KROQ’s 20th Annual Weenie Roast: A Festival For The Rest Of Us

This Saturday KROQ held their 20th annual Weenie Roast Y Fiesta at the Verizon Center Amphitheater in Irvine, CA. The concert has become a staple of springtime here in Southern California; I had no idea people were that passionate about weenies on the west coast. Coming off of fancy Coachella, this day just about eating hot dogs, live music and having a good time. No fashion galleries for this festival.

The lineup was packed and featured three stages with continuous live music thought the day. I caught Grouplove and Of Monsters And Men before heading to enjoy the weenie portion of my day (see below), and then onto the main stage for the larger acts.

Angels & Airwaves put on a great set, although it was bizarre to see Tom Delonge without his Blink-182 counterparts. Delonge took a moment (like most of the bands that day) to mention the loss of Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch akaMCA and how much they influenced their music. Pennywise paid their respect by dedicating their iconic song “Bro Hymn” to MCA as a tribute.

As the sun went down Silversun Picksups came on stage and I was absolutely impressed with their set. Brian Aubert reminded me of Tom Yorke a little bit when he performed, and his unique voice sounded amazing live. The Offspring took the stage next — and things got out of control, fast. I am not sure if it was that all the adult beverages everyone had been indulging on kicked in or if it was the fast punk rock music — but the entire place went crazy during their set. It was a blast to watch. Next Soundgarden (WHAT?!) made a surprise appearance followed by Incubus. Not a huge Incubus fan to be honest, but Brandon Boyd did take his shirt off. Hey now!

Finally Coldplay came out and an electricity came over the air. When Chris Martin came out and said “Hello out there!” the crowd went nuts, then they went right into “Mylo Xyloto”. Coldplay had the most elaborate staging by far, and the best part we confetti that burst out of cannons during “Hurts Like Heaven”. The confetti was basic tissue paper but in different colors and some pieces were shaped by butterflies! Looked incredible in the night sky lined with their lasers. They performed a 15-song set with a Coldplay-esq version of “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”. It was beautiful. May have gotten choked up…. Maybe.

All in all it was a fun day but Coldplay was by far the best part. That Chris Martin sure loves his job. #muiscrules

Let’s talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you ever been to the KROQ Weenie Roast? Would you ever check it out?