When attending a music festival, I am one who wants to get there early. I dress comfortably and want the whole experience. Well, the music experience, not the copious amount of drinking and recreational drug use- because no. So, I left early and found great parking within walking distance to the pavilion where Houston’s Buzz Fest was taking place. Seven bands playing all afternoon into the evening and I was excited for the occurrence.
I was able to wait in line very close the entry gate, like there were 30 or less people in front of me (who really achieved). I was only thirty minutes early before the gates opened and an hour early before the opening music act. And then it started to rain.
Some people came prepared with umbrellas and some brought ponchos. I was in the latter of that group and brought a poncho which was a life saver. There was rain in our area with on and off again thunderstorms, but I think everyone was hoping it would go around us. No such luck. Many people dressed in their rocker best; the leather, boots, fish netting, etc. got soaked for not brining anything other than themselves. I can’t imagine the smell of rain-soaked leather pants, skirts, and corsets. My only regret is that my poncho wasn’t floor length. My poor shoes were soaked, and no one likes squishy, wet socks. Ew.
However, once the gates opened and I got in, the rain miraculously lightened into a light sprinkle. I quickly made my way to the merch table where I bought two band shirts of the bands I was most excited to see, I Prevail and Highly Suspect. I liked The Strutts as well, who was actually playing before both of the previously mentioned, however I decided to wait for a better merch design for them.
I collect concert shirts that I attend, attempting to obtain enough to make a king size concert shirt quilt using the fronts and backs. So far, I may have too many. I folded my overpriced purchases, hey its concert pricing and everything is stupid expensive, and placed them in my clear, pavilion approved bag. My clear bag is a life saver, I keep a phone charging battery pack, concert ear plugs (gotta protect that hearing), a dry wick towel for the hot and sweaty summer shows, and protein bars in that thing. It’s a nifty holder of all the necessities. From the merch table I quickly squish squashed my way to bathrooms where I used the automatic dryers in an attempt to semi dry my shoes. It was a humorous site, me with my leg thrown up under the dryer, turning my shoe which way and that. But hey, great minds and all, because other wet footed ladies started doing the same.
After the dryer attempt, I made my way to my seat. The pavilion is shaped like a fan, with the stage the main point and seating arcing out and around it. The majority of it is covered, which is where I paid for my seat, because this fair skinned girl burns like the vampire she is. However, there is lawn seating up at the very tip top where the aforementioned recreational drug use takes place. I was able to get a seat in the upper middle section of the pavilion. It was pretty good seating, but I do wish I would have splurged to the lower middle section near the sound booth. Alas ticket pricing can be expensive, because let’s face it, Ticketmaster is highway robbery on fees and taxes which is a travesty so I settled for the upper middle section.
Once seated I kicked off my shoes and flipped them upside down and kicked my feet in effort to dry my poor, icky socks. Again, wet socks- bleck. Thirty minutes were left before the show was supposed to start but I had a feeling it would start late due to the weather. The walk ways and the back wall, separating the covered area and lawn seating were filling with early lawn goers who weren’t able to enter on the lawn yet due to the weather. Luckily, there’s only a medium percentage of people who like me come early to see the first bands , so it wasn’t a mayhem of crowds and people yet.
The first band to come on stage did start a little late, but that’s okay. It was a local band called Rōzy. The main singer and fiery headed woman with a raspy, playful voice was great and their sound was solid. They only played a couple of songs- adjusting due to delays, but they were very cool, played well, and nice enough to go out into the seating and take pictures with fans.
Next up was The Warning, another female led band. In fact, The Warning is a trio of sisters out of Mexico who went viral for covering Enter Sandman by Metallica. They even got a shout out from Metallica which is awesome. I myself had heard them on Sirius XM Octane as well as on the Houston Rock station 94.5 The Buzz. I really enjoyed The Warning. Their own songs, Money and Choke were fun, as well as the Sandman cover they played. The lead singers voice was clear and strong and they really put on a show. I appreciate artist who can actually play their instruments and not just strum basic cords. I actually thought they should have been switched with the next band because The Warning were way better performers.
The next band was Giovannie and the Hired Guns. Honestly, I knew only one song from them. And really, I wasn’t that impressed. The lead singer has a very raspy voice, which is the main drawl of his sound, but he can be hard to understand. Also, the ‘performance’ side of the band (singer? Band? IDK) was majorly lacking. There was a lot of wandering around the stage which didn’t seem do have intent or purpose and instead of singing songs, he would hum or ‘la de da’ notes. It was kind of lack luster and strange. They brought out a large horn instrument for one of their songs and the horn wasn’t consistent in playing, which may have been the point in the song, but it sounded off to me. As I stated, The Warning and Giovannie should have probably been switched in the lineup. The Warning was a better performance and overall sound.
After that weird performance, one of the bigger acts and one of the bands I actually came to see, The Struts, performed. During the breakdown and set ups of the acts I was able to buy an extremely overpriced drink (with one free refill- hooray!) and a small four-piece pizza. Guys, $20 bucks for a drink and baby pizza. Inflation ain’t no joke. The Struts are a UK band, with a petite male singer whose size is disregarded by his amazing stage presence and personality. The singer of The Struts knows how to work a stage. They remind me of a glam rock 70s era band with flared pants, flashy moves, and punchy songs. I had seen them previously when they opened for Shinedown a couple of years ago and they were just as good then as they are now. I immensely enjoyed their performance and would definitely watch them again.
Highly Suspect was after The Struts. So I really enjoy Highly Suspect’s music. They are a ‘heavier’ rock band (in my opinion at least, I mean I don’t listen to metal or anything so maybe my version of heavy is skewed). They have many hits that are played regularly on the radio and satellite radio. I sang along with a majority of them and the ones I didn’t know there may have been some dancing and shaking on my part. Highly Suspects stage presence was very chilled, which I was kind of surprised by. I would have figured with some of their heavier songs where the singer can really pump out the notes he would have been on the edge of the stage or moving around more. He kind of walk along the stage in a way that the pervious band, Giovannie and the hired guns was attempting but didn’t really pull off. The singer’s vibe was chill and he was able to sell the lower energy performance with a powerful voice that carried the songs. I should point out in all fairness he was playing a guitar and had to stand at the mic stand to sing, so maybe the expectation of a high energy performance is solely on me. His performance wasn’t bad- just different. Overall, I would love to see them again either headlining or on tour with less performers to where I could get more time with them on stage.
I Prevail was the next band and man, they brought the energy I was missing so far. I Prevail is another what I would consider a ‘heavier’ rock band, probably a little more than Highly Suspect. I mean some of their songs have screaming (screamo?) in them. They had a huge banner that was behind them with a lightshow in their songs and risers the singer would run around on. The singer has a great voice and there was another singer, or shall I say screamer, who had the hair to swing along with his head banging. They moved along the stage great, worked the crowd, and presented a great show. I would definitely watch them again. I recently saw on social media that they performed with another band I want to see, Bad Omens. I would have loved to have been there for that show. Those two bands together would have been an experience for sure. I prevail and Highly Suspects as well as The Struts were the main bands I came to Buzzfest for. I wasn’t let down by any of them.
Lastly, Godsmack was the main event. However due to a thunderstorm that came in during I Prevail’s show, Godsmack was delayed by a few minutes. Now I’ll be honest, I am not the biggest fan of Godsmack. I know, die hard rockers everywhere are stroking out reading that. I know their popular songs, but I’m not a die-hard fan that could tell you how many albums they’ve put out or even the name of the singer. When the weather passed, they had a fun video intro and small explosions with a curtain drop. It was all very professional and fancy showing the bands history and expertise. They even had a set where they lit the stage behind them on fire and told the crowd to put the ladies on men’s shoulders like the rock concerts of old. It was very nostalgic, or at least I thought it was for the fans who have followed their Godsmack path since the beginning and seen them multiple times. Unfortunately, I had to get up at 5 in the morning to go to work the next day and only saw 30 to 45 minutes of their show. Of what I saw it was good, probably considered great for people who are big fans but I wasn’t to heartbroken to have left early.
This is the second Buzzfest I have attended, having attended last years. I had a great time, rain or shine and hope next year’s lineup has bands in it that I’d like to see so I can attend again. I have many other concerts planned this year and can’t wait to experience them. Music has this amazing ability to bring people from all types of backgrounds together. When we are at live music events we are simply fans of the art. Not divided by race, color, political view, but simply music lovers enjoying the sound and show. I have had funny or interesting conversation with total strangers at live concerts that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I have easily complemented others and helped others while at these events. You feel a since of companionship with your fellow concert goes because hey, we are all fans here and we are here to have a good time and enjoy our favorite artist. Music, live music especially, is important for us humans. We have to enjoy it while we can. Overpriced tickets, food, and all.
My Journey Continues-
Kaycee
Live Metanoia 
Leave a comment