities.  Couple the heat with thousands of sweaty bodies smashed together in excess of 10 hours, it is downright debilitating.   Over 20,000 ‘edge heads’ gathered at Frisco’s Toyota Stadium for the 25th annual Edgefest sponsored by 102.1 the Edge.  Each year the radio station fans, known as ‘edge heads’, wait in anticipation of the announcement of the lineup to the next event knowing regardless of who will be performing, they will be in attendance.

The Kooks photo by: Diego Donamaria

Beer, marijuana, sweat, and other unknown vapors lingered throughout the day.  Most fans milled about going from one stage to the next to get a glimpse of the 15+ bands.  The die-hard fans located their spot on the rail early on and didn’t budge.  Security was generous enough to retrieve fans’ empty water bottles and refill them at a water station.  Several stadium workers were tasked with toting water tanks on their backs to cool the crowd off with a sprayer.  This still was not enough for some that collapsed in the sea of fans.  Frisco Fire and Rescue were on hand to attend to all that fell just shy of making it to see their favorite artists.

An Austin-based band, Hour Band, took to the stage early.  They were followed by the British rock band, The Kooks whose set consisted of titles from their most recently released album, Junk of the Heart, as well as their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out.   Fans sang and danced to “She Moves in Her Own Way”, “Junk of the Heart” and “Naïve”.

Yelawolf photo by: Diego Donamaraia

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness played on the main stage and surprised us with a couple of covers including “Dark Blue”(Jack’s Mannequin) and “I Woke Up in a Car”(Something Corporate) along with “High Dive”,  “Maps for the Getaway” and Cecilia and the Satellite.

Following McMahon, was a lesser-known indie rock band from Rochester, New York by the name of Joywave.  For most of the crowd this was the first time to see this group, as lead singer, Daniel Armbruster announced that they had never been to Dallas.  After their first song, “Destruction”, Armbruster explained that Joywave concerts are a bit different.  They will play songs over and over until they get the reaction they want from the audience…so again, “Destruction”.  The crowd was in the air, jumping, screaming with excitement knowing the band was looking for this reaction.

Banks, Robert Delong, and Vance Joy followed with traditional sets, playing all the crowd favorites as fans

New Politics photo by: Diego Donamaria

clamored about searching for the tiniest bit of refuge from the heat.  Vendors and stadium employees wandered the floor peddling the direly needed beverages.  The flow of people milling about back and forth from one stage to the next led them to one of the biggest surprises of the day.

Michael Wayne Atha, better known as Yelawolf took the stage and powered through one of the most energetic performances.  He spoke to the crowd on several occasions citing how ‘they’ didn’t know what to do with a ‘white boy’ from Alabama who raps.  Obviously, ‘they’ figured out what to do with him.  The crowd was bouncing up and down for the entire set, defeated from sheer exhaustion once he left the stage.

Hozier, New Politics, Death Cab For Cutie, Dirty Heads, and Modest Mouse all packed in the crowds for their sets not missing a beat.  As the sun started to set, the house started to settle in for the last three big sets of the night, Awolnation, The Offspring, and a special set by DJ Girltalk.  Both ended the festival with powerful musical sets as well as an astounding light show.  Awolnation completed their set with their Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Sail” which included a light show that lit up the Texas skyline.

“Edge Heads” can rest up for next year’s event knowing it will be months before the lineup is announced.

Article by:  Kristelle Maguire
Photos by:  Faye Fetters, AJ Miragliotta, Barry Anderson, Diego Donamaria, Jason Crews, and Jason Maguire