Apr 26

Apr 26 Festival Review: Dance Gavin Dance's Swanfest at Heart Health Park in Sacramento

Swanfest 2022
w/ Dance Gavin Dance, Animals as Leaders, Knocked Loose, Movements, Anthony Green, The Fall Of Troy, A Skylit Drive (Original Lineup), and more
Heart Health Park
Sacramento, CA
April 23rd, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

When Dance Gavin Dance’s second annual ‘Swanfest’ was announced, the world was truly different. Originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, the second edition of the one-day festival was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the festival returned to a venue with a new name (Heart Health Park), a brand-new roster (featuring acts like Animals as Leaders, Knocked Loose, and The Fall of Troy) and a modified lineup. It was only days before the festival was to take place that the members of Dance Gavin Dance announced that tragic passing of longtime bassist Tim Feerick. To say that the Sacramento rock act’s hour-long set was emotional for all those in attendance would be an understatement.

As fans entered the festival grounds around 12 PM, they were greeted with a billboard adorned with a larger-than-life photo of the late bass player. While the circumstances this year were sadder than the last time Swanfest took place, there was a palpable feeling in the air that amplified the age-old sentiment of “the show must go on.” It was clear from every band that took the stage that day, beginning with Moon Tooth (who are currently opening for Dance Gavin Dance on their North American tour). In fact, nearly every band on the lineup brought their A-game, whether they were decimating the mosh pits or creating a chilled-out atmosphere with lush instrumentals.

A majority of the heavier acts ushered in the main stage, with absolutely crushing sets from the likes of Kublai Khan, Fire From The Gods, Volumes, and Veil of Maya. Progressive metalcore act Born of Osiris also put on a great performance, despite being plagued by various technical difficulties. Even with these issues, they persevered and got the crowd moving. The side stage brought forth a more eclectic mix of acts, ranging from post-hardcore to experimental rock. Royal Coda and Eidola were both incredibly entertaining to watch, both of which feature guitarist Sergio Medina, who is currently filling on bass duties for Dance Gavin Dance. Medina’s stage presence in both bands is exhilarating and elevated these songs even further.

One of my favorite performances of the day came from SeeYouSpaceCowboy, an up-and-coming metalcore act that channels the MySpace era of bands like Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Devil Wears Prada, and Greeley Estates, while still making something entirely new. Every member of the band plays with their heart on their sleeve, and it was refreshing to finally witness this band in person after hearing about them for so long.

As the sun hit its highest point in the sky, sensational artists like Covet Anthony Green, Movements, and Hail The Sun gave it everything they had, with the latter putting on one of the best performances of the entire festival. Hail The Sun vocalist Donovan Melero commanded the crowd that had flocked to the side stage to witness one of post-hardcore’s rising stars, and the Chico-based quartet gave them one of the best performances I’ve ever seen them give.

I mentioned the term “MySpace era” earlier in this article. You don’t get more “MySpace era” than the side stage headliners, A Skylit Drive (or ASD) and The Fall of Troy. After disbanding nearly a decade ago, the founding members of ASD returned to the stage for their first performance. The return of this original lineup marked an important moment for this scene, as this also meant that vocalist Jordan Blake would be returning to the mix. Blake was only featured on the band’s 2007 EP She Watched The Sky, which they played in its entirety. I’m not sure if the crowd around me appreciated this moment as much as I did, but my god it was so good to see them back at it. For their first show back in years, they didn’t sound half bad. The latter act I mentioned, The Fall Of Troy, brought the festivities at the side stage to a close, featuring some of that afternoon’s best musicians, traversing their way through a mix of mathcore and progressive hardcore goodness before the crowd made their way over to the main stage.

One of the best acts of the day, hands down, came from Knocked Loose. Since they released their 2016 album, Laugh Tracks, on Pure Noise Records, this band has been become an unstoppable force, almost always making themselves the standout of any show they’re playing. For nearly forty minutes, the crowd was at their mercy as they barreled through a procession of hardcore breakdowns. Crowd surfers were flung over the barricade and into the hands of security guards as the sun began to set against the Sacramento skyline.

A shift in the atmosphere occurred when Animals as Leaders, an entirety instrumental three-piece act, took the stage for the main support slot. It might seem odd that one of the “calmer” acts on the lineup would take the stage before the headliner; you’d want the energy throughout the venue to be approaching its peak prior to the main act of the day. However, I thought this choice worked; Animals as Leaders are all incredible musicians and it’s enamoring to watch them play. It gave everyone a second to take pause, gather their emotions before Dance Gavin Dance’s set, and just enjoy some really great music.

Close to 10 PM, the day’s main event took the stage to a roar of applause from their hometown crowd. The band dove headfirst into the live debut of “Synergy”, from their upcoming album Jackpot Juicer. Dance Gavin Dance are an interesting band in that they have different eras, all marked by the inclusion of different vocalists. There was the Jonny Craig era, the Kurt Travis era, and now the Tillian Pearson era (which I believe to be the band’s final form). Most songs came from the albums that Pearson has been featured on, but it was a nice surprise to hear tracks like “Uneasy Hearts Weigh The Most” from their self-titled and “Lemon Meringue Tie” from the band’s debut album, Downtown Battle Mountain. Even from the very back of the stadium, you could feel the crowd react when that opening guitar riff kicked in.

As I mentioned, I ended up sitting in the back of the stadium for the last half of their set. There were moments when I thought that Pearson’s microphone was cutting out. It was only until later that evening that a colleague remarked to me that the band’s sound system was perfectly fine, but it went quiet during certain moments because he was crying. It was a highly emotional set, and among every missed line, every vocal inflection, every hit of the drums, there was a pent-up release of energy and emotion that I don’t think I’ve ever seen at a show. Understanding the circumstances surrounding the show, it makes perfect sense. You could feel the release of the band’s pain that night, and the fans were right there with them.

The band barely spoke throughout the hour long set, other than the occasional “Thank you, Swanfest”. The show ended rather abruptly after they finished with the heavy-hitting song “We Own The Night”. The crowd filtered out of the stadium, smiles on their faces as they made their way back to the cars. As I walked out, I took once last glance back at the photo of Tim Feerick that was posted at the entrance. I smiled. In a weird way, I feel like Tim was there the entire day. Swanfest wasn’t a sad affair; it was a celebration of music, a celebration of life and of the music that Feerick played a part in helping create over this last decade. He wasn’t gone. Wherever he is, I know that he’s proud.

Dance Gavin Dance Set List
Synergy (live debut)
Lyrics Lie
Prisoner
Head Hunter
Summertime Gladness
One In A Million
Suspended In This Disaster
Uneasy Hearts Weigh The Most
Chucky Vs. The Giant Tortoise
Count Bassy
Strawberry’s Wake
Man of the Year

Encore:
Lemon Meringue Tie
We Own The Night