March 31, 2005 marked my first Taste of Chaos attendance as the festival was also making it's debut that year. I was two days away from turning 16. As a sophomore in high school, I was ecstatic as it was the first festival I attended. So when I heard what the lineup was for its return this year, I knew I would be super bummed if I missed it. And just like other years, TOC brought back the rotating stage. With most of these bands on the lineup taking up space in my iPod, I found myself singing along during their sets. To kick things off were Battle of the Bands winners, Dose, followed by Adair, who noted that they don't play shows anymore, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to play the festival that they were once a part of. Following Adair, was Greek Fire, which is a band formed by members of Story of the Year and Maybe Today. Emo quintet, Finch, took the stage following Greek Fire and didn't fail to deliver as they played their most notable songs "Letters To You" and "What It Is To Burn." As bands continued to perform throughout the day, fans continued to arrive wearing their band apparel, ranging from The Used to Thrice to bands that weren't on the bill, but still important to the scene (Thursday, A Day To Remember).
Immediately following Finch's performance, Story of the Year made their appearance on stage to the Star Wars theme song, which delighted a lot of fans. Ranging from songs like "Anthem of Our Dying Day" to "Until the Day I Die", fans didn't miss a word as they sang along to their songs. The momentum changed up a bit after Story of the Year as melodic hardcore band, The Movielife went on to perform after them. They had played a few shows on the West Coast earlier this year, but for some people, TOC was the first time they got a chance to see them. Myself included. The Movielife seemed pumped up and excited to play the festival as a good portion of the crowd sang and crowd surfed during their set. Following The Movielife was emo quartet, Saves the Day. For the first time in a long time, frontman Chris Conley performed vocal duties only and didn't touch his guitar once. It may have brought back memories for fans who saw the band back in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, I never got to see them that early in my teenage years, so this was something I definitely enjoyed. This year's TOC ranged from emo to rock to hardcore, so it definitely wouldn't have been the same without Long Island natives, Glassjaw.
Even though the current lineup is not the original, Glassjaw didn't fail to deliver a stellar performance. As their set progressed, the amount of crowd surfing started to escalate as fans sang along to every song. You'd think that after Glassjaw's set, things would mellow out. With blink-182's Mark Hoppus taking the stage to do his DJ set, that would not be the case. Even though he didn't actually perform any of these songs, the crowd didn't fail to sing to every blink song he played. Hoppus also managed to throw The 1975, Jay-Z, No Doubt, and Brand New into his DJ playlist. I actually lost count of how many people I saw sitting on other people's shoulders and fist pumped. It looks like all the bands prior to Hoppus, was just a warm-up for the crowd because once The All-American Rejects took the stage, the crowd only got louder.
As I watched AAR, I realized that I had never seen them before and I have to say that I couldn't stop smiling and singing. I didn't think I knew as many of their songs as I did. I can't deny that I revisit their self-titled debut album from time to time. With fans singing "Swing, Swing" to "Gives You Hell" to "Dirty Little Secret", it was a pop-punk sing along. Following their set, the sing alongs would continue as Dashboard Confessional took the stage. Ranging from the early acoustic tunes such as "The Swiss Army Romance" to the latest DC album, Alter The Ending, it seems as though DC fans were singing along to every song no matter what album it was from. I caught myself singing to some of these songs as well, but I was saving my voice for the next two bands that would follow: Thrice and Jimmy Eat World.
Orange County Natives, Thrice, were one of the most anticipated acts as earlier this year, the quartet announced the return from their hiatus. In May, they played a couple of hometown shows and also did some festivals. I was lucky enough to see them at their hometown shows, but seeing them again at TOC was definitely a highlight. With the band playing songs like "Deadbolt", "Stare At The Sun", and "Of Dust and Nations", the crowd didn't hesitate and sang along to every word. After I left the photo pit, I tried to go into the most pit and rock out with everyone else, but it was impossible due to how intense the interaction among the fans was. That didn't stop me from singing along to every word as I was super ecstatic to have Thrice back. Following their incredible performance, alternative rockers, Jimmy Eat World took the stage.
When I first looked at the TOC lineup, I right away realized that Jimmy Eat World was the first band I had ever listened to that was on the bill. I was only 12. Being 26 now and being able to sing along to their songs with so many people, it almost felt like it was my first time seeing them. From songs like "Pain" to "Sweetness" to "The Authority Song", there was not a silent moment. However, when the band played "23", a slower tune, it almost felt like we were listening to the song for the first time. All we did was listen to the tune as it's a favorite for many JEW fans. Once JEW wrapped up their set with "The Middle," headliners, The Used took the stage.
The first time I ever saw The Used was at that very first TOC back in March 2005. I couldn't help it, but feel nostalgic. Hearing "The Taste of Ink" and "On My Own" definitely took me back to the very first time I saw them headline TOC. Not only did they play songs from their self-titled debut, but they also touched songs from the rest of their discography such as "Pretty Handsome Awkward" and "Cry." As they wrapped up their set, they delivered a finale that would definitely be talked about for days as they played the intro of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" and finally into their tune, "A Box Full of Sharp Objects."
As I met up with my friends at the end of the night, all I thought was about other people I knew who were there (that unfortunately I was not able to meet up with) that I didn't know 10 years ago. The friends I attended TOC with, I met throughout high school and college. These bands brought us together and even though I didn't know any of my friends who attended the festival, 10 years ago, I can honestly say that it was worth the wait because in the meantime, these bands kept me company. That may sound cliche, but it's true, and I believe I'm not the only person who attended this year's TOC that feels that way. If Taste of Chaos comes back next year, you can bet, that I will be in attendance.
To see more great photos from Taste Of Chaos 2015, check out the full photo sets here: