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Bunbury 2018: Highs and Lows

The Bunbury music festival has been attracting music fans to Cincinnati for seven years now by hosting a variety of popular music acts from across genres. This year, the three-day-long music festival had it’s ups and downs, but overall was an enjoyable time.

Friday

Friday was dampened not only by rain, but by the cancelation of Blink-182 just days before the festival. This certainly left fans of the rock band who had already purchased their passes to the event disgruntled. Brian Sella, guitarist and vocalist of the band, The Front Bottoms, tried to make light of the situation during his set.

“Everyone excited for Blink-182?” joked Sella. The audience was not amused and responded with boo’s.

Rockband, Fitz and the Tantrums, delivered a highly energetic performance that afternoon that drew in a large crowd and got the crowd moving.

Young the Giant gave a great, perhaps under-appreciated performance, overshadowed by one of the faults of Bunbury- the concerts overlap causing audience members to leave a set early or miss a show entirely to secure a good spot for another act. Lead singer, Sameer Gadhia, mentioned that the band will be putting out new music next month.

The Chainsmokers, who have spent a good amount of time in the Top 40 lately, finished the night with a surprisingly aggressive performance, complete with lasers, fire and F-bombs galore. It seems the DJ duo rely on production value and hype to compensate for not having instrumental talent to perform.

Saturday

Pop band, Misterwives, gave an energetic and thoroughly entertaining performance early in the afternoon. Lead singer Mandy Lee effortlessly bounced around stage in the heat while showcasing her incredible vocal range. The chemistry between the band members and their energy made Misterwives one of the best live performances of the weekend.

A R I Z O N A, a band from New Jersey, drew in a large audience Saturday afternoon that overfilled the amphitheater style CVG River stage.

Foster the People stood out Saturday night, even though lead singer may have tried a bit too hard to deliver some deep exposition between songs. The band played their old hits including “Pumped Up Kicks” as well as new breakout songs including “Sit Next to Me.”

Rock band, Incubus, delivered a loud and thrilling show to wrap up Saturday night.

Sunday

Manchester Orchestra delivered a great performance showcasing their incredible instrumental talent and brilliant rock compositions that have gained them a solid fanbase.

Rapper, Post Malone, known for his hits, “Psycho,” and “Rockstar,” drew in the largest and most excited crowd of the weekend. The artist performed while both drinking a beer and smoking, saying he was on the same level as his audience. The performer mentioned before his song, “I Fall Apart,” that the inspiration for it came from a woman who broke his heart, prompting an agressive chant from the crowd towards the unnamed woman.

“Y’all just might hate her more than I do,” said Post Malone.

Another rockstar, Jack White, ended the festival with an excellent performance showcasing his talent with guitar that has made him a rock legend.

Bunbury is a great opportunity to see artists you like and discover ones you’re less familiar with all in one place. While it is by no means a perfect event, it’s good fun, especially if you go with friends with similar music tastes.

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