Photos by Chris Besaw
Review by Kelly Besaw
After a muti-year hiatus, the KRockathon is back!
For the first time since, 2018 or 2015, depending on who you ask, the legendary KRockathon festival made its return on Saturday July, 27, at the New York State Fairgrounds, Chevy Court Stage. The KRockathon featured an incredible lineup of bands who have all played the festival in the past. Bands included Brand New Sin, Boy Hits Car, Stabbing Westward, Nonpoint, Hoobastank and Puddle of Mudd.
Local legends, Brand New Sin, kicked off the festival. They had a strong following and were in top form as they got the crowd moving and ready for a full day of rock music. Fans are hoping to see some new music from Brand New Sin soon or at least more live performances in the area.
Up next was Boy Hits Car. It didn’t take long for the crowd surfing to start and it was nice to see many younger fans carrying out that tradition. ave Hits Car announced during their set that they would be playing one final show the following evening at the Jugg on Teall in Syracuse before taking what they expected to be a lengthy hiatus to spend time with family and work on other projects.
Stabbing Westward played a hard and heavy set that got the crowd pumped. Mosh pits and crowd surfing erupted everywhere. I often forget how many hits this band has. They are the soundtrack kings. They played a nice variety of their industrial powerhouse hits including “Shame,” “Sometimes it Hurts” and “Save Yourself.” They still sound incredible and I would have been happy to hear more.
I have seen the next band so many times and Nonpoint always puts on one hell of a show! This time was no exception. The crowd loved them and they seem to love playing the Central New York area. They even treated fans to their rarely played anymore Phil Collins cover of “In the Air Tonight.” If you have not seen Nonpoint live, you are missing out. Their live performance brings their music to a whole new level.
Rock veterans, Hoobastank, were up next. Based on the crowd reaction, they were a band people had been waiting to see. This is another band on the lineup that has many well-known hits that made it easy for the fans to really get into it. Hoobastank also always puts on a great show. They made their fans happy, playing their biggest hits “The Reason” and “Crawling in the Dark.”
Last but not least, was Puddle of Mudd. The band took the stage first and Scanlon crept out slowly decked out in camo and wearing an old man mask. About one minute into the first song, Scanlon ripped the mask off to the delight of the fans and continued the set. Puddle of Mudd has an interesting history and Scanlon is known for being a bit unpredictable. He seemed to be on point and the crowd seemed to be happy with his performance. They loved “Schizo Psycho,” “Control” and of course “She Hates Me.”
The Sweet Grass KRockathon presented by Monster Energy and Mess’s Fireworks was a success and we can only hope that the tradition will continue and that it will grow into what it once was.
