Living High On The Hog At Hops and Hogs Festival Day One!
The Queen City had a ton of events going on for the Labor Day weekend but if you are a music fan who happens to love craft beer and mouth-watering barbecue then there really was only one choice, the second annual Hops and Hogs Festival. The festival is unique in bringing together the three elements and melding them into one celebration with a little something for everyone. This year’s festival had a new location and was hosted on the grounds of the Park Expo and Conference Center in Charlotte. With plenty of well-lit, paved parking directly across the street, the festival was easy to get to and literally just a walk across a road from the parking area. The box office was well located in the front of the parking area which allowed patrons to pick up will-call tickets on the way to the entry gates which is a great idea and sure beats the typical festival setup of walking a mile from point A to point B before you even make it to the gates. Security was on point and even though chairs were allowed in for this event, the process was smooth and easy.
Once inside, I got an overall view of the setup for the event, checking my surroundings to see what was where. The whole festival was basically set up in a gravel parking lot and while I’m generally not a huge fan of parking lot events, this was too bad. It was fairly small but large enough to hold the crowd. One large stage was positioned at the rear of the festival area with the main food and beer areas to the left with plenty of picnic tables to sit at and a large VIP tent and bar to the right. The crowd was well mixed, young and old, singles and families with children all enjoying the music and munching on the great eats.
Despite the very pleasant Carolina weather, I took a pass on sampling any of the craft beer or Deep Eddy’s vodka cocktails and dove headfirst into my first stop of the day, Texalina BBQ. Being a northern transplant, I freely admit that barbecue is not at the top of my favorites list but since that’s what this festival is about, I decided to give it a go. I chose the dinner plate complete with slaw, beans, and biscuit and I slathered that meat up with some of the milder sauce options and after a few bites, I was convinced. The food was great! And although I may never become a barbecue connoisseur, I anticipate a lot more barbecue options in the future.
After my stomach was taken care of, I headed to the stage to check out the music and got there just before Below 7 took the stage. The band plays a great mix of originals and well-done covers and are definitely worth checking out. They have a few show dates coming up at the end of the month. You can listen to some of their tunes and get information on those shows including a spot at Rebel Rock Fest in Orlando, here!
Up next was Charlotte area alternative rockers U-Phonik. Originally from Montreal, Canada, the band has become a staple of the area rock scene and plays both covers and original songs. They always put on a great set and perform often so chances are if you want to catch them live, they will be somewhere near you very soon. You can check out all their upcoming show dates here.
The next act needs no introduction as Filter, one of the best alternative, hard rock bands from the nineties was about to take things up a notch. With a heavy industrial influence, Filter invaded the airwaves with hits like “Take a Picture” and “Hey Man Nice Shot.” Led by founder and lead vocalist Richard Patrick, the lineup includes Jonathan Radtke on lead guitar, Bobby Miller on bass, and their newest member, drummer Greg Garman. Due to some technical difficulties, their set was delayed by about twenty minutes or more, and when they finally got things sorted there was only time for four songs. Patrick apologized to the fans and promised they would be back very soon. Though the set was short, they were rock solid with Garman proving to be a great addition behind the kit as he pounded away, spewing water in the air. Closing with “Hey Man Nice Shot,” my only complaint was I wish they would have had more time to play.
https://www.officialfilter.com/
After jetting over to the VIP tent and getting a can of water (cans of water still kind of amaze me), I made my way back to the stage for what would be a crazy, fun-filled set by the one and only kings of party rock Buckcherry. Now, I have seen Buckcherry plenty of times over the years and they bring one hundred percent to the stage, every single time. It doesn’t matter if there are 100 people or 10,000 people, they rock our asses off and tonight was no exception. Everyone was jumping, dancing, and singing along as Josh Todd led the crowd through nine Buckcherry songs. The band was in their element as always with guitarist Stevie D. putting on a show, twisting, turning, and having a great time. At one point during their set, the crowd lifted a fan up in her wheelchair over the crowd so she could have a better view of all the craziness. In one fell swoop, Buckcherry had us “Lit Up,” “Hellbound,” and “Too Drunk…” Things got a little quieter as the band dived into their hit ballad “Sorry” as couples slow-danced and held each other tight. But the quiet didn’t last long as Todd and the rest of the band brought out a little of the “Crazy Bitch” in all of us before they were done.
Things got quite mysterious after that as the stage became bathed in very dim purple lighting with lots of fog. A 10 Years banner was hung at the back of the stage with Chad Grennor’s kit on a small riser with plexiglass shielding in front. The rest of the members took the stage as lead vocalist Jesse Hasek took his spot behind the center microphone with his signature hoodie pulled up over his head. They quickly ripped into “Cut The Cord” off their latest release Violent Allies and the audience was entranced. With a sound that’s heavy as hell but also extremely melodic and emotional, 10 Years has a way of connecting with the fans on a deeper level. Their set was heavy with songs from the new record but also included crowd favorites “Fix Me” and “Shoot It Out” as well as the haunting “Beautiful,” a personal favorite. It was a completely different energy than the bands before them but even more powerful and a great setup for the final act of the evening which was still to come.
Originally the headlining act for Saturday night was supposed to be Aaron Lewis of Staind but due to some scheduling conflicts that was not to be leaving the festival to come up with another option. Who better to reach out to than the band that headlined the first Hops and Hogs Festival, Lifehouse. This performance would be the band’s first in almost a year and the energy amongst the crowd was palpable. Lifehouse is best known for their 2001 mega-hit single “Hanging by a Moment” from their debut album No Name Face. The band has since released six more records with a great mixture of alternative, post-grunge, and pop-rock.
The band kicked off their set with “Spin” as lead vocalist and guitarist Jason Wade’s vocals soared across the open night air. Lead guitarist Steve Stout was masterful while bass guitarist Bryce Soderberg and drummer Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. provided the rock-solid rhythms. It was a beautiful set that touched on all their albums with a very special surprise. The band played their latest single “Cut & Run” which was released last spring for the very first time ever in a live setting. What a treat! That was definitely a moment that Lifehouse fans won’t soon forget. With beautiful lighting and top-notch sound, Lifehouse showed no signs of slowing down. They poured all their heart and soul and all the pent-up emotions of a year off from touring into a fifteen-song set that would have blown the roof off the venue if the venue wasn’t already outdoors but you know what I mean. Of course, no Lifehouse show would be complete without fan-favorite “Hanging by a Moment” which served as the cherry on top of a wonderful night of music, food, beer, and great times by all.
I left wearily happy and ready to see what day two would bring. Stay tuned.
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