crowd surfing | schwingeninswitzerland

In Charlotte, North Carolina we bemoaned Tuesday night concerts. In Geneva, we just want someone, anyone to come play nearby. When we saw that the Dropkick Murphys on the bill at the Caribana Festival in nearby Crans-Sur-Nyon, we immediately bought tickets. We see them every chance we get and they always put on a great show. It was nice not to have to hop a plane to see some good ol’ punk rock-n-roll like we did for Groezrock.

We weren’t the only ones who were pumped. This guy was really cool. So were his friends.

He left work (gasp) at five and we got there early. It took awhile for the punks to arrive and we were able to get in the first row. Although a lot of people came specifically to see the Dropkick Murphys, the Caribana Festival has a diverse selection of artists (Lou Reed, Kasabian, Pony Pony Run Run, The Specials, Beth Ditto, Marina & the Diamonds, Gossip, Haight Ashbury, Stephen Marley).

Our view was amazing and I was cursing that I didn’t bring my real camera. We did so much jumping and fist pumping that it wouldn’t have been a good idea anyway. It wasn’t too crowded up front. He even felt good enough to leave me up there and mix it up in the mosh pit. He reported that it was a little tamer than in the US.

Al Barr had tons of energy. We couldn’t believe James Lynch was right in front of us!

Stephanie Dougherty did a great job. We saw her walking around before the show. I got a picture of the back of her head in front of the tour busses. I should have asked her to pose for a photo. She was watching from backstage and looked toward us. I mouthed “you rock” and she smiled. It’s nice to know that I can make someone besides the Queen of Sweden smile.

Ken Casey was amazing. We’d seen this guy in a wheelchair crowd surfing earlier in the concert. Ken got out into the crowd and passed him the mike to sing “Kiss Me, I’m S***faced.” When he was back on solid land, Ken went out into the middle of the circle pit where he was mixing it up to sing next to him. That guy was impressive. Heck, they both were.

Our new friend holding a setlist. We got one too. Score.

We had a great time on the first day of Groezrock Festival. I don’t think we were the only ones. When we got off the bus for the second day, some people were looking a bit rough. We missed the first band we really wanted to see… again. We caught a bit of Zebrahead (great) and The Dangerous Summer before hitting the acoustic stage.

At the acoustic stage we saw Anti-Flag. They said they were a were a bit nervous, because this was first time they were playing acoustically and their songs were not written to be played like that. They shouldn’t have worried. Talent and hard work usually wins out. They were fantastic and had the crowd eating out of their hands.

We know The Hard Lessons, who opened for and sang with Motion City Soundtrack. The Hard Lessons are fantastic, fun-loving, musicians who put on a great show. We wanted to see and support people they have toured with and so we went to see Motion City Soundtrack. Doing so, we missed The Old Firm Casuals. Curses.

After that we chilled in the sun listening to Hot Water Music. There were lots of people outside soaking up the sun, enjoying the atmosphere and pulling shenanigans.

We ran into some Aussies that we’d met the day before at the Alkaline Trio show. They had the tattoos and were pretty psyched for the show. They weren’t the only ones. We caught a glimpse of the guys from Anti-Flag checking out the show. Love the Detroit Red Wings shirt too. Way to represent.

We caught the tail end of The Bronx. People were digging them, especially the kid in the viking helmet.

As expected, Anti-Flag put on a phenomenal show. It was definitely one of the highlights of the festival.

They weren’t afraid to mix it up and got out in the crowd. The circle pit and crowd surfing were enthusiastic to say the least. Groezrock seemed pretty prepared for it. They must have had 20 big guys up there and were getting people over the barrier like they were working an assembly line.

We caught some of Against Me!’s Tommy Gabel on the acoustic stage. It was pretty full and he sounded great.

We were also able to get a good spot for Simple Plan. They were polished and had a lot of energy.

We tried to go see Chuck Ragan, but couldn’t get in the tent. Disappointed, we consoled ourselves with some fries and called it a night. Thanks for the great shows Groezrock. We hope to be back next year.