Devour The Day were on early in the afternoon, one of many bands to have a shortened set time due to technical issues earlier in the day. The former Egypt Central members are fresh off of their tour with the incredible Sevendust. Their set included some grinding, heavy riffs and unstoppable energy as they rolled through "Good Man" and "Get Out of My Way."
Up next was Mindset Evolution to prove why they came out victorious in Uproar Fest's Battle of the Band's competition last year. Drummer Joey Gibbs was absolutely insane behind his kit, providing the chest pounding beats on anthemic tracks "We Are Stars" and "Sing." The set was far too short with only five songs, closing out with their hit "Burn It Down." Frontman Rob Ulrich blew me away with his raspy screams on the chorus and melodic vocals on the verses.
Consisting of members of Disturbed and Evans Blue, Fight Or Flight debuted their live show merely one week ago. They showed no signs of being a 'new' band. The members all have amazing live chemistry already. The heavy hitting set was a mix of tracks from their debut album A Life By Design?, closing out with their single "First of the Last." It was pretty evident that 95X has been spinning the song constantly since its release, with the entire audience singing along to each and every word. The songs are even better live than recorded; If you can catch a show on their current tour alongside Mindset Evolution, I would HIGHLY recommend it.
It seems like Vegas boys Otherwise are on every imaginable tour lately, currently out with Nonpoint, and out with Sevendust a few weeks back. Their live show is getting anything but boring despite the many times I've seen it. The last minute addition of the band to X-Fest was welcomed very warmly by fans, who knew every word to every song on their (also unfortunately shortened) set. Bassist V leapt into the crowd to join fans in the pit in the middle of their set, getting the crowd even further amped up. They finished things up with "Soldiers," treating fans to a duet with Girl On Fire frontman Austin Held. To make things even better, the band also brought soldiers out on stage to join them. The combination of everything made for an unbelievably memorable performance.
Continuing the nonstop rock was Trapt. With a countless number of hits under their sleeves the band had everyone going crazy for "Who's Going Home With You Tonight?" and "Bring It." Things really took off when the band played older tracks "Echo" and "Headstrong," during which not a single person was standing still.
Adam Gontier was up next, ready to bring it with a brand new band. Opinions on what to expect from Gontier's set were varied before he took the stage, unsure of what to expect from the frontman following his departure from Three Days Grace in January. Within seconds everyone was hooked. Included in the hit filled set was a medley of Three Days Grace tracks, with the rarely heard live "Bitter Taste" and "Take Me Under."
The newly formed band were one hundred percent in sync with one another, and as a diehard Three Days Grace fan, I have to admit that I was very impressed. As well as energetic performances of fan favourites "Animal I Have Become" and "Never Too Late," Gontier also took a few minutes to make a name for himself as a solo artist, giving fans a taste of what to expect from his new material with "Try to Catch Up With the World." To those doubtful of whether his show is worth checking out, I can assure you that his distinctive, raspy vocals and energetic stage presence make it a performance you won't want to miss.
As far as festivals go, this was one of the best of the Summer. With an unbeatable price, great venue, and amazing lineup, X-Fest made for a perfect end to the summer.
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