2010 KROQ Weenie Roast: The Temper Trap, The Deftones, Hole, Spoon & Paramore

The sun was strong, the beer was expensive and the weenies were, in fact, roasting on the grill at KROQ’s Weenie Roast 2010 at the Verizon Ampitheater in Irvine this past Saturday. If you weren’t there baking under the intense heat while rocking out to these awesome bands, or watching the live stream of the shindig from the comfort of your couch, here’s what you missed! The Temper Trap

It’s not easy being the opening band of a giant music fest like Weenie Roast, but if the boys from the Temper Trap minded, they sure didn’t let it affect their performance. The Aussie group delivered an energetic set from the Bud Light side stage, ending with their most well known song “Sweet Disposition” (which still hasn’t gotten old!). These guys definitely deserved a better slot when crowds aren’t slowly rolling in because they’re that good. Against Me!

Against Me! seriously lived up to the exlclamation point in their name! When the guys took to the Bud Light side stage at 3p.m., the fest was broiling and most passersby seemed more interested in the lemonade and beer stands, but that just meant die hard AM fans could rock out as close to the stage as possible. How these punk rock guys survived the heat in their all black duds, I do not know! But they barely took a moment to breath before slamming into their next song. Even better, the boys busted out an accordian during their set! The bizarre instrument is not just for Weird Al anymore, kiddies. The Deftones

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of The Deftones – I think their songs lack melody – but I was the odd one out at the Weenie Roast. The Deftones got the party started for the day, as their fans swamped the small Bud Light side stage, packing the area completely so you had to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Deftones fan beside you. There were a few brief sound problems in the beginning – lead singer Chino Moreno actually threw his replacement mic into the crowd when he decided he was done using it! (Ouch to whoever that landed on!) But The Deftones were loud and hard and in your face – everything you could possibly want from them. Spoon

Spoon is just so, so hip – I feel cooler through osmosis just watching them jam in front of me. Frontman Britt Daniel sounded like he was losing his voice only a few songs into their set, not able to hit a high notes in “Don’t You Evah.” But the Austin natives, pros they are, managed to make it to the end with high energy and a chill vibe filling the Verizon Ampitheater. Paramore

Can you ever watch Paramore perform without finding yourself smiling the whole time? This band always looks like their having tons of fun on stage, and its infectious. The opening notes of “Decode” got a scream from all the Twi-hards sprinkled throughout the audience, but their biggest hit with the crowd was, of course, their big hit “Misery Business.” Hayley Williams wore a yellow tank with “Security” written on it and completely commanded the stage during their set on the Ampitheater mainstage. The only time Hayley took a backseat was to get out of the way of Jeremy doing a flip over Josh’s back – while still playing guitar! Devo

Wow, when I become an old man (slightly impossible because I’m female, but you know what I mean), I want to be a rockstar like the guys in Devo! Wearing matching silver-white jumpsuits and sporting the same bouncy, childlike energy, the band’s spunky set was a slice of pure joy, a big change from many of the day’s previous acts whose acts were a little bit more solemn or angrier than these funky older dudes. Mark Mothersbaugh is 60-years old, people, and bounced around the stage like he was 20. I felt like I was watching a live action cartoon! Hole

Courtney Love is a lot more endearing on stage than she can be in real life, and the Hole frontwoman’s stage banter is really like no one else’s. She kicked things off by saying “f*** you!” to the crowd, and demanding that we all say it back to her. Before starting off what turned out to be a very slow, elegent Leonard Cohen cover (Court’s singing voice actually sounds pretty when she slows it down and doesn’t try to hit notes out of her range), Love told the crowd that if anyone boo-hoo’d her song choice, she would find them, and “sit on your face and douche, and I haven’t had a douche in a long time.” Stay classy, Courtney! The band delivered a powerful set of their hits and new tracks off Nobody’s Daughter, and ended the night by having Court lean into the pit to take requests. “Doll Parts? You’re so unimaginative,” Courtney complained, then started singing the Live Through This track anyway. Despite her moaning, it really looked like Love had a ball up there, and so did the crowd. At the end of the day, getting sunburned was totally worth the incredible and eclectic mix of acts I got to see at the KROQ Weenie Roast. The one thing missing? I was too busy checking out the bands, I never had time to go buy a delicious weenie! Guess there’s always next year!

All photos included in this post were taken by Buzznet photographer Mike McDougal, be sure to visit his profile for all the beautiful photos.

– Becky Bain –