It's Not Dead Fest @ San Manuel Amphitheater Festival Grounds

Written by FNG Matt.

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Poster from Facebook

Yay! I’m writing a gig review for 138! Thanks Gilbert, Yay!!!
That will be the extent of my joy for this article.

After typing for an hour I realized that this review turned into a 3-page rant that was way too long and angry. So here’s the shortened version, but since I don’t want to be a Negative Nancy right off the bat let me start with the good things they did for this It's Not Dead Fest debacle. The coolest thing was the Main Stage. It was 2-sided and turned 180 degrees. So while one band was playing the next was setting up, as soon as a band finished their set the stage rotated and the next band went right into theirs. No downtime. The only exception was NOFX, they were setup but still took their sweet-ass time to start playing. Fuckin Divas.

Next, I must give credit on the lineup itself. Quite a feat getting all those bands together on one day. And finally, it warmed my little heart to see thousands upon thousands of Punks gathered together in one place in the name of Music. It is NOT dead by any means. Punk Rock is alive and well, unfortunately I saw the prices of drinks and I quickly realized that it IS getting a major ass fucking. I would love to write a novel on how shameless this whole thing was but let me stick to the cliff notes before I start smashing my keyboard.

1. $11.50 for a Coors Light tall can, $15 for a double mixed drink, $16 for a “craft beer” $4.75 for a bottle of water, and when I finally gave in and bought one they wouldn’t give me the cap of the bottle. That was very annoying.

2. No pre-announced set times for bands. It was posted inside and I was pissed when I realized I didn't have to be there until around 3 in the afternoon to see the bands I was there for.

3. The SOUND for the main stage was SHIT. I was upfront for The Bouncing Souls set and my friend and I took out our ear plugs (yes, we wear ear plugs) and had a full conversation without yelling in each others faces. I hope someone got slapped for that.

4. Now I know that I can’t blame them for the heat but I still want to bitch about it. It was miserable out there. Makes me appreciate the tents, lunch tables and misters at Punk Rock Bowling.

But at It's Not Dead Fest your comfort is the least of their concerns, Punks are just walking dollar signs that are herded in like cattle. What else is to be expected of the same guy that created Warped Tour and turned it into a traveling joke? Someone wiser and (much) older told me recently “Punk rock belongs in small clubs, on small stages” and as I’m getting older I’m starting to realize that for myself.

It's Not Dead Fest, I shan’t be returning if there is a next year for you. Get fucked ya greedy bastards.

Thanks for reading, I enjoyed writing it even though it raised my blood pressure just recounting that day.
See ya later true believers.

~FNG Matt

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