By Michael Lopez
Amidst the bizarre early morning/mid afternoon scene here at Schnepf Farms, Authority Zero descended upon the SRP “second” stage to rile up the fans that braved the amazingly long lines to get in. Starting at 12:15, the band ripped into their set, quickly prompting the crowd to throw up their hands and even start crowd surfing. Looking at the jubilant crowd in the Arizona sun, I couldn’t help but feel at ease, even though Authority Zero’s brand of rock is hardly soothing. The band finally provided the fans with the opportunity to rock out, and rock out hard. Mickey Avalon tried his hardest to kick things off right, but he was bogged down by a sluggish set that actually featured some performing in between Mickey ripping his DJ and making out with some lucky female fans in the front row.
This year’s bill is geared for sets that will be rowdy and raucous. Letting Authority Zero play at high noon set the tone for the rest of the day, with such bands like Rise Against, NOFX and Thrice. A quick survey of the fans shows that they are more than ready to brave the heat and absolutely lose their minds over the course of the day. Let’s just hope they save their energy for those crucial later sets. The energy is building as more fans come in. As I write this, I can hear British darlings The Kooks play the Main Stage, giving the hordes of teenage girls in the audience exactly what they came here for. I am excited to see how this day will progress.
