Four Chord Music Festival has put on their 9th fest. In what is called one of North America’s biggest emo/pop punk festivals, the two day fest brought some star power yet again. The DIY Music Fest is run by Rishi Bahl.

The fest, per normal, was set with two stages for continuous, all day music. Once a band finishes, not more than 5 minutes pass and the next one is up. This was the 3rd year the fest was set at Wild Things Park, in Washington, PA. The stages were set up in the outfield, with the infield covered in merch tents and food vendors.

Band lineup information for both days at Four Chord.

Early in the fest there was talk about the possible storms that were predicted around 5pm. That was not going to stop this fest from going on. Weather changes every hour, so most prayed and hoped for the best it’d move past without any delay.

Old Neon, a pop punk band from Pittsburgh, opened the day with high energy songs that translate well to a high energy stage presence. The group have a new album called Can’t Fucking Wait, that was released in June. Wearing brightly colored clothing and guitars, the band was a great way to kick off the weekend and get the party started.

Keep Flying has been a part of Four Chord for a while. The Long Island, NY group play with a saxophone, trombone, guitars and drums.  With a just released album, Daylight, this set was of importance to them. Their sound is more in the 90s era skater music, but add a new element with their brass and woodwind instruments.

Patent Pending was on the docket next. The band is another long term partner with Four Chord. Playing all nine years, I never get tired of seeing them. They have easily become one of my favorites to see every year. With their friendly nature and on stage antics, the set is always a pleasure to see. This year, Joe Ragosta saw me taking an image of him with water, and decided to take advantage of the moment to promote the product sold at the fest. Joe also mentioned he co-wrote a song that Jelly Roll made famous, Need a favor.

Houston Calls took the stage next after Patent Pending.  After a few highly energetic bands, it was a nice transition to a band who is more grounded. Houston Calls was also a fan friendly band. They made sure after each song to ask about people in the crowd. Pointing out individuals who were dancing and singing along. The New Jersey based band called it a career in 2009, but came back for a few reunion shows, with what the band called their last show as a band. This time, on a more permanent basis. I happened to come across them with fans after their set, and one thing was evident, the fans missed them. The band members were very grateful to everyone who did come over to speak with them and show some love one last time.

Mest, a Chicago based band, was up next. Formed in 1995, the band has been around for a while. Moving around the stage, the band was great at letting the audience get a good view of them from any spot in the crowd. Much like every band before them, they enjoyed the crowd surfers and mosh pits saying, “it’s a punk rock event! make these guys work!”. I had to chuckle a little when I heard their punk rendition of wheels on the bus, which was followed by happy birthday to someone that was in the crowd. Their sound as a whole was great. Having an early to mid 2000’s type of vibe, I loved being I grew up on the pop punk bands of the early 2000’s.

A crowd surfer makes his way to the front of the stage while at Four Chord.

You can’t have Four Chord without a set from Eternal Boy. Rishi, the lead singer of the band, is the one that puts on this amazing fest each year. Pittsburgh’s Eternal Boy are a trio that always brings the 2000’s nostalgia and energy to the crowd. They’ve played in Warped Tour, toured outside North America, and have five full length albums. Rishi took the time to thank all of the bands, most of which he has looked up to, for being there and playing at Four Chord. The behind the scenes people of the fest were thanked as well. None of this would happen without them. Bahl also had to take the time to make sure the audience knew Yellowcard was not playing just one song, but the entire album, saying it was “basic deductive reasoning”. Bahl is a huge Taylor Swift fan, as he always sings one of her songs for his set. The crowd always responds very well and adds just another element to his set.

Magnolia Park began their set with rain clouds inching closer and wind picking up. With all the fun, it was the first time I had actually remembered the weather and what could be coming. Magnolia Park, formed in 2019, was playing Four Chord for the first time, and they did not disappoint. Joshua Roberts, the band lead singer, signed sweet 16 sign before the set. In their short career, the band has toured with the likes of Sum 41 and Simple Plan. They stopped the show to help a fan find a phone and a lost hat from dancing. For a first time band at the event, they had a lot of fans singing along and having a great time with their set of upbeat pop punk songs.

Technical difficulties delayed The Home Team’s set.  After a near 10 minute delay, they came on stage apologizing, saying it was their 1st fest and also the biggest crowd they’ve played for. The band from Seattle, unfortunately had to cut the set a bit short due to technical problems earlier.  But while they were on stage they had an entire vibe about them. As I, and the other photographers were warned by security prior to the set, there were lots of crowd surfers. With that energy from the crowd, it fueled the band members as well. The Home Team had a blast with lots of spinning and kicking that was reminiscent of Patent Pending.  Their song, Scary Movies, has a tradition where the entire crowd jumps up and down, making for a fun scene to watch from my vantage point. The band recently signed with Thriller Records.

By the time The Home Team ended their set, the storm looked to be breaking up and the chances of it raining severely decreased. It became the focal point to many of those in attendance. Many of the festival goers were trying to plan ahead, in case anything was to happen.

Four Chord had screens for people to see updates on the weather conditions, and whether to seek shelter or not.

When security got over to the next stage, they began joking to the front row about stopping the crowd surfers for them. The Home Team crowd tired the crew out and needed a well deserved break. Fortunately for them, Origami Angel, a duo group from Washington D.C., made music that didn’t suit crowd surfing. Their sound was more of the emo vibe. Not long in their set they were told to pause, as lighting was seen in the distance. Festival goers were told what was going on, and there had to be a mandatory ten min break. After more lighting, Origami Angel had to cancel the rest of the set, saying it was “Not anyone’s fault. We are okay with the choice and fuck nature!” The band does hope to be back next year to get a full set in.

After a brief weather delay, The Maine took the stage. During their second song, lead vocalist, John O’Callaghan, put on a fan’s sparkled cowboy hat and performed with it on. He joked about selling it for $300 when he gave it back. O’Callaghan was one to be really involved with the crowd, pointing out people and asking questions like, “what beer are you drinking?” and “What’s your shirt say?!”  On August 1st, the band put out a new self titled record, and the crowd was sure to show it the support it deserved by belting out the lyrics of every song. O’Callaghan made his way to the VIP section and sang there for a moment before heading back to the stage. The Maine, who have been making music since 2007, wanted the crowd to really enjoy the moment, saying, “we don’t know how long we can do this, so take advantage of it while you can.” Honestly, that is something I believe in myself. Life is too short, so you might as well enjoy it while you can. Right as O’Callaghan asked for more energy for their last two songs, they were stopped and told to get off stage due to more lightning. Unfortunately, a ten minute delay would end their set.

While waiting for the weather delay, the crowd began singing Waterparks songs to entertain themselves. The lightning stopped, but rain began to fall from the sky above. Waterparks came on to one of the loudest cheers of the day.  They began the set on the one song the fans were singing the most, Turbulent. Almost immediately, crowd surfers came rolling in. It seemed like many in attendance were in for them. If you have never been in a photo pit where crowd surfers are coming in left and right, it might be one of the most chaotic environments to be in. But also, one of the most fun. The three piece band came out rocking with some pop-punk/alternative sounds that also featured other genres mixed in. There was talk about lighting again but the set went on. Their new album, Intellectual Property was released in April of this year. With the rain, it took me back to Four Chord 6, with Anberlin and Simple Plan. The ongoing joke everyone was talking about was that Waterparks brought the water to the park. Lighting was seen again, and a 10 minute clock was started again.

Things got rather worse and not long after the pause of Waterparks set, everyone was evacuated off the field, as a heavy t-storm came upon the stadium. With fear of all the metal around, a decision was made to put everyone in a safe area and wait it out. The field was evacuated and everyone was either sent to their cars or under cover of the ballpark stadium. With everyone packed in, phones, all in unison it seemed, began to go off with a Tornado warning. A few minutes later, reality hit, as Tornado sirens sounded in the distance. Winds picked up, and the sky was a never ending, constant light show.

Everyone was left wondering what was going to happen, and very few that had cell service were able to receive updates from Four Chord socials about what was going on. At 9pm, the storm finally moved past. Everyone eventually came back out,  as concessions and merch attendants checked how their tents fared. The two fest stages were looked over very carefully as well.

I met a few Keep Flying members, when they were selling CDs after the storm. They  asked if there are any NY Giants fans in the crowd, and well, that is my team so I had to speak up. We chatted for a moment, got a cd and some handshakes. They were just genuinely nice people. So shout out to them!

Lights came on around the stadium and stages around 9:30, and Festival goers lined up on both foul lines of the park until the fest allowed everyone back on at 9:50. It was around then when news broke that a Tornado did land, only three miles away.

Crews of Four Chord and the remaining bands meet to discuss the next steps for the remainder of day 1.

Andrew McMahon and The Wilderness did not play, so the next time slot was Taking Back Sunday. The band opted for an acoustic set to help save time and give enough time for Yellowcard to get set up. A decent sized crowd weathered the storm and stayed for the last two acts. With a shortened set, TBS played to the crowd dressed alike, sharing stories (like going to the dentist and getting double billed), sang a few songs, and were full of jokes that really made the best of a bad situation.

Yellowcard played a cutdown set as well, due to time restrictions. In a tour that celebrates the anniversary of the album, Ocean Avenue, the band played the best songs they believed could fit into the timeframe. With that, it didn’t stop a must see performance however. The band, enjoying their best tour ever, was thankful for everyone who stayed during and after the Tornado. Upset that they could only play about five songs, they made a promise to see the Pittsburgh area soon. One of the more memorable moments for fans, and probably embarrassing for Yellowcard, was when Ryan Key messed up the lyrics to Ocean Avenue. The crowd sang it right however, and Ryan joked and thanked the crowd for the right lyrics. They even made a post on social media after, apologizing for the mishap. They also thanked the crowd for staying with a post that included,  “Yellowcard 1, Tornado 0”.

Day one came to a close at 11:30pm. It was a day that will go down in the history books for this festival. No one came in thinking there was going to be so many ups and downs the day had. The weather was not as cooperative as many would have liked, but it made for an unforgettable experience. Day 2, what do you have in store? Find out in tomorrow’s story.

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