So What Music Festival mounted an epic comeback this year with an ambitious multi-genre lineup that converged on Arlington’s Choctaw Stadium during Memorial Day weekend. With over 200 acts on the bill, there was quite literally something for every type of music fan and people were ready to open the pit, bounce to the beat and everything in between.
Each day was its own special brand of chaos, but even after schedule changes, delays and the blistering heat, fans pushed through to enjoy their favorite artists. Day one boasted headliners like Trippie Redd, I Prevail and 100 Gecs, with each genre filling out the rest of the lineup.
In Our MySpace Era
2022 has seen the reunion of countless throwback bands and we were treated to a double header of Brokencyde and Attack Attack- perfect to throw millennials into confusion about what year they landed in. Both bands played the hits and the words came right back to everyone watching. Attack Attack had a moshpit going and Brokencyde poked fun at their ages before fully getting crunk on the Monster Energy Stage.
Pop Queens and Sunny Beats
Newcomer Sophie Powers played early down by the water and attracted a solid crowd of fans that adored both her music and her hand-designed outfit. She was a natural warmup to the rest of the day on the Idobi Stage- a lineup that included Poutyface, another powerful female voice on the bill. The cheery sensibilities of Blackstarkids also played under the heat of the afternoon but their audience was more than willing to dance up even more of a sweat to the band’s plethora of hits.
Getting Down on Friday
Rebecca Black is well into her superstar arc and with the amount of people that showed up to her early evening set, it’s clear that it’s not gone unnoticed. She’s had plenty of new music released in recent years and treated the excited crowd to the pulsing pop/EDM hybrid of songs like “Person of Interest” and “Girlfriend”. Naturally, she played “Friday” on a Friday, remixing the controversial hit into an unhinged mix of pitch correction and frenetic beats to close out the set.
Best Set of Day 1
Hardcore heavyweights SeeYouSpaceCowboy hit the Monster Energy Stage with a force that pulled people in with their sheer intensity. The band has been hitting the touring circuit hard, growing an organic fanbase that never misses a chance to hype them up- and every positive review still doesn’t do proper justice to the power of this band. Their music is poignant, their stage presence is dominating and everyone watching was simply riveted by the contained storm happening in front of them. With so many amazing acts on the bill for day one, SeeYouSpaceCowboy was our scene stealer of the day.
“Starstrukk” by 100 Gecs
The Hot Topic Stage boasted a stacked lineup of alternative artists and we all got back on the throwback train for the closing doubleheader of 3OH!3 and 100 Gecs. 3OH!3 was another of the strongest sets of the day- no matter who you are, you know the words to now classics like “PUNKBITCH”, “Double Vision” and “DONTTRUSTME”. Attendees of all ages and persuasions crammed themselves into the area to jump along with the goofy duo and stayed for the even weirder combo that is 100 Gecs.
100 Gecs made their name with off the wall beats, nearly nonsensical lyrics and outfits like the spangled robes they emerged in to close out day one. Fans watching almost looked surprised that they still remembered the words to “Stupid Horse”, “Money Machine” even their latest single in which they wax poetic about popular corn chips. Either way, So What Fest came to get down and these last two acts were the perfect excuse to relive an era we can’t seem to let go of.
Check out photos from day one and stay tuned for our recap of the rest of the weekend!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
