102.1 KDGE Edgefest 2015 @ Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX

Words by Scott Rowe.  Photos by Scott Rowe and Antonio
It's April in North Texas and that can only mean one thing:  it's festival season.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, winter is gone, spring has sprung and it's pretty much summer time, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  For starters, it means the start of everything outdoors, including concerts and festivals.  And year in and year out, 102.1 KDGE has provided one of the most exciting and anticipated one-day festivals in all of North Texas, Edgefest.  In its 25th year, Edgefest has brought the likes of the Black Keys, Muse, the Killers, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Collective Soul.  Yes, Collective Soul headlined my first Edgefest way back in 1999, when Blink-182 was a relative unknown and the Toadies already had a decade under their belts.  So 2015's edition proved the legacy proud with a great lineup and some excellent performances.

Toyota Stadium provides a pretty great backdrop for Edgefest, as it's not overly huge as a Cotton Bowl or Cowboys Stadium but is large enough to hold just the right amount of people.  The masses poured in all day to see the budding stars in Joywave, Robert DeLong, and New Politics play the smaller second stage, while those who stayed up front at the main stage were eager to see BANKS, Death Cab for Cutie and headliners, the Offspring.  The was long and hot, proving to be one of the hottest days in 2015, thus far.  The heat overcame dozens of fans, but event staff handled all of the situations swiftly and professionally.

One of the great things about Edgefest in recent years has been its ability to expand its genres when booked acts for the festival.  Too often, festivals become stale and predictable, but KDGE has branched Edgefest in a way that it's accessible to all.  Acts like DeLong and Girl Talk provided enough beats to dance to, AWOLNATION and the Offspring were loud and proud, Yelawolf and Dirty Heads got to slang some rhymes, while BANKS and Andrew McMahon bridged many genres.  Joywave was happy to be at a festival that Breaking Benjamin was not headlining and UK band the Kooks enjoyed playing to a sizable audience in the States.  New Politics always has a good time mainstay indie bands Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie provided some of the festivals finest performances.  The ladies were screaming for Vance Joy and Hozier, both of which played exceptional low-key sets in an otherwise loud festival.  Overall, it was hard not to enjoy most of those who played.  Another feather in the cap for Edgefest and another year in the books for MTC covering it.  Photos of the festival are below:

Marquis of Vaudeville
Hour Band
The Kooks
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

Joywave
BANKS

Robert DeLong
Vance Joy
Yelawolf
Hozier
New Politics
Death Cab for Cutie
Dirty Heads
AWOLNATION
The Offspring
enjoy.
102.1 KDGE Edgefest 2015 @ Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX 102.1 KDGE Edgefest 2015 @ Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor on May 04, 2015 Rating: 5
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