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K-Rockathon Review

By Rich Christie <RichChristie@Onebox.com>

Date: July 22 2001
Event: 6th Annual K-rockathon
Venue: Vernon Downs in Vernon, NY
Bands: Staind, Papa Roach, Crazytown, Cold, Taproot, Econoline Crush, Non Point, Drowning Pool, Adema, Boy Hits Car, Crashpalace, and Pressure 4-5.

My girlfriend and I were totally excited about this event, so we planned ahead and purchased our tickets early for $25 each, which was extremely fair. The $3.00 for a bottle of juice was a little much, but it could have been worse.

The venue was very nice, and the outdoor setup gave that "woodstock / ozzfest" feeling; large stage with swarms and swarms of people. I am not sure of the exact number, but I believe one of the DJ's from the radio station that was MCing that day quoted 40,000-42,000 people. And it certainly seemed like it, especially toward the end of the night. There were many guys walking around shirtless, while there were tons of girls wearing nothing but bikini tops and shorts. And then of course there were the older biker looking people, the young teeny boppers, and of course the "white visor guys". The population was very diverse, but I would say the majority was between 18 and 24.

The weather was very hot, humid, and extremely sunny. Our sunburn was horrible, but totally worth it. All in all, this was one of the best times I have ever had and definitely one of my fondest memories.

Below I have included my reactions to the bands that performed at the 6th annual K-rockathon.


Pressure 4-5

Pressure 4-5 was the first band to play. Honestly, I had no idea who they were until I heard they were going to be at K-rockathon, so I went online and found some of their music. To me, live music always sounds better when you are somewhat familiar with the songs. They played quite well and could certainly hold their own on the stage. I would have to say that my favorite song by them was "Even Worse". They were definitely worth listening to. I give them *** out of *****.


Crashpalace

This was the second band to take the stage. I had no idea who these guys were either, but I definitely wanted to give them a chance. It turns out they were from Australia or something, and they were not horrible. I didn't 'connect' to their music though, and could not really get into it. They seemed to be good musicians, but nothing I was incredibly interested in. I give them ** out of *****.


Econoline Crush

This was the second time Kim and I got to see Econoline Crush, because they also opened up for Three Doors Down when we went to see them. After the 3DD concert, we were so impressed with Econoline Crush that we got their CD which is an very good CD. Anyway, they were one of the bands we were really looking forward to and they did not let us down. They are loud and energetic, melodic and hard rocking. They were definitely one of the best bands at the K-rockthon in my opinion. If you have never heard Econoline Crush, do yourself a favor. These guys are great. They have great songs, a great CD, and a great stage presence. Excellent. ***** out of *****.


Adema

Adema was the last band that was added to the roster. I was vaguely familiar with their song "Giving In", and while Kim and I were walking in the parking lot toward the line there was a guy who was passing out free promo CD's of Adema's upcoming CD, which also contained the song giving in. When they got up on stage, they got my attention pretty easily and they definitely have a lot of potential. Their lead singer was extremely charismatic and energetic, and the band backed him up with great music. Definitely one of my favorite bands at the K-rockathon. A while later, we got in line to get their autograph and got the singer, guitarist, and bassist to sign on the promo CD cover that we were given earlier that day. They were friendly and seemed to be great with the fans. I give them **** out of *****.


Boy Hits Car

Kind of a strange band, but definitely good at what they do. We were in line for the autographs at the time (see above), but we could still hear them. I do not have that strong of an opinion on them. No rating. hehe.


Drowning Pool

These guys are a great live band, especially if you are into heavy music. They are heavier than I assumed, and they did a great job performing. I was only familiar with a couple of their songs, especially "Bodies". By the time they needed their set with "Bodies", they had the crowd really going. We were not right up front at this point, but we could hear and see what was going on. Very energetic and a cool band to see live. **** out of ****.


Non Point

I was pretty familiar with these guys. I had heard a few of their songs, seen their video for "What a day", visited their website, etc. So when they come on, I knew it was going to rock. And it did. They were cool to watch and listen to, and "What a day" was one of my favorite songs of the day. Great band, recorded and live. **** out of *****.


Taproot

Taproot was OK; it was cool to see them live and all, but I am probably not going to run out and buy their CD. They were heavier than I expected them to be, but they can certainly hold their own on stage too. I sat down for most of their set, but they were decent enough to listen to. I give them a ** out of *****.


Cold

Blah. This was probably my least favorite band that day, actually. I had heard pretty good things about them and their singles are good, but that's all I had really heard of before this day. Maybe I just was not 'connecting' to them, but almost all of their songs just sounded the same..it was like one long run-on stream of noise, with the exception of one or two songs. It might have been a bad day for them or something, who knows, but based I give them a * out of *****.


Crazytown

When I found out Crazytown was going to play at K-rockathon, I was like "uhg, thats the one band I am not looking forward to seeing. They suck". Well, I was actually surprised by how they did not suck live. In fact, I'd say they were pretty decent. I'd rather see them live anyday than listen to their recorded music because they had a lot more rock in them than I thought they did. Who would have thought? I give them a *** out of *****.


Papa Roach

Wow, shit do these guys know how to rock! They are a really, really good live band. I had always liked their singles and videos and thought they were "pretty good", but after seeing them perform at the K-rockathon I'd say I have a whole new respect for this band. They are not just another "rap metal" band, these guys are really talented and their music deserves every bit of praise it gets. They truly play from their heart and give the audience a great show, and I'd definitely see them live again. They even played a new song that will appear on their next CD for us, which was very good. They won me over! ***** out of *****.


Staind

Of course, it is no surprise that Staind was one of the best live bands I have ever seen. They opened their set with "Mudshovel", one of my favorite Staind songs! They went through their set including "Outside" and "It's Been A While" and many others. One of the most impressive things about seeing Staind live is that they can go from warm to cold so fast; in one song they will be singing softly and strumming an acoustic guitar, the next they will be rocking the stage with distorted screams and sonic frenzy. They were also a little more mellow on stage than Papa Roach, which was good. This band is a band that, if given the chance, you MUST see live. ***** out of *****.


If you get a chance to go to the annual K-rockathon, DO IT! And be sure to let me know what you think!

 

RichChrisitie@Onebox.com