This is Hardcore 2009 was a point of interest for me since I heard the Suicide File would be playing. Let me just say that, quite simply, I am not a fest kind of guy. The bands I usually plan on seeing either play really early or really late, and by the third day, I just would much rather be anywhere but there. I feel that for the majority of fests, they boast the same lineup of bands with different headliners. I don’t enjoy the fest crowd as I feel the majority of the fest kids are people who don’t go to shows regularly, so they ration it to either going to fests or can’t miss shows. All this and not to mention the fact that I had a terrible experience at the last This Is Hardcore when I hurt my ankle during Madball on the first day and was unable to stand up for an elongated period of time for the next two days of the fest, and I was having mixed feelings about spending another weekend in Philly.
Let me also get out of the way that it was very very very very hot inside this year, as all three days sold out and there was plenty of body heat. So if there was a band playing that I was not interested in, I went outside. I’m sorry if that makes me a shitty person or a poser, but I’m a bigger guy and the little things such as catching a breather and not passing out hold strong relevance to me. I arrived late on the first day and noticed a line to get in of New Found Glory proportions. It took close to an hour to get in, but sensing that I long missed Bad Seed, I didn’t really mind standing outside for a while. When I finally managed to get in, I inquired on who was next to play, and my question was answered quickly as the singer introduced his band Until the End. I am not a fan of this band nor of the total ignorance that comes along with them, so I tried to make my way outside. The security told me they were not doing reentry for a while so everyone could get in. I stood in the back for a while until it was cool to go outside, which I did very quickly. I came back in when I learned that Shipwreck was playing. I was not aware of this, so after Until the End was finally done, I stood back in line for about 5 minutes to get back in. Shipwreck played very well although it was a short set. Have Heart was next. As soon as Pat Flynn said they’re going to start with a song he wrote when he was 16, I became immediately excited. They opened up with Lionheart and the entire venue collectively sang along and went insane. By far one of the best reactions of the night, as well as the fest. They stuck to mostly The Things We Carry material with a few newer songs sprinkled here and there. No complaints. Would of loved to hear Dig Somewhere Else or Watch Me Rise. Guns Up was next. I don’t know how they did because I did not watch them. As soon as they were done, I made my down for the Suicide File. They opened up with A Pleasure To Have In Class and went right into Now Lie In It and Things Fall Apart. The set was pretty flawless and satisfied me for all the times I wish I was able to see this band.
Day 2. I was very soar and tired from The Suicide File set the night before, so I tried to do my best to preserve my energy for Floorpunch. I like that Mindset got a humongous reaction from the crowd. It was equal to the reaction The First Step had for their last show, in my opinion. Their Agent Orange cover went surprisingly well. It was a very solid day overall. Meantime did a very awesome Strife cover which I had to go up and sing and get stupid to. The only time I took a breather was to get food during The Killer and Convicted as well as during Strength For A Reason and The Mongoloids. When I came back, it was time for Pulling Teeth to play and they killed it. Their set list is by far the best and tightest. They utilize all three of their releases and sync them perfectly together. Left for Dead and Ink & Dagger covers were amazing. Slumlords were next and the reaction for them was much better then that from Jersey Mike Fest just two weeks prior in Baltimore. They did their Scorpions cover once again. It was hilarious seeing everyone pile on and sing along to the chorus. Surprise Clubber Lang set before Cold World. I went down to check out and was keenly greeted by a near miss from the foot of Joe Hardcore. I made my way up to higher ground to check it out and it was very insane. Breakdown’s surprise set right before Floorpunch was a great treat and set the excitement for Floorpunch to another high. As they said, Floorpunch played all the “classics.” The entire energy during the set was great. I saw a guy who was wearing a straight edge varsity jacket the entirety of the Floorpunch, as well as Mindset set. Props to him- I wouldn’t be able to do that in that hot of weather. VOD was the last band. They opened up with a Suffer and played a slew of newer songs afterwards. I got kind of bored, so I began to look at all the beautiful women around me.
Day 3. Came early to check out Braindead. They opened up with a Count Me Out cover. I wasn’t feeling the band with Chris singing. I wasn’t interested in seeing Naysayer, so I went to get some food at the Spaghetti Warehouse and ended up missing The Carrier in the process. I didn’t feel too bad as I saw them a week prior in Annapolis. Coke Bust and Foundation were both really solid and the reaction for Foundation was very good. I was about to go out to catch a breath; however, Joe Hardcore informed the audience that there was surprise coming up and we wouldn’t want to miss it. I figured it to be a Horror Show reunion since we were in Philly, but I was caught completely off guard when I saw Ryan of Desperate Measures fame come on stage mid way through the Letdown set. They played Never Enough Time, Moving On, and Times You Share to an excited crowd. What a great surprise. I had not interest in seeing Bracewar, so I figured I’d catch a breath before TUI. It’s a good thing I did, because it was by far the rowdiest and hottest part of the night. Everyone dug the new songs and went insane for Believe. I felt like I was going to pass out afterwards, so I tried to quickly get some water so I can catch Wisdom in Chains. I went out, bought two waters, ran into my friend in his car and couldn’t find the strength to leave his air conditioned palace. I got back in time for Reach the Sky. I was very surprised how crazy everyone was going. Every song seemed to bring more and more people into the fun. Blacklisted and Bane both played strong sets to close the weekend. Blacklisted’s new song had my head banging so hard. I am so excited for their new stuff.
In conclusion, not only must I admit I had a lot of fun at This is Hardcore, but also that it is probably one of the more memorable events I have attended. The surprise Desperate Measures set had me beyond excited, as I had a chance to see one of my favorite bands (even if it was just Ryan and members of Letdown playing) and go crazy for them. The crowd reacted well to the majority of bands and there was a consistently large audience for every band. It’s as close to perfect as I could have imagined the fest being. I honestly can’t see how it’ll be topped next year.
