Imagine a festival that almost feels like a high school reunion. Well, Best Friends Forever Festival felt like this. Bringing friends together for a weekend to enjoy that music that you and your friends were probably listening to back in the day. Where all the retired emo kids reunite for a weekend and feel the nostalgia of the sound that they used to enjoy.
This year we had the opportunity to experience the Best Friend Forever Festival. The event was hosted at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, October 11, and ran through Sunday, October 13. Bands like Foxing, Mannequin Pussy, American Football, Sweet Pill, La Dispute and many other great bands were hyping the lineup. Cap n Jazz, Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Blood Brother were the three headlining bands.
From Indian Lakes opened the weekend. This band have been around for years, recently celebrating the 10th anniversary of their sophomore album “Able Bodies” and their recent release of “Head Void” which came out back in June of this year. From Indian Lake started as a post-emo band in the late 2000s – transiting to a more alternative sound, later indie rock and now shoegaze.
Boyfriend Sushi Town and Everyone Asked About You were next on the schedule. We caught Home is Where on the 3rd Street Stage rocking out to their hits. The band from Palm Coast, FL that has been around since 2017. Their music consists of an emo/post-hardcore sound still adapting that OG emo sound to their music. The band’s energy set the mood for the 3rd Street Stage.
Later we enjoyed some true OGs like Hot Rod Circut and Pinhead on the Main Stage. At this time, the venue was starting to fill up more and the temperature grew chillier compared to early in the day. We stopped by the 3rd Street Stage to check out VS Self a band from Apple Valley, CA with a Midwest emo noise to them or should I say farwest emo.
St. Louis’s band Foxing was next. This band is somewhat considered to be an OG emo band even though their sound has changed so much throughout the years. Connor Murphy the lead singer of Foxing, always knows how to put a show on. His energy is insane and always gives his all to his performances. He’s not just a great singer but also a great performer.
Finally, one of the most anticipated bands of the night took the main stage – American Football. Seeing this band for the first and for many others as well, was an experience of serotonin. We all emos appreciate a true OG and that is what American Football is. The main stage was packed with people extending to the band. Everyone there was excited to finally see this band. For those who don’t know about them – the band is from Urbana, Illinois, and has been making music since 1997-2000 and taking a break to later reform in 2014. American Football is a band that has left its mark in the Midwest emo genre.
The night continued with The Dismembered Plan and Algernon Cadwallader.
Lastly, what better band to close Day 1 of Best Friends Forever Festival then… Cap’n Jazz. This was a historical moment in music. The band doesn’t perform shows very often – most recent shows being in 2017 and earlier October of this year. Everyone gathered around the main stage to enjoy what is the reunion of this band. Cap ‘N Jazz has been around since the ‘90s breaking up in the early 2000s with member of the band branching out to create other projects – one being American Football. The crowd felt the emotions of seeing one of their favorite bands once again together playing side by side like the best friends they have always been.
It was an incredible weekend for these emo kids – proving that real emo never dies. This weekend was truly a weekend of EMO-tions and nostalgia for many. For being the first year this festival is hosted – it was a success. Will we see BFF Fest in 2025? Well… we will see.
Who would you want to see in 2025?
