Day 2 began, and it had a steep hill to climb after day 1’s amazing turnout. Temperatures were about the same, in the low 80s, and a nice breeze was present in the early part of the day. Day 2 could be seen as the more laid-back of the two days, but the lineup was still packed, and a great day of music was on the docket.
Up first was Mallory Run, out of Edinboro, PA. The four-piece band hit the stage running, making the joke, “Please give it up to Blink 182, who played before us!” Mallory Run, no stranger to the Four Chord stages, as they played the last two years before today, drew in people immediately as people filed in for the early bands. The new single, “Back Pedal,” was played after thanking Rishi, and he was told to get some sleep at some point. As always, the lead singer, Dan McClune, would run around the stage in polarized glasses, jumping, running, and moving all over the stage. The drums and guitars were easily distinguishable, and you could see the crowd enjoying every moment.
Runt, a self-described “freak folk death march” band from Middle, TN, came on moments after Mallory Run, tasked with upholding the energy early on in the day. As fans still piled into the stadium, the band seemed not to care and gave their best show possible. With gravelly vocals from the lead singer, it was a fun set that would definitely separate itself from the rest of the bands that played throughout the entire fest. It is hard to describe the sound besides what they called themselves. Once you hear it, you understand. Playing one song after another, they finished their set with a decent crowd size to check them out.
Like Roses, who just signed a record deal with Hopeless Records on September 10, began their set with a sound that can be described as more of an emo sound. Performance-wise, they can really charm a crowd and become a crowd favorite with lyrics with attitude. The band played several songs before talking to the crowd to tune for the next song, where it went from hard and fast to slow and sad. Like Roses had a really nice blend of just that. With Runt being a slow and like a march, this band brought back the energy that even led to a small circle pit forming. The Bay Area California trio, who were recently on tour with Mayday Parade in the earlier part of the year, will be joining Pierce The Veil after this fest performance for a fall tour.
Indie punk band from Chicago, Sincere Engineer, were back rocking the Four Chord stage after performing two years prior. The energetic band’s lead singer, Deanna Delos, led the charge with gritty vocals to even grittier lyrics. Much like the performance two years ago, the band didn’t talk much, rather letting the music do just that. The band started the set to a big applause, and within seconds of the first song, the crowd knew it and began singing along. Continuing the raw energy from Like Roses, the band shredded through the set with big drum beats and fast guitar riffs. A drone flew by a few times, and Delos mentioned how she felt like a cat, just watching it as it flew by. With raw emotions, Sincere Engineer didn’t just captivate the crowd; they put everyone on notice of why they deserved to be at Four Chord again.
Deathbyromy, dubbed Gen Z’s “dark princess of pop,” took the stage with some goth pop genre songs that took the fest by storm. Listening to her lyrics, you could easily hear what she enjoyed writing about: love and being authentic to yourself. The band was the most energetic up to this point in the day. Moving around the stage, the lead singer and two guitarists constantly switched spots, moving around and interacting with one another. At one point, one had to fix the mic pack, and that was done without any issues with the song. One song after another, the band moved swiftly, making sure they got the most out of the set. Fans sang and danced along near the barricade, with some of the heavier drum beats so far. It was an entertaining set for sure.
It was at this point in the day, you could begin to tell the vibe of the day. The day before was more punk pop, day two was more emo. That is something I love about the fest each year. Not one day is like the next. It has a completely different feeling.
Koyo was able to actually hit the stage this year after flight issues last year prevented them from playing the fest, being replaced by the band 408. A band that is described as an American alternative/psychedelic rock band, this was one of the bands I looked forward to seeing last year. Seeing them at FC11 was well worth the wait. Koyo was also in attendance for the Pre-show that went on Friday night. The wait was well worth it, as they made sure the crowd was moving. Constantly asking the crowd to jump and move around, as they did too. The drum beats were quick and easy to jump to. The lyrics and sound of the band were pure adrenaline. A circle pit formed on song two, and I made my way out of the area to protect my equipment, but I watched from afar, and the crowd ate up the set. Koyo is a must-see band.
Punchline, another band that was in the FC9 lineup, made their return to the stage next. The quartet really made an impression on me a few years back, and yet again, they didn’t disappoint. In what was called their album release show, being they released it on Friday, they were proud to have it in Washington, PA. Playing within seconds after Koyo finished, the band immediately got the crowd on their feet and clapping. With some direction from them, they then clapped on beat. If you want a band to listen to that will get your foot tapping, this is the band for you. The fun and beat boppy sound can make any day better. They took a moment to thank the crowd and Four Chord while passing out some hacky sacks.
Drug Church, out of Albany, NY, was a band I had never heard of before, and was on my list of bands to listen to and watch carefully. I didn’t want to go into the event hearing their songs prior. I wanted the raw experience of finding a new band to listen to. From what I heard, I was delightfully impressed and pleased. A loud cheer came as they came onto the stage, and the heavy-hitting band came out with some of the best energy to hit the stage over the day and a half. Asking the crowd to move, all over from front to back, you knew the circle pit was coming again. This one, one of the biggest I have seen during the day. The lead singer joked he thought he was on drugs (even if the band name implies, the band doesn’t do drugs) after seeing the delay on the screen with him on it. From the moment the band took the stage, the fans were into them.
Alumni Four Chord rockers, The Wonder Years, took the stage in rock fashion. Hailing from Lansdale, PA, the band rose to fame in the late 2000s and has kept their energy level cranked to 10, while evolving their sound throughout the years. While being booed for saying they basically are based in Philadelphia, the crowd still gave the band some love for their music. A circle pit formed immediately once the music began, and continued to keep the crowd in it all set. Asking them to jump and move around, they commanded the stage like drill sergeants, but more in a fun way. A huge ovation erupted at the end of their set when they spoke to the crowd about being well-rounded humans and that there are enough cruel things going on in the world. The message: be punk rock. Be respectful and allow people to live the life they want.
Face To Face, another familiar face to the festival, came out ready to blast the faces off many crowd members. With decades of touring under their belts, the band still seems to be very close and tight-knit. You can easily see this through their stage performance. The chemistry just goes unparalleled, with even some other people taking notice of it as I stood near the sound booth. The band’s sound was impeccable. Lyrics could be easily heard over the guitars and drums. The musical abilities of each member also stood out. They thanked the fans for allowing them back in with the warmth they received. Halfway through the set, they had the crowd sing some lyrics through the entire song. At first, it didn’t go over so well, and became a joke of how not to sound. Asking the crowd to try again, they got it right, and the song began with the crowd being a part of the song, almost as if the song was written for that very reason to be heard live. At the end of the set, the band finished by saying, “being it was two years since the last FC show, they’d see them again in another.” They continued, “for a baseball game, that is. I’d love to catch a game here.”
Say Anything, out of Los Angeles, California that formed in 2000, and have been through a lot since. After success in their early years as a band, and continued touring, albums, and band member changes, the band went into hiatus in early 2019 after releasing their album Oliver Appropriate. The band reunited in 2023, with an all-new lineup, and created their ninth studio album, released in May 2024. Say Anything delivered a fun atmosphere, with a lot of movement from every member on stage. There was not one person you could just watch. You couldn’t tell there was a long hiatus. Even with one member having a vocal issue, the rest of the band picked up that slack and continued to show why they deserved a slot in the lineup, calling it one of their favorites they have played since coming back.
Chicago’s Alkaline Trio began, and fans began to realize that the night and the festival were coming to a close. The first set in the dark, the lighting Four Chord had for the stage took me back a bit. Somehow, I didn’t really focus on that from the day before, but it was cool to see that combined with how Alkaline Trio used it with their set. “We want to make you a promise,” Matt Skiba quipped, and continued, “all songs we play will have at least four chords.” The joke would land very well. As part of their Missionary Impossible Tour, the band made an appearance at Four Chord again, after a hugely successful FC9 showing. Very few bands of three can say they have accomplished as much as this band has. Their sound, comprised of head-banging fun to tear-jerking anthems, leaves something for everyone to relate to and enjoy. For the first time all day, the crowd stood still, and made it more of a sing-along set. The energy, while there, went into singing and headbanging, rather than moshing and fist pumping. Much like FC9, the fans absolutely ate up their set, as it flew by faster than a knife fight in a phone booth, and made us all want more.
Jawbreaker is one band that is a guarantee to get the elder emo kids out and about. An extremely influential band from 86 to 96, the band went on hiatus and reunited in 2017. This is probably a reason why they were slated to play second to last. The nostalgia alone just makes you excited to hear. Lead singer Blake Schwarzenbach would go on to say they don’t enjoy the new age crap bands put out now. All the internet noise and other outside garbage. Just play music, write music, and be happy with that. While on the older side of all the bands that played this weekend, they stood still on stage. However, with the influence they have on the industry, they have that right. They mentioned how they stopped at local places, as they always do on tour, and mentioned how Sheetz was one of them. A loud ovation came across the stadium. While Sheetz is a decent place, I am more of a Wawa guy myself. During the third song, the band played a long instrumental section that showcased their raw talent. It was then mentioned that that was an error on the band, but we as fans didn’t even notice. You could look around the ballpark, and from the stage lights hitting the crowd’s faces, you could only see smiles and people mouthing, “OMG, I love this song!” Vocally and instrumentally, the set sounded great. Even with a few more errors during the set, it was a fun and entertaining one. The band seemingly played their bigger hits near the end of the set (Want, Accident Prone, Boxcar), which got the loudest cheers.
AFI. It has been a hot minute since I last saw them, but when I did, I was instantly a fan. Songs like “Miss Murder,” “Love Like Winter,” “The Leaving Song Pt. II,” and “Silver and Cold” hit you in different ways, from emotional ballads to angsty anthems. Listening to their music will get you moving. Whether that means dancing, crowd surfing, singing, headbanging, or all of the mentioned together, they will have you moving your body like it’s 1987. Lead singer Davey Havok moved around the stage jumping, running, and spinning around like he owned it. His bandmates followed suit and made the set very interesting to watch. Four Chord 11 gallons bounced around the crowd, along with some beach balls. Havok would throw the mic out near the crowd, essentially saying, “Let me hear you sing it!” The crowd seemed to really love every moment of the set. Which is exactly why I believe having them close out the festival was the right choice. Fans left happy and entertained. The 17-song setlist included songs like Miss Murder, Totalimmortal, Beautiful Thieves, Girl’s Not Grey, and a live debut of Behind The Clock.
FC11 was one for the history books. While Day 2 was about half as busy fan-wise, it was still successful. Two perfect weather days, no dust storms, tornadoes or rain. Blink played the day before. Bands seemed to love the atmosphere. The location was enjoyed, and vendors seemed very busy. Even with Warped Tour making a comeback, many people chose this fest over that. In my opinion, that is a huge win for Four Chord. All of the staff were very accommodating, and nothing seemed to go wrong. All in all, it was a fun weekend of covering my favorite music festival again, for PMM.
Catch FC12 next year if you can. You will not want to miss it.