Four Chord Music Festival is something all Pittsburgh emo and pop punk fans look forward to every year. This year is the 9th time the festival was held and this year’s dates were August 12th and 13th at Wild Things Park. While I only got to experience and photograph the first day of the festival, I can confidently say that the second day was nothing less than incredible because of how amazing the first day was. However, due to rain and tornado warnings, a few artists’ sets got cut short and myself and others left since it seemed like the rest of the first night would be canceled. The rest of the night in fact went on, but Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness’ set was cut and Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard had shortened sets.
Kicking off the festival was Old Neon, who is based in Pittsburgh. They were the perfect way to start the day with high energy and being one of the most entertaining bands I’ve seen. Everything about their set was incredible, the music and stage presence quickly got the crowd excited for what else was to come. They really got the audience into it when they called the festival Warped Tour, which instantly set the mood for the entire day.
Keep Flying was one of the most unique due to them being the only band to have a saxophone and trombone. Their set was full of incredible music that definitely stood out from the rest. The members constantly moved around the stage and built up anticipation from the crowd. Henry Menzel (vocals/guitar) even threw some of his bracelets into the crowd for fans to keep.
Patent Pending started off with a bang that never let up and the crowd was absolutely loving it. During the first song Joe Ragosta (vocals) jumped off stage and crowd surfed, all while keeping attention to his music. After that, I instantly realized why the festival makes sure to have the band there every year. The remainder of their set was flooding with pure joy as they did what they love most. From running across stage to playing incredible riffs, the band won over everyone’s hearts.
Houston Calls was one of the more wholesome bands of the day who never seemed to stop smiling. While this was only their third show together since their reunion, they still clearly knew what they were doing and easily kept the crowd entertained. Their set was fun and lively, making them another band that stands out.
Mest’s set is when everything really started to come to life. At this point, there were more people on the festival grounds and more people were getting in their set spots for the remainder of the day. The band consistently ran across the stage and jumped around, keeping everything interesting for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Out of all the bands, they were definitely one of the ones that gave off the biggest Warped Tour vibes. In the middle of the set, they brought two kids out and sang “Wheels On The Bus” for them.
Eternal Boy is another Pittsburgh based band, including Rishi Bahl who has a lot to do with the festival. They had an upbeat set including a cover of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. From that moment on, everyone seemed to be even more into the band, giving them the love that they truly deserved.
Magnolia Park was arguably one of the best performances of the day. They never had a single dull moment and had a perfect understanding of how to put on a show. While their music was different from the rest with rap influences, they were one of the bands that got the biggest reaction. They played Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” as well as several other incredible tracks. It’s very easy to say that they became one of my new favorite bands after seeing them.
The Home Team was another band that instantly became a favorite after their set. Their performance was full of energy and incredible music. One thing that really stood out was John Baran’s dangerous guitar strap, which is something I found extremely unique and don’t think anyone can top that. It was easy to tell the band had pure enjoyment from the music they were sharing with the crowd due to the smiles that were constantly plastered across their faces.
Origami Angel’s set was fun and for being the only duo of the festival, they put on an incredible show. However, after only 5 songs they had to get off stage because of nearby lightning.
The Maine’s set received a lot of excitement from the crowd and we’re obviously in a lot of peoples top bands of the day. Their live show was absolutely perfect and was full of appreciation for those who came out to see them. One of the biggest highlights for their time on stage was when they brought out Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday. This was an incredible moment and everyone that left due to the severe weather later on were very thankful that they technically still got to see Taking Back Sunday. Their set was cut short by a song or two, but the time they had was phenomenal.
Despite starting late due to lightning, Waterparks put in their all to give the fans exactly what they wanted. Before they went on stage and it was still on light night watch, the fans chanted the band’s name and screamed several of their songs. When everything was clear and they finally came out, they got one of the biggest reactions of the day. They had some of the most energy out of everyone and did everything they could to make it worthwhile in the very short amount of time they knew they had. Awsten Knight (vocals/guitar) did the perfect job of satisfying the fans by interacting with as many people as he could, as well as Geoff Wigington (guitar). Unfortunately only five songs with only one or two more to go, they had to stop early due to more lighting.
Very shortly after Waterparks’ set, heavy rain came in and everyone was forced to get off of the field and into the best shelter they could find. During this, many either left, waited it out a while, and many – at least in the spot I was at – screamed lyrics from two of the bands that they anticipated the most, Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard. Unfortunately, this only lasted for so long before more people left, myself included. Thankfully for all that were absolute troopers and stayed, the festival did continue. They had to cut Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and the other two bands had shortened sets.
Despite the tragedy of severe weather, Four Chord Music Festival was an incredible experience for everyone. I am very thankful to have gotten the opportunity to photograph the festival and to meet so many amazing people. With incredible music, extremely talented people, and activities all over the festival grounds, it was a day that everyone will remember forever.
Live from the Pitt 