Facedown Fest - March 2001 live recap

FACEDOWN FEST
Corona, CA : March 10, 2001

Review and Photos : Collette Wycoff

The hardcore “family” came out to play, and pulled out all the stops. Another completely sold out event for the best of the best. Figure Four, Anchor, Dodgin' Bullets, The Deal, Point of Recognition, and Torn in Two. Wicked line-up . . . righteous show. The Showcase Theatre in Corona, California opened its doors for the happening that promised to blow ear drums for miles. You know, sometimes there just aren't enough synonyms for sick – this is one of those times. The best sets of the night? Easy. In no particular order: Dodgin' Bullets, The Deal, Figure 4, Anchor, Torn in Two, and Point of Recognition. Did you catch that? I knew you would. To top it all off, the show started at 7:43PM – two minutes early. You gotta' love it.

Anchor sported a pretty big following, and in about five minutes flat they proved why they have so many loyal fans. You could cut the energy in the room with a small buzz saw; and there was no point in trying to get near the stage – breathing (and rocking) room only. It was hot, sweaty, and crowded, and there wasn't one person in there that cared at all (including me).

Dodgin' Bullets got out-of-hand in the best way. The set had a nice mix of older and newer D.B. tunes, not to mention a new face. Aaron Wreckinthangs, for those who haven't heard, took his place among the Dodgin' Bullets crew. It was a perfect fit, sort of like when cookies met milk . . . only louder.

Torn in Two tore it up, no other way to describe it. It was one of those sets that you needed to be in the pit for. Torn in Two has developed faster than almost any other new hardcore band out there, and apparently they're still working. A lot of new tunes reared their rowdy little heads. That set alone was worth twice the ticket price.

Point of Recognition headlined the festival which kicked off their month long U.S. tour with The Deal. No joke – Point of Recognition is my favorite hardcore band. They stage-dived with the kids, danced it up, spoke words of substance, and played a sparkling clean set, including all the songs true Point lovers wanted to hear. There were a few different opinions flying around, at the show, about their new sound and how it compares to their older sound. P.O.R. has tested the boundaries of hardcore and evolved into a mind-blowing band. What you're hearing is pure growth. Period. Please don't believe me – buy the discs.

Facedown Fest holds a special place in the hearts of the local kids. According to Jason Dunn (Facedown Records / NIV / Dodgin' Bullets), the kids are the reason the show has been such a success. “Thanks to all the kids for making it happen,” he says. “It's awesome to see how much God has blessed this label. Like, two years ago I would have never known that this would happen – that we would have five to six hundred kids in a club, and [be] flying bands in from across the country . . ."

We didn't know it would happen either, but we're glad it did. And while thanks are going around . . . thanks to all the Facedown bands for putting on a killer show and treating all of us like “family.” I'm convinced that heaven is somewhere between the spirit world and the Facedown Fest. For more info on all of these bands visit: www.facedownrecords.com

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