Pot of Gold Festival: Bleachers, Awolnation, Bastille, Fall Out Boy

This weekend I had the great pleasure of attending two of the days of the Pot of Gold Music Festival. The major acts I saw included Bleachers, Awolnation, Bastille, and Fall Out Boy. I also got to see Girl Talk, Chromeo and Milky Chance on the side stage. Festivals are one of my all time favorite events. Despite the fact that the artists are limited to a short set, the vibe and energy of a music festival is so unique.



BLEACHERS
I was so psyched to see this band. I grew up as a huge fan of fun., and considering that the lead singer/songwriter of Bleachers is also the lead guitarist of fun. made me instantly interested in the band. They're most well known for their songs "I Wanna Get Better" and "Rollercoaster" which are often played on the radio. One of my favorite things about loving a band is that you can almost guarantee that they will be even better live! (So if you ever get the chance to see one of your favorite bands live, never pass up the opportunity.)

The show started off kind of slow, but it only kept getting better and better. The band's stage set up really stands out compared to other bands. They have two drummers, two keyboardists, saxophone player, a bassist, guitarist, and lead singer; yet, there are only five members of the band. Jack Antonoff, lead singer/songwriter/guitarist, has an incredible amount of energy on stage. Even with some of the technical difficulties that occurred, his energy never wavered. I find that one of the best ways to find what the chemistry of a band is like is by watching how they introduce themselves, if they do it at all (I can talk for a long time about this, but I won't get into now). Jack introduced every member which was followed by them doing a wicked solo. The band spends a lot of time of just instrumental stuff, which I'm usually not a huge fan of, but they totally pulled it off.

Closer to the end of the show was possibly the best part of the whole night. During "You're Still A Mystery," the saxophone made an appearance and wow'ed the crowd. The saxophonist was beyond talented - he strutted around the stage and had everyone's eyes on him with some help from Jack shouting "The louder you yell, the harder he blows!" The saxophone solo was followed by a guitar vs. saxophone show down. The guitar would play something, then the saxophone would repeat it exactly and it was absolutely amazing!

Bleachers closed their set with "I Wanna Get Better" which is a song that I could never stop loving, despite how many times it is played on the radio. It was a great way to end the show, and they really seem to pour their heart and soul into the song.


AWOLNATION
I thought that Awolnation was a completely different band before I saw them live. I knew their song "Sail" (who doesn't?) and I guess I made this assumption in my head of what kind of band they are, but, wow, was I wrong. They are a lot BETTER than I had assumed. Actually, I have been listening to this band on repeat all weekend because they sound so good. Most of their songs are filled with really dark themes, but the vocals and beat draws you in to listen to more. It took me by surprise on Friday night when Aaron Bruno, the lead singer, screams the lyrics to almost every one of his songs. Don't get me wrong, it isn't all screaming. But when he did break out like that, to see him casually lean into the mic, hands in pockets, I has amazed that that sound was coming from him, a 36-year-old quiet kind of guy. Add that to his awesome dancing moves and it was an interesting combo, but a combo that keeps your eyes glued to the stage.


While their sound was completely on point and blew me away, I'm disappointed when bands don't make that much conversation with the crowd (even though it's usually the same kind of stuff). However, Aaron did say a really nice speech about music, pointing out that everyone in the crowd were there for the same reason - to enjoy the music and have a good time. That is possibly may favorite thing about going to shows and is probably the reason why I feel the most comfortable at concerts. Every single person is there to listen to the band on stage and enjoy themselves. The speech was followed by a song where Aaron requested everyone to put their arms around the person next the them, and before you know it, the whole crowd was swaying (I believe it was to the song "Jump on My Shoulders").


Awolnation performed some songs from their new album, "Run," that is set to be released tomorrow, March 17. If the album is anything like the songs they played, then I'll be very happy. I suggest checking out the songs "Hollow Moon" and "Kill Your Heroes" if you have never heard this band before (besides "Sail").


BASTILLE
If you haven't heard of these guys before, you are probably at least familiar with their song "Pompeii." Well, these four English guys put on a hell of a good show. Equipped with humor, seriousness, interaction with the crowd, and great music, Bastille has everything you could ask for. Between almost every song, Dan Smith thanks the crowd and is extremely polite and humble, especially considering that the band has been nominated for two American Music Awards, a Billboard Award, and two Grammy Awards. Dan Smith is mostly a vocalist, but he does have two little drums set on each side of the stage that he goes to from time to time. Being a front man is usually a hit or miss. For Dan, it is definitely a hit. He was born to do this and the audience can tell this by how comfortable he was on stage and his entertaining dancing.

Performing most of the songs from "Bad Blood" album, they also included the song "The Driver" from BBC1's rescoring of the movie Drive and a cover of TLC's "No Scrubs." One of the best moments of their set was when they played the song "Overjoyed" which was a cue for everyone to hold up triangle paper cut outs. The act was designed by some fans and the triangles were passed out to people before Bastille walked on stage. You could tell that they were all taken for surprise, Dan whispered "wow" into the mic and they all had to take pics of the crowd after the song. I love when the crowd can do something that amazes the artist.

During "Flaws" another special thing happened where Dan jumped off stage and then continued to walk through and around the perimeter of the crowd. I expected him to stay behind the barrier that separated the stage and fans, but that wasn't enough for Dan. As he walked over to my side of the crowd, I actually got to shake his hand! This was such a great way to interact with the crowd.


FALL OUT BOY
Fall Out Boy performed on Sunday night while the previous bands I talked about played on Friday. I signed up to volunteer on Sunday, and that was how I got a free ticket for Friday. I signed up to work at a station where I knew I could have a clear view of the stage, but that didn't happened. I ended up having to work in parking where I couldn't see the band whatsoever and the sound was okay. While that was a huge bummer, I'm still happy that I got to hear most of their set. Then, I was released early from my shift and got to catch the last 30ish minutes of Fall Out Boy's set and that made the night 10000x better.

I got to witness a lot of great songs, including quite a few songs from their latest album "American Beauty / American Psycho." Hearing those songs live made me love the album even more. I wish I got to see the crowd react to them playing "Uma Thurman" since that song is such a hit, but I did get to see other fan favorites. "Young Volcanoes" was made more interactive by having the crowd help Patrick sing the beginning of the song. They ended night with "Saturday" which never fails to impress me when Pete ditches his bass to scream into the mic instead.

I had the amazing opportunity to see FOB live last August so I had an idea of what to expect and in no way do they disappoint. Pete is really chatty with the crowd, and the fans love it when he gets shy Patrick to chat with them. Their guitarist, Joe Trohman, didn't play that night due to recovering from surgery. That inconvenience didn't stop the rest of the band from putting on an amazing and unforgettable show. However, I have to mention how different it is seeing a band during their tour and at a festival. That extra hour that they don't get to play at a festival makes a difference.


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The crowd at Pot Of Gold on
Friday night during Chromeo's
show.

Pot of Gold was a huge success. Tempe Beach Park came the closest it has ever been to selling out on Saturday night with Kendrick Lamar as the headline. This weekend was a great way to begin Spring Break. Tomorrow morning I leave for California for the next week! And today something very incredible and magical and amazing happened - I GOT TICKETS TO SEE BLINK 182 ON WEDNESDAY AT THE ROXY IN HOLLYWOOD. I have never in my life been so excited to see a show. I've been buzzing all day long. To be honest, I'm surprised I sat still long enough to write this post. The Roxy is a nightclub that holds 500 people. And blink are playing there. And I will see them. I can't believe this is real. I will also see blink on Sunday night at the Musink festival that Travis Barker is hosting. These next few days are going to be - I don't have a word strong enough to describe how awesome it is going to be. (*When I say blink-182, I mean blink-182 ft. Matt Skiba)


On a side note, because I was at the festival last night, I didn't do my weekly Sunday's Seven Songs. I also won't be able to do it next Sunday because I will be at the blink show. Not like that many people follow my blog, but I thought I would just mention that I haven't forgotten about it!

Looks like the next time I will blog will be after I see blink. Wow. What a thought.


Until then,
Nikole

Sunday's Seven Songs

Week five of Sunday's Seven Songs! I would be lying if I said it's getting harder to remember to do this, especially because they aren't getting that many views. I just keep telling myself that it's good practice that I write every week, even if there is no one reading. This is better then giving up my blog all together. And there's a bunch of concert and album releases coming up, so I promise that this blog should be getting more interesting. 

Anyways, the Academy Awards are on so I'm a little distracted writing this. With that said, here are the seven songs:

1) Polaroid by Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons' new album, "Smokes and Mirrors," came out last Monday. I have to say that I don't love it as much as their last album. It's lacking the energy that made their first album stand out. However, I think that this band is extremely underrated. I've read some jokes here and there that poke fun at people who are still fans of this group, but I don't understand. They are an extremely talented bunch. I'm sure the more I listen to their new album, the more it will grow on me. "Polaroid" definitely was the first song to stand out to me. I love the tempo and sound of this song. I might to another blog post this week dedicated to what I though of the rest of this album.

2) One Foot by fun.

"Some Nights" by fun. will always be one of my favorite albums. There is such a deep meaning in every one of the songs that I find so inspiring and so unique. From the first time I heard this album in 2012, "One Foot" has always been my favorite song. When you really take the time to listen to the lyrics, it's amazing how simple yet thoughtful it is. This album is really about living and finding yourself. I hope the band comes out of hiatus soon, however I can't complain about what some of them have been doing in their spare time which leads me to the next song.

3) You're Still a Mystery by Bleachers

Jack Antonoff is the lead guitarist of fun., but he also is the lead singer and songwriter of Bleachers. It wouldn't be fair for me to compare the two bands because they're too different. Bleacher is best known for their radio his, "I Wanna Get Better." I think that song is probably the best on the album because it has a great meaning, not to mention that it is extremely catchy which makes obviously made it a hit. I thought I would make "You're Still a Mystery" the selected song because while it might not be as catchy, it still has a really good and simple sound. 

4) American Candy by The Maine

American Candy was released a couple of weeks ago and I could have sworn I already covered this in a previous Sunday weekly post, but it looks like I didn't. American Candy is a clear throwback to the early days of The Maine, the more poppy and carefree band. This song has almost a complete opposite vibe from the dark and sad, yet thoughtful "Forever Halloween" album. While I loved the last album, American Candy created some high expectations for the rest of the album. I cherished the early days of this band because of their songs were just so much fun and uplifting to sing along to and I believe their new album will bring back that feeling.

5) Reason to Believe by Sum 41

I have listened to a lot of Sum 41 this week and it's amazing to listen to how the band's sound evolved over time. "All Killer No Filler" remains my favorite album of theirs; however, "Screaming Bloody Murder" is definitely an album worth talking about. Their last album released in 2011 definitely shows that the carefree skater punks had grown up. Taking a darker and more serious turn, this album addresses some deep themes that all pack a powerful punch. "Reason to Believe" reminded me of an anthem song, like a song that makes you want to scream the lyrics on the top of your lungs.

6) First by Cold War Kids

I'm a new fan of this band and the reason that made me look them up is that they are coming in town soon (I'm not seeing them though). Their album "Hold My Home" was released last October. I'm not too sure why this song stood out to me the most, but I find it catchiest and it's been stuck in my heads a few times this week. I can't say that I'm totally hooked on this band, but there's no denying their talent. 

7) Rock a Little by Stevie Nicks

I know this song seems out of place, but I recently got a record player and this week I went record shopping and this was one of the vinyls I picked up. I can't say that I have listened to a lot of Stevie Nicks, but she is so talked about so I had to give her music a try. I can totally understand why she is the legend she became. The music is something you can just start playing, close your eyes and tune out everything else. It isn't always that easy to find music like that so I'm glad I decided to bring home this record.

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One week from today Tom Delonge releases "Songs Without A Home," an album with songs that were originally meant for Blink 182, but we know what happened there. 

Academy Awards are wrapping up soon so I'm going to finish watching that and call it a night. 

Until next time,

Nikole xx

P.S. Happy Birthday shout out to an incredibly thoughtful, inspiring, and talented musician, Kurt Cobain, who would have turned 48 years old this week. He is one of the most legendary people in music and he'll never be forgotten.