View our slideshow of Weenie Roast 2015 right here.
KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta 2015
Irvine Meadows Amphitheater
5/16/2015
Some days are perfect days — weather so nice, people so pleasant that it actually makes you want to throw up a little bit. Last Saturday, the latest edition of the KROQ Weenie Roast was almost one of those days.
Let me start off by saying that the in-city-musical-festival-lite style of festival is my favorite. You don't have to drive too far, traffic isn't horrible, you can shower and sleep in your bed, and I honestly believe it puts people in better moods. The Weenie Roast is quite possibly the largest such event, with enough history and draw to showcase multiple headliner-worthy bands. It's a special event. And that was plainly obvious when you were there.
See also: How Weenie Roast Helps to Redefine Where KROQ is Headed
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It was if KROQ designed every part of the day, from the cloudy, slightly chilly weather that kept everyone cool as they very calmly made it into the venue, to the sun break in the early afternoon that warmed up the meadow. It was just so perfect. If you wanted to lay out in the sun, you could. If you were getting too warm, there was a nice breeze. Even the vendors were on point. Didn't bring a bag? Have a free drawstring! Hungry and cheap? Have some free hot dogs. Thirsty and cheap? You can have as many samples of Jaritos and McDonald's strawberry lemonade as you want.
Heck, there was even a nice phone charging station.
The music, of course, was wonderful, marrying both the high-energy, sweaty-people-rubbing-against each other romanticism of the second stage with the grand, comfortable main stage. The smaller stage had an excited crowd more or less from the moment the first band, X Ambassadors, came on at 2 p.m. The energy had only grown by the time Saint Motel, and their feathered dancers hit the stage. By the time the final act All Time Low came on, the crowd was properly warmed up for the main stage.
And what a stage it was. The rotating platform, which eliminates set up time, is always a great crowd pleaser. Every act brought their A game, from Cold War Kids, who made the drive all the way from…San Pedro, to Walk the Moon, who made their entrance to Simba's birth theme from the Lion King. You could tell nearly every act was excited to be there. Panic! At the Disco's Brendon Urie did a backflip. Panic! played an amazing rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard made fun of the fog machines. Florence and the Machine's Florence Welch, foot still broken from Coachella Weekend One, was carried off stage waving goodbye to the crowd.
Not everything could be perfect, though, but everyone was having enough fun that they didn't particularly minded. Of Monsters and Men pulled off a great set, despite continuous sound issues that last nearly five songs but were fixed just in time for crowd favorite, “Little Talks.”
It's that kind of thing that makes Weenie Roast so special. Nowhere else can you go from Death Cab's continuous guitar changes to Florence and the Machine's giant harp to Of Monsters and Men's brass section to just the three guys from Muse.
There's just nothing like it, and that's why if you ever have a reason to make it, you should.
Random Notebook Dump:
Death Cab must have brought at least 15 guitars with them.
Overheard:
“The dog days are over!” — Literally everyone during Florence and the Machine.
The Crowd:
All types of people. 20-something hip types. Occasionally spoiled high schoolers. Middle-aged dads with grey hair and piercings with their families. One or two five year olds.
See also
10 Punk Albums to Listen to Before You Die
10 Goriest Album Covers
10 Most Satanic Metal Bands
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