Reviews

FRISCO – For a while it looked as if EdgeFest might have lost its edge. Weather more typical for late January than late April kept a hefty chunk of the expected 28,000 fans away from Pizza Hut Park during the afternoon at "The Edge" KDGE-FM (102.1)'s EdgeFest 17 on Sunday. And some of those who did come early weren't prepared for the chill.

You'd have thought that those who were underdressed would have gone a little crazy physically to stay warm. But the conditions appeared to subdue instead of energize. Beer and other cold libations sold slowly; the queues for warm stuff such as nachos and pizza were visibly more active.

Photos by WILLIAM DESHAZER/DMN

Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance performs during EdgeFest 17 at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday.

Then again, the lineup, too, may have had something to do with the lack of initial vibrancy. EdgeFest's docket was stylistically narrow compared to past years: no Placebo, no Muse, no Kaiser Chiefs, no Toadies or anyone like any of them. Instead, the schedule was heavy with staid, top 10-level modern pop rock – refined and bankable quantities such as 3 Doors Down, Seether, Finger Eleven, Puddle of Mudd and Chevelle.

Even the lesser-known bands were mostly facsimiles of successful acts. Theory of a Deadman equals Nickelback, Red equals Godsmack (but less dark and more studly), 10 Years equals Tool (but more aurally congenial; besides, singer Jesse Hasek has shorn his dreads and now looks like Keanu Reeves). A reunited Filter failed to move anyone; Finger Eleven was paralyzed by softie disease.

But at about 4 p.m., the shroud lifted. Chevelle's unusually vicious set prompted it; the floor crowd absolutely throbbed during its closer, "I Get It." An hour later, the sun decided to attend after all, as if it'd heard Puddle of Mudd's surprisingly upbeat turn (singer Wesley Scantlin and Seether's Shaun Morgan did a cool duet of Nirvana's "Immodium") and ferocious back-to-back Second Stage sets by Atreyu and Story of the Year.

In between, Darroh Sudderth of local art-metal heroes Fair to Midland provided both the day's best T-shirt ("If this is the edge, I'm jumping") and moment. He scaled the Third Stage's 15-foot-high rigging, swinging from it like a marmoset during "Dance of the Manatee," and dropping perilously back down to end the song.

Yep, he jumped. And the edge mostly returned, even though total attendance fell noticeably short of 2007's record of nearly 28,250.

My Chemical Romance sported letter jackets and football helmets to honor this Texas date, then scored with a markedly superior gig compared to its 2007 EdgeFest slot. Closing the day was 3 Doors Down, with an understated yet capable hour of stone-dense, Southern-seared rock standards.TELL US what you thought about EdgeFest 17 at musicblog.guide

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