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Post by kbach on Aug 30, 2021 8:19:55 GMT -5
Wonderbus was great, despite a couple shows being delayed with tech issues. My really only complaint is the third stage. The main stages overpower the whole space, so any act on that 3rd stage can not be viewed without hearing the other stages. Overall, the staff was great. The lines were minimal, the views were great. We had an AirBNB 10 min walking distance away, so we went in the afternoon, and chilled back at the place before going back at night. We saw Dreamers, Band Camino, AJR, Kesha, Peach Tree Rascals, Doc Robinson, Valley, and Grouplove. Enjoyed everyone, my rankings go something like this,
1. AJR - Incredible atmosphere and energy 2. Band Camino - Saw them at Forecastle in 2019, but knew them a lot more this time. The new songs “Roses” and “1 Last Cigarette” were great. 3. Grouplove - They are right there with Band Camino. The 30 minute delay was a buzzkill, but they killed it. 4. Smallpools - They were pretty good, favorite song was “Streetfight”. 5. Kesha - Didn’t really know what to expect, was a very interesting and sexual show. Enjoyed it. 6. Valley - Enjoyed them a lot, just heard most of Black Pumas as well. 7. Dreamers - 15 minute delay due to tech issues, plus ending 5 minutes early left a 6 song, 25 minute set. Was good, but wanted more. Missed the bangers “Screws”, “Drugs”, “Painkiller”, “Die Happy”, and “True Crime” due to the issues. 8. Doc Robinson - Saw “Golden Daze”. Banger.
Missed out on Absofacto, Black Pumas, St. Paul, and Grandson. Had no interest in being in the sun 8 hours and paying for 9 dollar beers, so watched football drinking bourbon from 4-7 both days.
All in all, a really well run event. Enjoyed it a lot, will go back. 9/10.
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Post by funkymoses17 on Aug 30, 2021 13:21:16 GMT -5
Definitely enjoyed my time again at Wonderbus this weekend. Although my body feels like it got hit by a truck. My back is hating me for all of the standing I was doing I think haha. Really liked the layout again, although definitely echo what Kbach said about the small stage. I think they would visit it's placement in the future so the sound doesn't bleed as bad.
Definitely noticed a sizeable decrease in the merchants and art booths but that seems like it was likely done on purpose. I was bummed they didn't have the Rhiengeist bar back, that was a pretty cool thing the first time around. While I like Great Lakes, they are an odd choice for a music festival imo. And the drink prices were a bit woof. Buying a 12oz White Claw for $9 seems criminal. And they sell 32oz Miller Lite's at the Crew games for the same price as the 16oz ones. But I also knew I was going to be spending a lot of money so I'm not overly surprised.
We saw...
Grandson - liked the stuff I heard on Spotify. Definitely didn't mind him but it was right when we got to the festival so we were also kind of wondering around.
Mobley - very pleasant surprise. We were near the bathrooms and heard this artist being hyped up so we hung out for a bit in front of the small stage and he was fantastic. We stayed for the whole set. He said he drove up 18 hours to be there!
AJR - They are certainly not my favorite by any means but I was very impressed with them. People definitely love them and their banter onstage was cool too. I think any festival that has the ability to book then would be crazy not to at least try because they bring just enough of the family friendly vibe to fill that void while also being a really good live band.
Kesha - Didn't know what to expect but definitely enjoyed it. She was certainly more explicit than I anticipated (although I'm certainly not complaining at all). I forgot just how many songs of hers I knew. There were SO MANY people there for her. The line when we got there for single day passes was crazy. She definitely can bring out a crowd.
Absofacto - We were late for this on Sunday but our friends said they mentioned a few times comments about how their music is more so made for a night time mood and kind of came off annoyed by their set time? They seemed fine from what I heard.
We missed Doc Robinson which stinks because I always hear good things about them.
Bob Moses - Love them. It sounded like they may have performed a new song but I wasn't too sure. They seem to have amassed a pretty large crowd by the end, even if some of them were GroupLove fans trying to get close to the front.
Black Pumas - I have to admit, I was kind of underwhelmed by them? I'm not sure why. I felt like they kind of came off as a jam band instead of whatever it was I was expecting. I'd certainly give them another chance but I remember just not really being too into their set after awhile.
Grouplove - They definitely put on a show. I haven't seen them before and am not the biggest fan but they were really engaging and putting on a show for everyone. I can see why they always sell out their Ohio tour stops pretty quickly.
We didn't stay for Wilco because of how long it took us to walk and get an Uber home the night before.
Probably should have taken the day off today haha.
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Post by ordealbyfire on Aug 30, 2021 16:27:17 GMT -5
wellwellwell…
my only fest of the year (riot fest) is shaping up to be an unbelievable disappointment. they hyped an exclusive 4th day to early 2020 ticket buyers… and then they announced morrissey and that anyone could buy a ticket. painful. i love morrissey’s stance on animal rights, but everything else he stands for is, well, you know by now.
then the fact MCR dropped (granted, awhile ago), and NIN… AND THEN they replaced NIN with … Slipknot? man, i’m looking forward to going, but $1800 (including my BnB) in my pocket sounds so much better rn. 😭
i shoulda hit wonderstruck+bus.
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Post by mcnasty on Aug 30, 2021 20:53:15 GMT -5
Back in Indy after a phenomenal weekend at Wonderbus. It was hot as hell, but an absolute blast.
Gotta give major props to Elevation Group for this festival. The value for what I paid for presale 2 day tickets (75 each I think, its been so long) cannot be beat. And putting together a festival during the present conditions with ever-changing COVID stuff and labor shortages is a huge feat, but they knocked it out of the park. Very impressed with how efficient and thorough the team was checking vax cards and getting folks in. Plenty of water, clean portolets, great layout, reasonable lines for for food and drinks. All very impressive.
Only slight complaints were the technical issues with dreamers (not sure if it was the band or the fest) and the 30 minute delay for Grouplove after they tarped everything up for an approaching rain cell that fizzled out before getting there. I definitely understand having to protect the equipment, but they could've waited to break everything down until they knew what the cell was going to do. Black Pumas continued playing the entire time Grouplove's stuff was tarped. But happy they still played for 75 minutes, they were the main draw for me.
We saw:
John K.- caught the last 4 or 5 songs of his set when we got there Saturday. Didn't know any of hi stuff but liked the sound, very catchy and fun. He did a cover I really liked but I can't for the life of me remember what it was lol.
Dreamers-had serious technical issues that eliminated at least a third of the set, and made noticeable differences in songs like "Sweet Disaster". As Kbach said, several bangers were not played, and I left a bit disappointed. But I guess this is bound to happen after 2 years of no shows .
Ritt Momney-I'm sure if I listened to some of his stuff on a quiet weeknight I'd enjoy it, but just not the right vibe for this festival at all. Whole band played sitting down nearly the entire time it got pretty boring. Probably the only band I saw where the crowd thinned out substantially just a few songs. Might've been a better fit on the third stage.
Grandson-One of the most pleasant surprises of the weekend. I knew a few of his songs ahead of time, and liked them. But damn, dude put on a fucking show and went hard. Crowd was really, really into it too. Definitely worth seeing again.
Band Camino-Another very, very good set. Again, knew several of their songs, mostly from Alt Nation, and really liked the new stuff I heard. Crowd seemed really into it, and it seemed like they had a decent number of people who came just for them.
AJR-Watched from the other stage while awaiting Kesha. Very energetic and engaging live show that seemed to really get the crowd going. Just not my type of music. I do enjoy a good handful of their songs, mostly from The Click. But lately it seems like they're really going all in for the 12-19 (some of their fans are even younger) demo and it's pretty corny. I saw them twice at two different fests in 2018 and I think they've definitely gotten even less mature in their songwriting (Bummerland, Dear Winter, 100 Bad Days, etc.) which is odd because of them is actually 31. But then again, Simple Plan is still writing songs from the point of view of 13 year olds so what do I know haha.
All complaints aside, they were fun.
Kesha-To echo the others, no idea what to expect but I was excited. She KILLED it and I had a really great time. She brought out a HUGE crowd. we literally stayed by that stage after Band Camino, and the crowd was already densely packed in all the way past the sound tent at least an hour before she went on. Her show was very sexual, but in a really positive and badass way, even if the opener was surprisingly dark. On that note, I thought it was funny that you had AJR playing such bright and shiny songs for kids immediately followed by Kesha and her dancers coming out in full BDSM gear lol.
Sunday
Smallpools-Really enjoyed these guys. Didn't know any of their stuff, but a friend of mine did. We really enjoyed them, I'll have to check out their music. Cool cover of Radiohead's Creep.
Absofacto-was ok. Didn't seem particularly excited to be there, and is not my type of music. Played a lot of incomplete songs he was working on, and even said they lacked verses, choruses, etc. Thought that was kinda lame playing stuff that was only about half done. "Someone Else's Dream" and "Dissolve" were great though.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones-caught most of their set. Very fun and funky. Knew a few of their songs and had fun dancing to them.
Bob Moses Club set-Lotta fun. Definitely more energy than Absofacto. Appreciate them (and Abso) for not just using a laptop and pressing play like a lot of these guys do now.
Black Pumas-we stayed by the other stage to get close for Grouplove but I liked what I heard
Grouplove- The main draw for me personally. Loved their music for over ten years, met the band a while back, and they're genuinely incredible people. 3rd time seeing them live and definitely the best for me, because it'd been so long. Their first show in 2 years and damn, did they bring the energy. Nice mix of new songs like "Deadline", Oxygen Swimming" and "Seagulls" with all the old hits. Tongue Tied, Itchin' on a Photograph, Shark Attack, Ways to Go, Colors, and others are all such fucking bangers. New stuff went hard too. Crowd up front was insane, I was drenched in sweat by the end.
Fun fact-Both Black Pumas and Grouplove ended their sets with songs called "colors", which are both of their first breakthrough its.
Left after Grouplove, so did a TON of other people. Getting out of the parking lots was still super easy. Again, shoutout to Elevation for an incredible event. It says something when everyone on FB agrees that there was nothing to complain about.
I'll definitely buy earlybird passes for next year.
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Post by bboy2112 on Aug 30, 2021 23:04:40 GMT -5
wellwellwell… my only fest of the year (riot fest) is shaping up to be an unbelievable disappointment. they hyped an exclusive 4th day to early 2020 ticket buyers… and then they announced morrissey and that anyone could buy a ticket. painful. i love morrissey’s stance on animal rights, but everything else he stands for is, well, you know by now. then the fact MCR dropped (granted, awhile ago), and NIN… AND THEN they replaced NIN with … Slipknot? man, i’m looking forward to going, but $1800 (including my BnB) in my pocket sounds so much better rn. 😭 i shoulda hit wonderstruck+bus. $10 on Moss canceling haha
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Post by funkymoses17 on Aug 31, 2021 12:10:03 GMT -5
For all the positive we experienced this weekend, the news about Riot Fest and also Bonnaroo potentially having to cancel the fest all together due to weather (they already announced last night they were going to close off some of the camping because it wasn't safe and essentially some people just wouldn't be able to come) is WILD to see.
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Post by kbach on Aug 31, 2021 12:36:55 GMT -5
I’m glad everyone enjoyed Wonderbus. Was really great to be back at a festival. Not sure if I could do a 3 day festival again. Maybe I’m getting old, but Monday was a struggle lol.
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Post by mcnasty on Aug 31, 2021 15:24:07 GMT -5
I’m glad everyone enjoyed Wonderbus. Was really great to be back at a festival. Not sure if I could do a 3 day festival again. Maybe I’m getting old, but Monday was a struggle lol. Yeah, same. I was ok Monday actually. Was able to get up at 8 and drive back to Indy okay, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hit me hard both nights. Especially during Grouplove. SO hot and sweaty and I was losing energy, but the band was just so engaging it made me forget about it. But right after....damn lol
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Post by ordealbyfire on Aug 31, 2021 16:53:25 GMT -5
big ol R I P to bonnaroo. damn.
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Post by funkymoses17 on Aug 31, 2021 19:15:57 GMT -5
I’m glad everyone enjoyed Wonderbus. Was really great to be back at a festival. Not sure if I could do a 3 day festival again. Maybe I’m getting old, but Monday was a struggle lol. Yeah, same. I was ok Monday actually. Was able to get up at 8 and drive back to Indy okay, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hit me hard both nights. Especially during Grouplove. SO hot and sweaty and I was losing energy, but the band was just so engaging it made me forget about it. But right after....damn lol Totally agree with you two. I went to that Crew/FCC game on Friday night too, just brutal brutal day yesterday haha. That being said.....I'm getting the itch to go back to Bonnaroo next year now that it got cancelled this year. They will either scale back next year to compensate for 2 years of losses or they will go ALL OUT on a lineup and experience.
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Post by mcnasty on Sept 5, 2021 18:15:42 GMT -5
Columbus Dispatch article estimated the Wonderbus attendance at 18,000 over two days. Wonderstruck was also confirmed to be about 18k. If I remember correctly, 2019 had a crowd of about 10k over two days, so it's great to see the event growing. Definitely to be excepted with bigger headliners, and it did seem noticeably more crowded than I remember 2019. That being said, it didn't feel overcrowded at all, and they handled the increased attendance seamlessly.
They seem to be growing at a manageable rate and have reasonable expectations for their events. I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring us next year!
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Post by bboy2112 on Sept 5, 2021 21:08:02 GMT -5
anyone going to The Killers in Newport on the 20th?
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Post by mcnasty on Sept 6, 2021 14:28:33 GMT -5
anyone going to The Killers in Newport on the 20th? I wish. I’m in Indy, so taking time off work, lodging, plus the ticket prices are just too much to swing.
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Post by funkymoses17 on Sept 8, 2021 8:28:54 GMT -5
anyone going to The Killers in Newport on the 20th? Ah man I wanted to so bad but we have Bleachers next week and then going to Eric Church with some Family and then have Glass Animals that following Friday before heading to Colorado for work. Haha I don't think I have the stamina to add in another show in September.
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Post by cincinnatisound on Sept 15, 2021 9:22:58 GMT -5
Went to MMA/The Used/Coheed last night at the ICON outdoor stage. Security guard friend told me they had about 2,000 attendees estimated. It's a MUCH better venue when it isn't 8,000 Foo Fighters fans. The Used absolutely crushed it, I still have a soft spot for emo bands. Coheed was good but we left a little early. Only so much prog rock you can take before it all sounds the same.
The inside venue was open for bathrooms and concessions...holy crap that place is amazing. It is so much bigger than I thought it was. The floor is huge. It truly is a first-class facility. I was hesitant at first that CSO got the bid over Promowest, but I'm glad they did. It allowed both facilities to be built.
Anyone got to Avett Bros at Ovation? I have yet to catch a show there.
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Post by kbach on Sept 29, 2021 11:46:09 GMT -5
I’ll be at The Struts at Ovation next week, will be my first time there.
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Post by bookah on Oct 5, 2021 12:32:29 GMT -5
I went to Louder than Life. Was a great time with some super cool bands. Didn't really have any negative experiences at all. I didn't wait in a single line for water, so that was awesome. Some of my favorite performances were Grandson, Ice Nine Kills, Spirit Box, Fever 333, Turnstile, Code Orange, and yes... MGK. I didn't hear any boos for him where I was at, and he was nothing but fun and positive vibes. Definitely better than he was at Bunbury but he has an actual rock album out now lmao. Basically every band I bothered to give my undivided attention to was great. My friends got a setlist for Anthrax and a pick from Sabaton!
I'll be at The Struts in Cleveland!
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