The inaugural Best Friends Forever Fest kicked off October 11 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center as a three-day celebration of midwest emo, ’90s indie rock and the connections we’ve made along the way.
In many cases, this was the first time in decades festival goers were seeing this lineup, which included veteran bands like Cap ’N Jazz, The Dismemberment Plan, Built to Spill and Unwound. The Blood Brothers, for instance, were reuniting to celebrate their 20-year-old album, Crimes. Others, like noise-rock vets The Jesus Lizard, were performing in support of their first LP in 26 years. And the festival did a bang up job of creating space for those moments, ultimately scheduling legacy acts on the main Best Friends Forever stage, while their newer, more hardcore contemporaries played the Third Street Stage.
October’s unusual heat wave didn’t bode well for many festival goers, who sought refuge under the DLVEC’s large tent setup, where misters and fans awaited them. On Day 2, the Weekly was originally told complimentary water would be no longer available after 4 p.m. However, festival organizers clarified that water, in fact, had just run out and was restocked by no later than 5 p.m. Outside of that miscommunication, the weekend ran smoothly, feeling aptly like a chill reunion with all of our favorite bands. Here are some of the highlights.
Friday, October 11
We’ve been looking forward to catching Vs Self at BFF Fest since our interview with guitarist and vocalist Kyle Schlenker last week. They harped on the significance of being on the same bill with some of their most influential bands and we just knew they were going to show out—and show out they did. Standing among the new generation of emo kids at the Third Street Stage reminded us what it looked and felt like to await your current favorite band to take the stage. They stood giddy, but not for long, as the band ripped into mosh-heavy jams like “Leave Everything,” “Yesterday By Beatles Or: Imagine By Yoko Ono As Sung By John Lennon” and “Mourn.” The pit swelled and shrank, bodies dropped below and surfed above the crowd in communal frenzy. This was one of the most fun sets of the day and was worth leaving with sticky skin. –Gabriela Rodriguez
By the time Foxing hit the stage at 5:30 p.m., fans were drenched in sweat from the harsh heat, but vocalist Conor Murphy demanded even more. “Get all sweaty so the American Football guys can smell you,” he said. “If they don’t smell you, you’ve failed. You’ve gotta stink good.” The band then barreled through ear-rattling cuts from their self-titled LP, with Murphy’s gently delivered intro on songs like “Secret History” belying immensely cathartic screams. By the end of the set, one man grabbed his friend, saying, “That’s good music right there. This s**t makes me so glad I’m alive.” Indeed, brother, indeed. –Amber Sampson
American Football, the band that once tore open our teenage guts and spilled them on our bedroom floors, just gave us the gift of reliving it all—live. For the 25th anniversary of their debut album they played the whole thing. And those who thought they’d outgrown the private turmoil of teenage sadness, were immediately proven wrong. As frontman Mike Kinsella and the band settled into the intricate, mathy guitar lines, there was a stillness in the crowd. “Honestly, I can’t remember (teen dreams)/ All my teenage feelings, and their meanings” a line from the “Honestly?” hung in the air as shimmering guitar motifs, introspective strums and drumming unfolded. While the set went on, we found ourselves zoning out, consumed by old memories and thoughts. But before going too far into the abyss, some nearby comedic relief brought us back. “This is an AirBnb ad,” quipped a fest-goer, referencing the photos of the Urbana, Illinois home that were displayed on stage. The house, famously pictured on the emo-acclaimed album cover, has since become a musical landmark that was later purchased by the band in 2023. “I don’t know if this is a funeral, or a high school reunion, or a funeral for a high school reunion,” said Kinsella before the opening riff of one of the greatest emo songs of all time, “Never Meant”—a song about coming to terms with a failing relationship. After an hour, the set wrapped and we had to walk away, take a deep breath and shake off the heavy feelings before the next act. –GR
Fiddlehead’s Patrick Flynn wasted little time winning the crowd over, joking that he was “incredibly honored to have this new, young band American Football play for us.” The lead vocalist went on to express his gratitude for American Football and other definitive ’90s bands like Karate, who had a profound impact on him. Fiddlehead then proceeded to pummel us with its crunchy, vibrantly toned guitar playing and mountain-moving energy. “Grief Motif” exploded in power, both onstage and off, as the track threw the GA and VIP pits into a sweat-soaked frenzy. Security had their hands full as people crowd surfed and one fan attempted to rush the stage. Flynn for his part, dangled the mic out to each riled up group, belting the lyrics back to them and stomping his feet so aggressively you’d think they were on fire. —AS
Saturday, October 12
La Dispute, the five-piece band from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been an influential presence in the experimental hardcore community over the last decade and is cultivating a new era of fans as time goes on. And it’s with good reason. The band’s discography faces the truths of the real world and thrusts the listener into a sometimes uncomfortable and dim place. Vocalist Jorgan Dryer still stands as one of emo’s best spoken word storytellers. Seeing him throw his body around the stage on a hot October afternoon while shouting the poetically dark lyrics from tracks like “King Park” and “First Reactions After Falling Through the Ice” was cathartic. And while this may not seem like a vibe at a Vegas centered music festival, the set fit perfectly. Dryer took a moment to speak to the crowd and deliver this sentiment—“It becomes increasingly important that people with big hearts and compassionate minds look out for the people around them and push back against oppressors in favor of the oppressed.” The group closed with one of their shortest but beloved tracks, “Such Small Hands,” which invited the crowd to shout along. –GR
Following an incredibly tight set from Built to Spill, Sweet Pill devoured the spotlight on Day 2. The charismatic Zayna Youssef flexed her stagecraft on “High Hopes” and “Red String,” twirling in circles and wagging her mop of gorgeous curls into her eyes as her guitarists danced their fingers over the frets. The Pool Kids singer Christine Goodwyne also joined the band for a song, surprising fans who weren’t expecting Goodwyne and her crew until the following day. Eyes remained glued on Youssef though, who exhibited a vocal power that recalls that of Paramore’s Hayley Williams. This band, while still developing, is bound to go far. –AS
Sunday, October 13
If you weren’t dancing in the pit to Drug Church on Day 3, were you even there? Patrick Kindlon took no crap when it came to moshing at his rowdy set. “Come on up!” he called out to a crowd surfer. “Hop on over!” he said to another. “F**king move!” At one point, the lead singer stopped to analyze why the VIP section’s energy had begun to wane. “Your parents passed on, left you the house in Rhode Island and now you don’t think you gotta put work into the pit?” That reinvigorated the older lot, who joined the GA in going ballistic for “Million Miles of Fun,” a highlight of the set that reinforced just how damn good hardcore can be. –AS
Mics were dropped, beer cans were thrown and crowds were surfed by The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow. It was a show of epic proportions, bolstered by the vocalist’s wild, and at times precarious, stage presence. Yow opened the set on the main stage by revealing he and his sister had been born in Las Vegas. After a warmly sung happy birthday to Yow’s sister, the debauchery began. The lead singer unbuttoned his shirt and catapulted himself into the crowd, singing directly to them, or more aptly slurring to them in a way that was giving drunk uncle at Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the rest of the Jesus Lizard kept their composure, tightly blasting through newer songs from the band’s Rack LP. Before fans knew it, the 64-year-old Yow was being crowd-surfed through the air, giving us a finale we’ll never forget. –AS
