Live 105 BFD

After spending an hour and a half waiting to park, it was hard to get excited. After 19 years, the parking system should be streamlined. It was anything but! The event itself was okay. It was very crowded, long lines everywhere and the concessions were ridiculously overpriced. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't missed some of the bands while waiting to park. Go early or take a taxi.

Linkin Park and Snoop Dogg were the best concerts I've seen in some time. Linkin Park was by far the best. They really know how to put on a show and the set list rocked!

This was my second BFD in the past 3 years and it was the best. An amazing line up of bands, friendly people and a rocking good time! Where else can you find such a great mix of bands? As expected I was thrilled to discover new music, great new bands. Linkin Park made it all worth it. Rockout, Dance and Boogie it is what I call being Alive! Can not wait for next years event. Good Luck trying to top this years lineup.

This was my first BFD and I'm definitely coming back. All the acts were awesome(some were a little shaky) but it was sick. The budlight festival stage was was awesome, I didn't really go to the techno tent because I'm not really into that, and the mainstage was really cool. My favorite acts were probably Manchester orchestra, The strokes, and Biffy Clyro. One negative though, there were too many people smoking weed and the whole place smelled bad.

I loved every second. Rain was forecast and it looked like it would burst any second but it as if our collective energy held it off. The local bands rocked but had to compete with time and attention with the dance tent and festival stage. The dance tent unfortunately was set up next to the festival stage and was good but allowed to keep cranking the volume and was still active while the main stage acts were playing which was WAY UNCOOL. I didn't recognize the names of some of the festival stage bands before but I KNOW THEM KNOW and expect to continue hearing about all of them in the future. I managed to not get whiplash from this concert but only from a lot of restraint on my part. This is a must see tour.

I think you should have Linkin Park as your headliner every year. They kicked ass as usual and all of the other bands you had were great too. I wasn't too impressed with Snoop this time though.

Line-up was great. Staff was helpful. Due to the nature of the lawn, our blanket was kicked up and our spots stolen and we were shoved around even though we were there fighting to keep our spot.

The stages were too close together. It sounded awful-mixing techno music and live bands. No where to sit. Drinks were expensive. No variety in food choices. Main stage area did not open till 5pm.

One of the best concerts. Snoop and linking park rocked the stage. It was also nice to see the other bands @ the local stage

Amazing experience... Well organized event...I enjoyed watching at least 3 Bands that I adore...

The whole atmosphere was great- incredible bands + awesome venue! From Airborne Toxic Event to Linkin Park, the lineup was fabulous- even the local bands were good! The subsonic tent is a must as well. With strobe lights and intense techno, the rave was a blast. The tickets were a deal- only like $40 to see over 10 bands and have an all-day party. This is my favorite summer concert...Definitely will go again next year!!

Man, i started the event at the Festival Stage i enjoyed Manchester Orchestra and then moved to the subsonic tent which was amazing, mostly kids jumping around, but it was a lot of fun. Then I returned to the Festival Stage to see Neon Trees and let me tell you they were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, what a performance and great Stage Presence. I listened to Bad Religion and then i Went back to the Subsonic tent for some more jumping. Main Stage was packed and awesome vibe, Snoop dog and Linking Park rocked the Show.

5th Linkin Park show - 23 years going to Shoreline - what the hell was up with no sound???? Linkin Park is an experience...but not without speakers! - hope this problem is fixed for my Summer line up @Shoreline!

I watched the Strokes, Snoop, and LP. Enjoyed them all. Seemed like the speakers were blown out or muffled for Linkin Park though.

Had a great time seeing so many different bands, both at the Budweiser Stage and the Main Stage. Had serious sound problems with Air Toxic Event early during their set, but finally got them working. REALLY DISAPPOINTED with the sound quality with Linkin Park! Don't know what happened between Snoop Dog and them, but the sound was TERRIBLE!

I love Shoreline but what ruins it everytime is the parking situation. It's like Dante's Inferno meets Kafka's The Trial. As you're navigating the circles of hell you know you're being punished but noone will tell you why or what for. Still one of the best BFD lineups in recent memory.

Show was great, only complaint I have was the sound system on the main stage. You couldn't understand any of the vocals.

If you like waiting in huge lines for food & water, this is your place! The shows were really great. Standing on blacktop in the blaring sun is not really great. They need more water fountains at the Shoreline. I heard this show was the highest selling show at the Shoreline ever. That's great for revenue, not so great for the experience.

First off, mobile passes didn't work, so had to get them printed at the front office. Luckily they let us skirt right through, but that's still disappointing. Next, there were a TON of high schoolers doing what high schoolers do. Lots of drama, and more shirtless people than I anticipated. However, I thought the bands were great and once we got into the ampitheatre it was awesome.

The lineup was great, I just wish it was run smoothly. The parking was a disaster. It took over an hour to get parked. Thousands of people coming, and they can't figure out how to get everyone parked reasonably. Merchandising was empty for all the bands. I won't be going next year. That makes me sad, I used to love BFD.

As ever, an eclectic line-up of up & coming and original acts across the 'rock' spectrum. Best show of the year to get a feel for new music and the NEXT BIG THING...no one has the clout to pull a show like this off EXCEPT Live 105...well done...! Of special note, AWOLNATION should've closed the set...a little early for Passion Pit to 'headline'...30 Seconds was a little too needy (I'll jump if I want to, quit begging)...Monsters rocked and Silversun is better every time I see them... And, a very Honorable mention to Oakland's 'Wallpaper'...best hip-hop I've seen in a long while. Looking forward to more of them... Diplo.....? Dancin' fools all over the place... All in all, a great show....

AMAZINGGG concert!! a great mix of music, even a totally sick unforgettable sub-sonic tent!

I wasn't disappointed. Jane's Addiction rocks and it I enjoyed the band from New Zealand -- Naked and the Famous? Weather was perfect and some great performances on the Festival stage. I've been attending BFD since the beginning. (I'm old, but not too old to enjoy a solid day of good, live music. I can get a summer's worth of tan and concerts in one day. What a deal! I wish there was some place to sit (besides the cement ground) at the Festival stage. I also like that the main stage doesn't open until later. It used to be all the bands I wanted to see were playing simultaneously. This time I had time to check out all the bands I wanted to hear.

It rocked!!! There were lots of great bands!.........

BAD ASS! LOVE DAY DRINKING! iT WAS A WONDERFUL DAY!

Great lineup for all stages! We had an amazing time! The weather turned out great which made it even better event!

The side stages were great, a nice mix of diffrent bands. The Main Stage was a bit of a dissapointment. Naked and Famous, good. Cake, very tight musically, but not a lot of energy. Garbage was great, but their sound quality was not so good. Why in this day and age of technology do we still have problems with bands being so bass heavy live? Silversun Pickups were great, very tight musically, sounded good and lots of energy. Jane's addiction, ironically I was supposed to see them at Night So Silent Night and they bailed and I got to see Green Day instead. I'm wondering if JA would have been better at OCC because they were not good at Shoreline. Not tight musically, sonded distorted, there was some confusion on stage between Perry and the rest of the band as to what was going on, the "theatrical" part of the show was contrived. First time I have ever left in the middle of a headliners act.

BDF 2012 kicked it up a notch! Good and diverse bands all put on powerful sets and the crowd responded! Great energy at the Festival Stages and I liked how they 'angled' the stages inward this year, it seemed to make a big difference in the sound quality. The staging of the bands worked like clockwork, no waiting between acts, nice pace. Main stage groups were all very good. I was a bit disappointed in the set choice for Cake, they left out a number of their hits, to do a 'sing-along', of well. Garbage was great, as was SilverSun! Janes A. was cherry on top, lots of energy and a fine performance.

I drove up to mountain view from Los Angeles for live 105's BFD. It was 100% worth the drive (and the speeding ticket I got). The venue was spacious & the view from anywhere around the amphitheater was good. The only reason I don't give this review a 5 is because of the price gouging on beverages. $13 for a corona beer? $10 for a shot of jack daniels or tequila? Pretty ridiculous. But overall it was a great experience. Will definitely return next year, but his time I'll make better tailgating plans.

I had an awesome time! I traveled in from Phoenix to attend the show with a friend and it was well worth it! The venue was fun, weather was beautiful, people were friendly and the lineup was so good!

This show was so much fun! Had such a blast! Definatley will go again!

Live 105's BFD is always one of the best days of music in the Bay Area and a total bargain This year was a memorable renewal with many up and coming bands on the secondary stages and Janes Addiction, Silversun Pickups, Garbage and Cake on the main stage. FUN. played on a secondary stage. The dance tent was hopping in the night. This is a full days party that should not be missed

great day full of music and fans. highlights were garbage, silver sun pickups, and of monsters and men. fantastic performances.

Awesome!!! Fun., the Naked and the Famous, Angels and Airwaves, all headliners... Totally fun time!

Overall a good concert. Only thing i can complain about is the overpriced shirts & food and they need more booths. All in all it was pretty awesome.

I am not sure if I am in the minority or not but I was a bit disappointed by BFD 2011. The lineup was GREAT, but the execution left something to be desired. I don t understand why the stages were set up the way they were. The Budlight Festival Stage had some great bands in its lineup, but it was forced to compete with the Subsonic Tent. The Subsonic Tent was too close and too LOUD! The Budlight Festival Stage bands were forced to play so loud that it took away from their music. It s a bit much when you can feel the music thumping through your chest. The bands playing on the left side of the Budlight Stage had it the worse! I was dying to see Manchester Orchestra and they seemed hurried and I don t think their music is intended to be played so fast and loud. Check out their live music on I-Tunes; it s great live! Their studio music is also great! The Airborne Toxic Event was the best band at BFD for me! They adjusted the levels for their music before starting their set so their music was crisp and the band is simply awesome! Their stage presence and talent was in abundance; only wished they could have played longer! The Main Stage should have had more bands playing there. The sound was so much better there! Cage the Elephant was great! I wish I could have seen the bands on the Main Stage without having to stand, but the view from our seats were completely obstructed by stuff under a tarp.

Great show. Snoop Dogg was surprisingly entertaining. Linkin Park was awesome as usual!

BFD was so much fun! The subsonic tent was a blast, music from the local DJ's were great. There were a lot of good bands that played, but The Strokes, Snoop Dogg and Linkin Park were the best! I would have to say that Snoop and Linkin Park stole the show!

This was my first BFD and I loved it!!! I spent most of the day at the Bud Light stages. Not only great bands, but excellent place to people watch.

Great show. I recognized many more bands during the show when they were playing than when I was checking the lineup. Pretty amazing amount of talent at the show.

The BFD once again was a great event. I did see a lot of bands I wanted to see (again) for quite some time - Manchester Orchestra, Bad Religion, Linkin Park, ... Other ones were new to me, but great nonetheless. The concept with four stages worked really well, only the Subsonic Tent was way too close to the Festival Stage (and thus way too loud). Negative points: - The sound for Linkin Park was just awful - The people at the concession stands seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the fact that several customers showed up at the same time to order food (bad preparation?poor organization?) I spent almost one hour in line to get some food.

BFD was a great show. I got to see two of my favorite bands, The Strokes and Linkin Park and also some cool new bands. The only thing I wanted was more Strokes. They should have headlined the show and played a longer set. Otherwise the event was awesome!

BFD was not the most meticulously planned event. For one, the Subsonic Tent's loud electronica was right next to a rock 'n' roll stage. All of the stages drowned each other out. I understand that there is limited space, but the sound of three bands playing at once was horrible. During the beginning of Cage the Elephant, the sound quality was so poor on the lawn that I didn't even realize there was a band playing! Blaqk Audio's microphones were only working sporadically throughout their set. It's a shame the quality of the sound system wasn't better. You'd think Shoreline would have some of the best equipment, but I guess not. Having said that, the experience in itself was incredible. I got to watch two of my favorite bands and see a few of my biggest heroes. Although I had a great day, the festival itself was mediocre at best.

This event never disappoints, but we expected to be drowned rats. NOT ONE DROP? Way to get it wrong Weather Men! Thank you!

Great festival,so much music!Bad religion was amazing as well as Foster the People and Manchester Orchestra?The techno tent was to close to the festival stage and made it hard for the bands to play.

I went for Linkin Park and they were amazing!! But the thing that surprised me the most was Snoop Dog he was great got me all pumped up for Linkin Park!! one of the best times I've had in a long time!!

BFD is an allover really fun concert. There's so much to experience for all kind of music tastes and activity preferences. Once the subsonic tent gets nice and warm it gets crazy! It's an outdoor rave! And of course the bands hat perform on the main stage are always unforgettable!

This day was run very well. Get there when the first bands start to avoid too much parking hassle. At this time (11am) the entry lines were small too. There was always music playing and always something to do. Excellent bands this year, Phoenix was OUTSTANDING! Would only recomment more water stations for filling up water bottles. And would recommend getting seats instead of the grass so you have a comfortable place to sit while the main stage bands play.

Thoroughly enjoyed all festval stage performances. Was there from beginning to end.. Main stage acts really brought the energy!! Love this concert/festival..

Need to open all parking lot exits at end of show instead of funneling everyone out of the lot by the fire station.

This year was much better than last year. There were water stations near the stages, not just the water fountains by the restrooms. There are a good number of younger teens who come to this, but it wasn't as hot as last year and there was more water available so there weren't as many passing out as the year before. I was right in front for Wolfmother, who was amazing, and I caught Broods, Jake Bugg, and Joywave before sitting at the main stage. The main stage lineup was great and although I think the order should have been different all of the bands brought a lot of energy. I would recommend brining snacks if you don't want to pay, and definitely bring a sweater for later, it does get chilly.

These guys have it down. This was my first BFD and was amazed how well organized it was. Two stages for the "Festival" area meant only a 3-5 minute wait between bands. It was nonstop music for 12 hours. The only downside was standing on asphalt (parking lot) until 5 pm, but luckily the weather cooperated with a nice breeze and it wasn't too hot. The bands were good, the crowd was mellow -- overall a great day!

Great Lineup this year and was a very well organized event.

Positive: Great Line Up. VIP parking is the only way to go. Good number of vendors - lines not too long for food or drink. Negative: Some bands played past the allotted time. In a festival setup, I think it is very important to keep to a schedule as people need to move from one viewing spot to another. All in all had great time as usual.

They call that a rock show? What's being played on the "alternative" radio stations used to include Punk and Ska. Most of what I heard at BFD was too folk-music for my taste. The best shows were on the festival stage. I usually see one act that really enlivens me on the main stage. This time I was not so impressed. The festival was clean and well organized. It was an okay time, just didn't care that much for the bands on the main stage. The one thing that seemed to get people excited was when Panic at the Disco did Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody -- really? That is so not rocking. I didn't even like that song when it was new. I prefer a little more rock with my roll.

Concert sold out this year so it was super packed. Bands were great, lineup was awesome & I had a fantastic time!

live 105 put on an excellent BFD festival in 2015. excellent lineup. well coordinated. good flow throughout the day. the music was rocking. good design for the layout and amenities.. overall outstanding experience. focus on the bands and music. excellent day.

This event is for high schoolers. I was very disappointed. It felt more like a rave than anything. Only stayed for a couple hours.

Shoreline is always a fun venue. BFD put together an awesome lineup and we enjoyed every minute.

The bands gathered together were great as always. I think previous years' BFD's we're better but perhaps I'm just spoiled by what to expect.

The bass absolutely deafening. FTP killed it. Fitz was fun.

Really great energy at this event. Kongos and Ms Mr on the Budweiser stage were great. But New Politics stole the show. This three person band is so fresh, dynamic and fun and really got the crowd going as the opening act on the main stage. It was high energy and really electric. The other hit of the main stage for me and the audience was Fitz and the Tantrums - also great energy, showmanship and groove. MIA left me cold. Sound up front was so loud that it was almost painful at times though. Overall, great time.

My husband and I don't always know the names of bands of music that we like so don't know which bands we'd like in concert. Solution? BFD has for the past three years, delivered live performances that we always like. Some more than others, of course, but always top notch music that we like. This is our not-to-be-missed concert of the year.

we loved the bands at the festival stage but the sound from the rave tent as well as the space it took up was annoying. I think that should be a separate event. There was not enough room to stand let alone sit for all the good bands there were at the festival stage. We ended up sitting in what little shade there was and hearing three bands at once! We realized that the local band stage was just over the fence from us.

Went to the concert just looking for fun. Was really excited when I found out Kongos were going to play. They were the best part of the entire day. Only wish they were on stage longer. Such a great band!

Had a great time! Loved all the bands. Can't wait until next year.

Great show! Good security. I was worried about my teeage daughter going, but all was excellently organized.

Festival Stage guests were all fantastic!!! Subsonic's C2C and Diplo stole the show!! Main stage was a bit of a let down other than Silver sun pickups. 30 seconds to mars was ABSOLUTELY horrible...other than that...good show put on by live105.

Live 105 s BFD is the official kick off to summer that I look forward to it every year. Where else can you see 30+ bands in a single day for less than what some bands charge for their shows with one or two openers? With 30+ bands on the bill it s impossible to see them all. The following is my review of the bands I saw and a couple that I only heard. WARNING: This is a lengthy review. Passion Pit I m not a fan of Passion Pit. While I like the music of Passion Pit, I find the high pitch of Michael Angelakos voice grating. When he sings in a deeper tone I m not put off, but as soon as he hits the higher pitch I m ready for the song to be over. I was very disappointed that their set time was switched with 30 Seconds to Mars who were supposed to be the headliners of this show. But the bonus of the switch was that I could leave early and beat most of the traffic trying to get out of the parking lot. 30 Seconds to Mars I always think of My So Called Life when I think of Jared Leto. More specifically I think about how Claire Danes character Angela Chase saying I just like how he's always leaning. Against stuff. He leans great. about Jordan Catalano. Jared Leto has done so much more than My So Called Life that I m sure a part of him wishes the role of Jordan Catalano would be forgotten. The first time I saw 30 Seconds to Mars was in 2006 at the second Lollapalooza in Chicago s Grant Park. I d heard a song or two on the radio and was skeptical because to me he was an actor turned rock star. It turned out that he was actually a rock star turned actor. I was very impressed with their performance. Sunday night s performance was no different. I was sitting in the first row of Section 200. Jared Leto in a black trench coat, fedora and his hand over the bottom half of his face walked right past me to prepare to start the show at the soundboards. They started with The Kill which was a surprise to me because it is one of their most popular songs. I would have thought that one would have been saved for a little bit later in their set. I don t know many songs, but Jared Leto really knows how to get the crowd going. He got us all off our seats and told us what he expected us to sing along. I love to hear an entire audience sing along at shows. 30 Seconds to Mars are definitely a band to see live. Stone Temple Pilots featuring Chester Bennington This was the surprise band. I m a HUGE Linkin Park fan so when I heard Chester was going to be here I was hoping that I would get to hear at least one Linkin Park song. Sadly that was not the case. I saw STP in the mid 90s when Scott Weiland was still fronting the band before he was kicked out for his drug abuse. I was disappointed with the Scott Weiland performance because he literally sat on a couch on the stage and sang. He did not work the crowd or acknowledge the side stage crowd (which included me). Chester has been a great performer since the first time I saw Linkin Park in 2003. He brought all that enthusiasm to the stage with him as he fronted STP. While they sounded great, it was a bit weird for me to see Chester, but not hear a Linkin Park song. He did do his signature scream a couple of times during the show. I m grateful that Chester tweeted FYI, I will never leave LP. We are currently working on a new record and its awesome! It would be heartbreaking to find out my favorite band was breaking up. Silversun Pickups The lead singer, Brian Aubert, mentioned that Nikki Monninger, the bass player found out she was pregnant the day they performed at BFD last year. Nikki has since had twin girls and is not currently touring. In her place they had Sarah Negahdari who is from the Bay Area. I had thought the bass player was a bit more energetic this year compared to last. The original bass player seemed a bit more reserved. Maybe that was because she had just found out she was pregnant. While Silversun Pickups are not my favorite band, they consistently sound solid when they perform. Of Monsters and Men This was the first time I have \u2018seen Of Monsters and Men. I had previously \u2018heard them perform at Lollapalooza last year. They sounded just like they do on the radio. It was nice to see them perform this time. Jimmy Eat World I saw Jimmy Eat World at The Warfield in 2002 when they were supporting their Bleed American album. They toured last year for the 10-year anniversary of this album, which had hits like The Middle , A Praise Chorus and Sweetness . Because of where I was standing I wasn t able to see Jimmy Eat World perform but I did get to hear them. They sounded just like I remembered in 2002. Fitz and the Tantrums I love me some Fitz! This was the 4th time I ve seen them first at Lollapalooza in 2011, then Voodoo Experience also in 2011 and finally at The Regency Ballroom in 2012. All three times I was able to meet the band and get autographs. I didn t get an autograph this go around, but Fitz and the Tantrums performance did not disappoint. They are just a fun band. You cannot help but move when you hear a Fitz song. They know how to work the crowd, get everyone clapping along and of course \u2018get down . They are a must see band! Capital Cities This is a duo from Los Angeles, but they include three others when they perform live. The set by Capital Cities included a cover of Sinead O Conner s Nothing Compares 2 U and Staying Alive by Bee Gees. The Sinead O Conner cover was fantastic! Atlas Genius I missed the first part of Atlas Genius set because I was checking out the Local Band Stage. I did manage to catch a few songs including Trojans . They are a duo from Australia that consists of Keith Jeffery and Michael Jeffery. The Neighbourhood You would think that this band would be from the UK because they have a \u2018u in their name, but they are a band from California. I admit I didn t pay close attention to The Neighbourhood s performance but was able to hear them clearly. I liked what I was hearing. Twenty One Pilots I first heard about Twenty One Pilots on the MTV website during their March Madness style voting competition. They are a duo from Columbus, OH consisting of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. This was their first Bay Area show. When they came out on stage Tyler Joseph said something like We want you to like us, but we know we have to give you a reason to like us first. Their Facebook page lists their genre as Schizoid Pop . I would have to agree. They screamed, rapped and rocked. As they switched between these I was thinking to myself I wouldn t know how to classify their sound. I had thought that it was a bit schizophrenic. They started their first couple of songs with masks. I was a bit turned off by that, but enjoyed the songs. They worked the stage well getting up on the speakers, encouraging the crowd to move closer and standing on the railing that separates the crowd from the stage. Josh Dun even did a backflip. I haven t seen that done since Story of the Year in 2003/2004. Youngblood Hawke I saw Youngblood Hawke at KROQ s Almost Acoustic Christmas last year. I had no idea who they were. When I saw that the lead singer looked like a total hippie my immediate thought was Oh no, what the hell is this going to be. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were entertaining and not just because of how they looked and were dressed. When they performed We Come Running I recognized it as a song I d heard on the radio. They had put on a good show in in LA. Unfortunately I missed a good portion of their set at BFD this year, but was able to catch two or three songs. I was reminded of their well-performed set in LA. Mister Loveless A local band based in Oakland, Mister Loveless had a good set. The Trims A local band from San Jose. I enjoyed their set so much that I started to follow them on Twitter and am considering seeing them the next time they play in San Francisco. Live 105 s BFD never disappoints. I ve seen some amazing bands at this show over the years and look forward to seeing more for many years to come.

A very diverse group of bands performed at both the Festival Stage and the Main Stage. I liked that they separated the Festival Stages by about 30 feet this year. It seemed to add to a better sound. Also the timing of the bands to the schedule was right on.

2.5 hours from shoreline exit to parking lot, missed 5 bands, waited 30 min for id band, 30 min for beer, and another 30 for food. By this time half the event is over. Shoreline not big enough if 105 wants to oversell tickets. Will not attend again, way better "festival" events to choose from. Bands sets too short. Maybe shorten the acts and lengthen the set times.

I've been to huge festivals before (Coachella, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Bottle Rock) and they manage to get in their gigantic crowds in with hardly any wait, the concession lines are short and quick, etc. But BFD was ridiculously overcrowded, security was rude, concession stands ran out of supplies and had extremely long wait times, the line to just get into the venue went on forever! This was my first time at BFD and probably my last. I only went to support my favorite bands, but I won't go in the future. Also, be prepared to wait hours after the show to get out of parking. I did expect that since it always happens with every single show at Shoreline.

As with most festival shows, it was very organizer/band friendly and the organizers seemed to have little concern with the fans' experience. It seems to be a given that a festival will automatically make the weather increase 10-20 degrees and this show was no exception. However, I have yet to attend one where the organizers actually do something to adjust to the weather difference and provide accessible and, perhaps, cost effective water. I heard a rumor that there were 18,000 fans running around Shoreline. There were 3 drinking fountains. Bottled water was $4.50. One lady I spoke to about this at the concession stand said that price was on par with most venues across the country. I said, "not only does that not make it okay, but those venues don't plan their prices around people standing in the sun all day and without access to cheap water for 10-12 hours." The line for each drinking fountain was anywhere between 20 and 45 minutes. God forbid we should have a beer and need an extra bottle of water. With all of that being said, whoever chose the order of the lineup should be fired. I know with festival shows it is necessary to accommodate bands' schedules, but even with that in mind the order in which the bands played was peculiar and questionable to say the least. How Jimmy Eat World was on the side stage while a band I had never heard of headlined the main stage was baffling. Speaking of Jimmy Eat World, the venue deserves all the criticism they get for the sound completely dying in the second song of the bands' set. On top of that, the acoustics on the left (there were two) "Festival Stage" were just awful. Actually, one speaker on the main stage crackled and hissed during both Of Monsters and Men and Silversun Pickups, as well. The bands themselves were very good and, for the most part, played very well. Jimmy Eat World not only handled the loss of sound with class and experience (they ignored it), they played one of the best of the 4 or 5 shows I have seen them play. Stone Temple Pilots was the surprise special guest on the main stage. Their appearance was one of the most anti-climatic surprises I have ever seen. Everything about the show listed a "Special Guest" on the lineup on the main stage. The way we found out was when one of the stage hands brought out an "STP" bass drum. There was no announcement and no one to even say was playing. With all of that being said, I am in no way an STP fan but they played pretty well. They have so many hits we were bound to recognize every song, and we did and they tore through them with good sound and an all-around acceptable performance. Scott Weiland did not come off as anything like the obnoxious, tutu-wielding weirdo I had always envisioned. Silversun Pickups, Awolnation, and Diplo, did not disappoint. Capital Cities and Of Monsters and Men proved to be bands worth taking a look at, as did Gold Fields, who played while I was in line to enter the venue. The Airborne Toxic Event was predictably the highlight of the afternoon. I still can't figure out how they are not headlining these events because they were far and away the best band to play. Terrible speakers aside, they are flawless. They have energy, great music, and a terrific stage presence that many of the bands lack. They are also 3 albums into their careers and have a wealth of excellent songs to choose from. If you want to talk about who lacked stage presence, 30 seconds to Mars is just about the most awful band I have ever seen live. Jared Leto cares little about his music and only seems determined to get 18,000 people to cheer for him. It's a shame, really, because they have some very good songs but no ability to translate those songs into a good, or even listenable, stage performance. Musically they actually sound okay, but whatever points they get for their music are negated by Leto's constant begging of the crowd to cheer him on. I think Leto would be far more content to show up alone and have those 18,00 people chant his name for 45 minutes than to ever have to actually play a song or sing. The bottom line is I drove about 800 miles and spent about $400 for a road trip that was centered on going to this show. Next time, I will save the $2-300 I spent on the show and just spend a weekend in the area.

Even though I work on weekends I try to get to BFD for the main stage shows. Hadn't had chance to see 30 seconds to mars for a few years I love of monsters and men (had seen them just Thursday at the Fox) I discovered passion pit in December and enjoy their shows. Silversun Pickups were so-so in the past but were terrific on Sunday. Chester from Linkin Park was a surprise performer. All put on top notch performances. Jared Leto was beyond cool and staged a big time show. I assume shuffling Passion Pit to last probably related to difficulties getting here from the festival in Mobile Alabama that they played Give them high marks for showing up at Shoreline but they didnt have nearly the size audience they would have had they preceded 30 seconds to mars. People were there for the latter and it thinned out after 30 seconds to mars. Sunday night and people work the next day. Anyway. I imagine afternoon bands and the DJ dance music tent were all fun

My sis and I spent the entire day and evening at the BFD concert at the Shoreline Amphitheater. What a day! The last time I went to a LIVE 105 concert was many moons ago. The main reason to go to this one was for my sister s benefit. She really wanted to see her fav band, 30 Seconds to Mars, in concert. I really wasn t familiar with their music. I was game to going because Fitz and the Tantrums were playing. I got a rare opportunity to hear them live when I was in Austin , TX for the Formula 1 races. They were playing at the F1 after party. Great show! Ok, I digress. Back to 30 Seconds to Mars. While I was sifting through my backpack, I heard Menace from LIVE 105 announce that he was interviewing 30 Seconds to Mars at the nasty old couches . So next thing I know my sis was making a bee line to those couches. I quickly followed. After a 40 minute wait, the band made an appearance. This band has a cult following! It was surreal to feel and see all of the adoration in the air for the lead singer, Jared Leto AKA a well-known actor, e.g. Requiem for a Dream fame, etc. The radio guy interviewed them; and made a lot of people extremely happy, including my sister. She couldn t believe she was seeing him in the flesh 5 feet away. So after the interview ended, we continued to listen to some great bands. The highlight of the day for me was the fact that the band was no longer the LAST band of the evening. They were originally slated to end the festivities at 10:30PM, but because of some equipment issues with Passion Pit, the second-to-last band, they humbly agreed to play at 8:30PM. I was ecstatic! That meant we could leave early and I could get some sleep before starting my 9 hour work day on Monday. But it got even better\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026right before 30 Seconds to Mars hit the stage, they set up a line of colorfully masked Taiko drummers. The set was so theatrical. I was loving it! Then I heard the band start to play one of the only songs I knew from them, Kill me . I could hear the singer, but I couldn t see him. People were screaming. The crowds were cheering. Then I looked over to the right to see what all the commotion was. It was Jared Leto! He set up a mic stand about 15 feet away from us. It was like having seats up in the front row, but he came to us! My sis said, I think I m going to faint. BTW, I think she s still on a high from the entire experience of the evening.;-) Although I wasn t familiar with their music, I was impressed and truly INSPIRED. Jared Leto was a great showman! He knew how to work the audience and he had the entire house up singing and dancing. It was amazing! I learned a lot from listening to him. As a beginner singer, I picked up the cues he gave to the band; and also on the singing techniques. Jared really had good vocal control. While he was running up and down across the stage, he could still hold his notes. I was even more in awe that he could sing while jumping up and down and playing guitar. He was not out of breath! The grand finale was the only other song I was familiar with Up in the Air . He picked 30 plus VIP audience members on the stage to sing and dance along. White confetti flew in the air! And the band just ROCKED the house. I m still on a high and am motivated more than ever to continue my creative pursuits! So thank you for letting me share this special experience with you.

The festival stages were good, because there were two right next to each other, so there was no break between bands for sound checks and setup/teardown. The lineup was very good, getting almost every relatively new band with popular singles on the radio. The only problems were that one stage was much louder than the other, and the louder one's vocals were way to quiet for all the bands after Twenty One Pilots. The view from the lawn to the main stage was not great, but you get what you pay for. A much bigger problem was the lack of good sound quality and all-star bands. The only sounds that sounded good from the lawn were bass sounds. The vocals were distorted and weak for most of the bands. Speaking of bands, none of them put on mind-blowing shows. They were mostly good, except for Passion Pit; I can confirm the general consensus that their live vocals suck. The lines at the food places were very slow, and when I was just a couple groups away from a window after waiting about 30-45 minutes, the window closed without any attempt from the venue to reroute or merge lines.

First of all, it took over an hour and a half to go 5 miles and park. A little ridiculous. However, once we were in the festival, even though it was super crowded, the bands we saw were amazing. We sat on the lawn for the main sets, and all the bands were great and rocking their butts off. BUT, the sound was SUPER quiet. It's like there was a noise ordinance or something. It was very disappointing to not be able to hear the full force of the bands. I know they can make the sound louder, i'm just not sure why they didn't. So, in summary: 1. parking sucks. 2. sound was quiet. 3. Stone Temple Pilots? Really? They could have chosen are more recent band for their "secret guest". Make sure the acts are people you really want to see, otherwise it's not really worth it.