Chamber Press - So What?! Music Festival Issue

C H A M B E R

june 1st + 2nd, 2024 SO

f e s t i v a l r e v i e w

WHAT WE LIKED

2024 was our seventh year attending So What?1 Music Festival in Fort Worth, TX While the festival has moved over the years, Panther Island Pavillion was our favorite location While it is a long walk between some stages and a very muddy area during rain, it’s the perfect location for a large festival

This year, the festival was the best yet, in our opinion Between how the weather was handled, the location, the staff, and the bands, we thought the festival was well thought out and worth the long trip, despite some complaints from festivalgoers who came to see bands that couldn’t play due to the storm.

Security for the festival was top-notch. They were attentive, kind, and fun. Most security seemed to enjoy themselves and did a lot to help fans around them. They were on top of crowd surfers and fainters, bringing help quickly when needed.

The food selection was broad and amazing, and there were several locations around the grounds to get your meal. Our only complaint was the high price, which is to be expected during a special event.

The VIP benefits this year were terrific. VIPs had special benefits such as special entry, private bars, makeup vendors, special viewing in front of the stages, and air-conditioned bathrooms It was one of the best VIP packages we had seen a festival offer and completely worth it

A few years back, the security team had issues with wristband confusion This year’s electronic scanning system eliminated these issues and made entering areas as smooth as possible

The festival had several free water stations Some only sold bottled water inside, forcing you to spend a lot of money In the Texas heat, this was necessary and thoughtful, on top of security handing out water at the stages

A cooling tent for overheated attendees also blasted cool air and helped prevent fainting episodes

Mike Ziemer and his team worked hard during the rain to ensure we were safe, could still see headliners, and brought together a last-minute pop-up show for Saosin Few festivals would do such a thing for their attendees He could’ve called it a day and kept the money, but he did his best to salvage the night, and we commend him

Between bands promoting their sets, a blowup with stage signs, and the vendors, So What?! Music Festival truly felt reminiscent of Warped Tour

All in all, it was our favorite year and a festival we’d absolutely go to again

WHAT WE’D CHANGE

The only things we’d really want to change about the festival are things that likely can’t be changed We had such view problems this year, leaving little to be critiqued

The festival did a lot to try to mitigate the risk to attendees when dealing with heat They passed out water at stages and offered hydration stages and a cooling tent, but we didn’t know much about the cooling tent until day two, and only one person was there We felt it would’ve been cool to have some sort of splash pad area, misting fans, or sprinkler system to help people cool off At one of the stages, there was a security guard spraying water on people, and it was helpful for cooling down

The walk from Spike’s Pit to Ollie’s was very far, leaving little time for attendees trying to get from one stage to the other between acts Due to the shape of the grounds, it would’ve been likely impossible to shift the stages to create less space between them

Overall, things were handled well and the space was utilized as best as possible We’re not festival runners, we just attend

THE BANDS

The minute I saw the lineup for 2024's So What?! Music Fest, I knew I had to make the trip no matter the cost. It had been twelve years since I first attended the festival, traveling sixteen hours from Illinois to Texas yearly as a tradition. I wanted to be able to photograph bands like Skillet, Attila, Asking Alexandria, Relient K, and Mayday Parade all in the same place I loved attending the festival each year for the bands and for the way you’re able to discover new music while there This year was no different

While walking around the festival grounds on Saturday, I learned about a band called Slay Squad, performing at the Hot and Heavy stage I decided to watch them at the last minute and was pleasantly surprised Their music was unique and jaw-droppingly good, and they won me over when they called for a circle pit around two people fighting They played shortly after Silly Goose, and given how hard and wild they both went, it was a perfect fit

On Saturday, I was very excited to see The Funeral Portrait I had wanted to see them for a while now, and Texas gave me the perfect opportunity They didn’t disappoint The heat didn’t hinder their typically captivating performance, and they made the best of a bad situation when a person fainted during their set I was impressed for several reasons, and it was worth almost fainting in the heat just to capture their set The headliner I chose to see was Boys Like Girls, having waited many years to see them live, and it was an absolute dream come true

On Sunday, my day was very short I watched five bands before the rain hit, and I had to miss seeing Saosin, The Amity Affliction, Asking Alexandria, and Relient K Despite missing them, Sunday was still fun The storms brought a cool breeze and took away the scorching sun, leaving us a beautiful evening despite the mud all over the grounds After a few hours of downtime, we still saw Attila and Skillet Attila was one of our must-see bands, so we were thrilled they could still play a short set Skillet closed the night with an insane performance at Spike’s Pit It was a performance I would pay to see again

While I couldn’t attend Saosin’s pop-up show, Mike's efforts to give fans the opportunity to see them perform an entire album live were exceptionally thoughtful

Most excited to see: Catch Your Breath, The Funeral Portrait

Most sad to miss: Relient K

Craziest sets: Slay Squad, Silly Goose

Favorite performance of the day on Saturday: The Funeral Portrait

Favorite performance of the day on Sunday: Attila

Favorite Openers: Maggie Miles, Waiting For April

Set I watched unplanned, and loved: Slay Squad

BAND WE’D LOVE TO SEE NEXT YEAR

RIVALS, If Not For Me, Dayseeker, Bad Omens, Dark Divine, Sleep Token, Sleeping With Sirens, and Ice Nine Kills

d a y

point north

slay squad

boys like girls

d a y t w o

waiting for april