On Oct. 26, Freakfest 2013 was held at the Lonestar Amphitheatre in Lubbock. With a packed full list of bands, this event was the anticipation of many local rock lovers. Gemini Syndrome, For Today, Miss May I, All Hail the Yeti, Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, All That Remains, Sevendust, In This Moment and Five Finger Death Punch were all in attendance and prepared to rock the crowd.
Tickets to the 10-band event were $46; a reasonable price for an evening filled with rock hands, crowd surfing and loud music. The tone of the show was always upbeat and never held a dull moment. If there was not a band playing on the stage in the outdoor arena, a lesser-known band would start jamming on the indoor stage. So, those who would rather not wait for the next band to come onto the main stage could easily wander over to see which band was rocking out on the small stage.
Sevendust, a heavy metal band that was established in 1994, has put on shows in Amarillo and Lubbock in the past and through the years, continue to put on a memorable, crowd-pleasing performance. In This Moment, a newer heavy metal band fronted by Maria Brink, promised a unique performance before they even hit the stage. Their background, a whited-out pile of women with empty, dark eyes piled together, was interesting to say the least. When she came on stage, Brink was dressed in a ringleader costume and was surrounded by props. Even the members of In This Moment wore white face paint with “blood” on their faces.
Five Finger Death Punch, the headlining band, had no problem keeping up with the lasting upbeat, feisty energy of the crowd. Even though the concert began at 4:00 p.m. and they didn’t begin rocking the stage until about 8:30 p.m., Five Finger Death Punch bursted onto the stage roaring with intensity. First performing their latest single, “Lift Me Up,” they got the crowd even more pumped up than they were before.
The restrooms at the amphitheater were even up to par this time. They added an extra restroom on the opposite site of the stadium, so lines were not as long as they were known to be at previous concerts. There were also more stands where alcoholic beverages were available, which also resulted in shorter lines. The main downfall of the entire show was that it was too short. Where frequent concert-goers are accustomed to a show lasting until at least 11:00 p.m., the show that Saturday ended around 9:30 p.m. So as many members of the crowd were beginning to get their second wind and ready to rock out for at least an hour longer, were confused when the last band finished and wished everyone a good night.
Aside from the concert being cut short, all of the bands put on memorable and lasting performances that made the night worth it all.
