After what seems like an eternity, festivals are back and thriving! Four Chord Music Festival has patiently waited almost two years to celebrate its seventh year. Fans streamed into the venue hoping to get to the gates early enough to stand at the barricade for their favorite bands.
The excitement was in the air from the moment doors opened at 12, and music could be heard throughout the ballpark. Merchandise tents and sponsors outlined the field and provided excellent placement for fans to pick up some new swag while they waited for the next band to go on.
Kicking things off early on in the day is never easy, but for bands who have waited over 500 days to take the stage, things went off with a bang. Early on in the afternoon, groups like Future Teens and Keep Flying energized the crowd and ramped up the excitement. Split between two stages, fans could be seen running back and forth to get a good position on the barricade to watch some of their local favorites. Fans echoed how perfect this setup was to discover some new bands and see some old ones they haven’t heard from in a while.
A few old favorites, such as Mayday Parade, Real Friends, and State Champs brought a sense of nostalgia to the festival. Each group played some newer songs, as well as some old ones, that had even the security guards singing along with fans. Mayday Parade brought an endless amount of energy to the stage as if they hadn’t even been off for two years.
At the end of the night, right after dark, The Used came on stage with absolutely amazing production. A rainbow of lights filled the park as frontman Bert McCracken recited sonnets and urged the crowd to create a circle pit. The set was filled with laughs and fun times shared by both the band on stage and the crowd. Security geared up as waves of fans crowd surfed to the stage screaming along with the music. It almost seemed as the crowd was alive, rolling like an ocean the entire time.
Closing out the night was fan favorite Rise Against. As crowd surfers continued to surf forward, they could be seen singing along with security guards as they were safely returned to the ground. Dedicated fans young and old rocked along with Rise Against with endless energy, as if they hadn’t just been standing for eight hours. Overall, the reception of Four Chord’s seventh year was a huge success, with fans not wanting to leave after the last band.
Mayday Parade
The Used
Rise Against
