For as long as most residents of the San Francisco Bay Area can remember, radio station FM 105.3 has had a significant impact on the local music scene. From featuring up and coming artists to facilitating some of the area’s most iconic concerts each and every year, their influence is well known, so naturally when the station’s ownership changed hands at the end of 2017 many were left wondering what the future of local music would hold.
With major and immediate changes to the radio station’s culture such as a new name and the unceremonious firing of popular morning DJ Kevin Klein, many were rightfully curious about what further cuts would be made and many more were especially concerned for the fate of its wildly popular one-day music festival, BFD. The Bay Area stood by anxiously until one Friday afternoon, the date and lineup for the day long extravaganza were announced. A city-wide sigh of relief was breathed with the news that the festival, while scheduled a little earlier in the year than in years past, featured a lineup packed with big names that left no ambiguity as to the importance the festival held for its new management.
While the lineup certainly held up to the standard we have all come to expect from BFD; the festival had a much different feel to it than in years past. With new hands on the project came some growing pains that were to be expected in this period of transition. The new Alt 105 struggled to fill the stadium to capacity for the events, fighting against the natural conflicts that come with scheduling a music festival on a Mother’s Day Sunday. The venue had a healthy audience, but was not as packed as it had been in years past. Also, the decision to move BFD from its longtime home at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View to the East Bay’s Concord Pavilion also brought some issues with it. The new venue allowed less room to set the festival up the way it had been in years past. Where as in previous years, Shoreline had facilitated the luxury of expanding the festival grounds into a nearby parking lot, and setting up an additional 2-4 stages while reserving the main amphitheater stage for the headlining artists. The new venue in Concord provided less room for many additional activities, giving BFD more of a concert feel than that of a true festival.
Despite all setbacks, those who attended BFD were greeted with a day of music and celebration fitting of the festival.
The day started with a performance by young band Mt. Eddy. Lead by Jakob Armstrong, son of Green Day Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, Mt. Eddy delivered a solid set to start the day. With a young, upbeat, punk-rock sound, the band blended a classic sound with a young perspective for a raw and unfiltered performance. The audience’s energy then skyrocketed when Billie Eilish came onstage several acts later. The teenager from Los Angeles got audiences excited and on their feet with her animated performance. The combination of young performers and a younger crowd earlier in the day more than compensated for the emptier feel of the venue as fans trickled in throughout the day.
Although the popular “Local Band Stage” was not featured at this year’s BFD as it has been in years past, the lineup did not disappoint in terms of featuring local talent. The day’s lineup began with several well established local bands. From top to bottom, Bay Area natives were well represented. Mt. Eddy’s roots come from the South Bay, while Cemetery Sun started up in Sacramento. Even Frontman for The War On Drugs, Adam Granduciel, took time to tell the audience that he once lived in Oakland off of 66th Street.
As the day went on, more and more bands took time out of their sets to share stories of the impact Alt 105 has had on their careers. Acts such as AJR and Bishop Briggs recalled the station as being one of the first in the country to play their music and credited it with helping their career in earlier stages. As the day’s lineup progressed, the variety in the acts musical style created a pleasant juxtaposition and paired well with one another. From James Bay’s British charm to AWOLNATION’s energy, the lineup was very eclectic and had a little something for everybody.
Reggae-fusion band Dirty Heads gave the penultimate performance of the night. Although given at a slower pace than fans of the band might have been used to, it was not a low energy performance, rather it was a much calmer, more concentrated, and downright experimental interpretation of their art. Their set was performed in low light and began just after the sun had completely set, creating an ominous mood. Their musical style was a welcome mix of energetic and calm, and set the stage well for the headlining act.
Blink 182 closed out the day with an electric performance that lived up to all hype and anticipation. The crowd was ecstatic in the minutes leading up to the performance. The band wasted no time getting the crowd further excited, opening their set with “Cynical” a short and fast paced song from their newest album. They quickly commanded the room as they engaged the crowd often throughout their set. “Last night I played to a crowd four times as big, but tonight I’m having twice as much fun!” Bassist Mark Hoppus said humoring the audience. Their setlist did not disappoint as they played a balanced blend of new and old songs from various albums. Audience members began moshing with lighthearted nostalgia as the band played every hit from “What’s My Age Again?” to “Dumpweed” before eventually closing the band’s set with their early hit “Dammit.”
The day ended the same way it began; with the proverbial passing of the torch between generations and the performance of a music icon’s son. As an encore to end the night, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker invited his young son, Landon Barker, onstage to perform one last drum solo before the crowd left the amphitheater. Barker Senior has famously supported his son’s musical ambitions in the past, and his recent decision to bring him along on his tours leaves audiences wondering what could be next for the young drummer.
As the crowd left the venue, there was a general sense of excitement in the air. For the Bay, this was not simply the end of one show, but the first of many. With the conclusion of BFD, one thing is clear among concert goers in Northern California; Summer in the Bay Area has officially begun.
