This Weekend - BFD

This weekend we joined some friends for an all day music festival. Oh sure, festival sounds like a day of jazz, and relaxing. OH no, this was Live 105's annual BFD concert. Most of you probably haven't listened to Live 105 for many years, but it's still out there and still playing some progressive stuff. I must say though, that I was feeling they were moving to a softer direction, but the concert was plenty hard.


I hardly listen to Live 105 myself because I'm more for the adult alternative now a days, but I like the occasional angry teenager music too. I knew we would be surrounded by teenagers at this concert, and I'd likely be annoyed a few times, and I was, but I tried to gain perspective and I soon chilled out and just enjoyed the day.

There were 3 stages all with a different feel (Local, Festival and the Main stage). We were very surprised by how good the local bands were, we are definitely going to be following some of the bands' progress (Two Seconds , Push to Talk ). The Festival stage was home to the mosh pit, the way too crowded crowd, the feeling I touched too many body parts, the being knocked over by some ginormus boobies, and some really cool bands. One band had a pretty obvious U2 influence (Every Move a Picture), and another was very Led Zeppelin, classically good rockin music (Wolfmother). There was one band that we couldn't help but make fun of the singer's deep voice with oddly "flamboyant" finger pointing (She Wants Revenge). Sadly I got sick of the crowd right before the one band I wanted to see came on (Yellowcard), so I listened to them from a distance and pretty much just heard the drums and the bass. Then on to the Main stage where we saw some old (Echo and The Bunnymen), some newer (Franz Ferdinand, and The Strokes) and some so new (or young) that I didn't know who they were or care so we left early (AFI). A large chunk of the crowd left after The Strokes, so I didn't feel TOO old leaving early.

We got down to San Jose around 11am, and parked in a VAST expanse of parking lots. That experience took about 30 minutes alone, but we had an awesome spot and easily walked just across the street to the venue. And I must give a shoutout to the Shoreline event staff... I've never seen such an organized group of people that were helpful and happy the whole day. Just as easy as we got in, we got out around 10:30pm with all limbs still attached and only a slight headache from the sun (oh and later discovered much darker shoulders then I went in with). We then spent the night at our friends place in San Jose so we didn't have to stay awake any longer then needed (because we're old).

Even though I passed out as soon as I showered, the boys went off to a local bar for a drink or two. They of course failed to take a key with them, and the girls were quite passed out when the boys made their way back to the house. Luckily the cat woke me up when the boys resorted to throwing pebbles at the windows (apparently the phone, doorbell, yelling and crazy knocking was not working to wake us up). I swore I heard them speaking Spanish so I still didn't open the door until I our friend started calling out his wife's name.

Sunday was a LOVELY lazy Sunday where we all slept in, then walked to a local restaurant where we had the most wonderful breakfast with our friends (Garden Scrabble with eggs, young fresh veggies and goat cheese with herbed potatoes), it was so good. I'd tell you the name, but I can't remember. But it is an old garage that was converted into a restaurant, and shares a garden patio with a neighboring bagel house, and hot dog place. So wonderful. We then walked around the neighborhood and went to open houses which none of us could afford.

We were back home by 3:30pm, and continued our lazy afternoon with a costco trip, laundry, movies and pizza. Yet another wonderful weekend.