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Rating: The Bayfest is a punk rock festival that this year celebrates its third edition and takes place in Igea Marina, just north of Rimini, within the Parco Pavese setting. This third event features a truly impressive line-up (with headliners like Bad Religion, Pennywise, Rise Against, Face To Face, Good Riddance, and Ignite) and opens the days with various local bands (including Shandon, Vanilla Sky, Cattive Abitudini, Andead) that many would envy, significantly improving on past editions.
This is precisely the reason that drove me to travel so many kilometers just to be part of this great festival of music, sweat, and friendship. Because let's be honest, it would be a bit masochistic, having the sea just a stone's throw away, to embark on such an adventure on the Riviera in mid-August just to take a dip in a sea that even the locals consider mediocre and, moreover, full of private establishments.
For this three-day event, I will recount the days of August 14-15, having skipped the opening day.
August 14.
I arrive at the park around 6:40 PM, halfway through the performance of Andead, devoted to melodic punk rock. I've never heard them before, and this portion of the concert seems too little to express a true judgment.
A quick stage change, fortunately a constant, and Shandon, who reunited in 2015, take the stage and entertain the audience with their ska-punk, revisiting old hits.
With Shandon off the stage, things start to get serious with a great trio (Bad Religion – Pennywise – Good Riddance) confirming that this is the must-see highlight of the three nights.
Good Riddance may not have the epicness of Greg Graffin's band or Zoli "golden voice" Teglas, but Russ Runkin delivers tremendous energy, inciting a violent mosh pit. They play many old tracks, some from "Operation Phoenix" (their most hardcore album) including "Heresy, Hypocrisy and Revenge" and "Shadows of Defeat," flooding the atmosphere with adrenaline and driving the bpm to absolute levels.
They play three tracks from their latest successful "Peace on Our Time," completely ignoring "My Republic," their penultimate album, not even playing the expected "Darkest Days," which I think is a mistake. However, they do include "Letters Home," so I'm still happy, without neglecting other classics like "Last Believer," "Credit to his Gender," and "Weight of the World."
The set concludes with a frenetic Chuck, the guitarist, throwing his personal effects into the crowd before the customary final farewells.
It's a band born to perform live without filters, frills, or unnecessary additions. Definitely approved.
A brief wait and then the green light for the group from Hermosa Beach, opening with "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and continuing with a handful of tracks mainly from their 1990s albums. I particularly appreciated "Peaceful Day," the opener of "About a Time," and the eponymous "Pennywise," a track from their first album.
The distortions coming from Fletcher's infernal machine are truly powerful, reinforcing an almost thrash-like taste that overwhelms Jim Lindberg's voice, which never seems too loud.
What disappoints a bit about Pennywise is the lack of dynamism in the set list in recent years, with the same songs every time, though it doesn't bother me too much, being my first time. However, I still find it absurd that a band with ten studio albums often plays three or four covers per concert while neglecting significant pieces of their repertoire like "Date With Destiny" or "Time Marches On."
Approved, hoping they take more risks next time.
Bad Religion were the main reason I undertook a 10-hour journey involving car, plane, train, and bus, and slept in a closet masquerading as a room that seriously risked causing me claustrophobia and nearly cost me sleep for two days.
They are undoubtedly my favorite melodic hardcore band, and they did not disappoint, being in shape and inspired.
They have the advantage of drawing from an extensive repertoire of countless albums from 1982 onwards, and unlike Pennywise, they do so intelligently, offering a bit of everything from their albums without neglecting the big classics.
The beginning features the notes of the famous "American Jesus," one of the group's best-known tracks, interspersed with the professor’s interludes connecting one song to the next. The professor points, sings, and, as a good teacher, admonishes the participants with a joke about not moshing given the levels of sand raised in the air, which seems not to please him. But let's face it: what's more punk than a concert with moshing on the sand? And never mind if I, unaware of the place, didn’t even bring a spare pair of tennis shoes!
All the great classics are there, from "You," "I Want to Conquer the World," and "No Control" straight from the band's best album, to "Modern Man," "Anesthesia," and "Against The Grain" from the equally pivotal 1990 album, not forgetting the tender "Along The Way," the fabulous "Recipe for Hate," and "What Do You Want," which is, however, the only piece played from "Suffer." Excellent choices, nothing to say.
Among the more recent songs, "Sorrow" stands out, which, thanks to its catchy chorus, triggers a fantastic sing-along, "Los Angeles is Burning," introduced by Greg with a climatic comparison between their L.A. and the Riviera, and "New Dark Ages."
The closure could only be with "Fuck Armaggedon... This is Hell," introduced by Greg with a hint of melancholy, probably for all the years gone by.
Time continues to pass, but the professor’s lessons keep inspiring both on record (they could have played a few more pieces from the last two and removed "Atomic Garden," to say) and live.
Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion.
August 15
Due to traffic and an annoying headache, I miss Cattive Abitudini's performance and arrive in time to catch a couple of songs by Vanilla Sky, who play a few tracks, including "Break it Out" and a cover of "Just Dance," before bidding farewell. We'll see if the reunion leads to a new album.
Right on time at 7:20 PM, Ignite take the stage. Zoli demonstrates his talent, and the band delivers a stellar setlist, almost entirely focusing on the excellent "Our Darkest Days," performing tracks like "Let it Burn," "Fear is Our Tradition," the ballad "Better Days," "Poverty For All," and relegating "Bleeding" to a luxurious closure. The performance takes a pause for some Seashepard volunteers to enter and promote their environmental organization, which receives the singer's firm support.
Orange County shines, with the hope of seeing them play a larger number of songs next time because Ignite doesn’t deserve to play just half an hour.
Straight after, comes Anti-Flag from Pittsburgh. I have to admit I only know a handful of their songs and have never delved into them, not being a huge fan of the band. So, I take the opportunity to grab a sandwich and a beer and catch my breath, considering the accumulated fatigue over these days.
Regarding the performance, which I watch from a bench, it was probably among the most appreciated by the festival audience, who enjoyed the passion. The concert closes with the bassist playing among the crowd, a party within the party.
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By now, night has fallen on Igea Marina, the crowd is significant, and it's time to welcome Face to Face, a melodic hardcore band with quite some experience, considering they've been on the scene for over 25 years.
I have to admit I had never listened to them until 15 days before the concert, yet it didn't take long for me to appreciate them. All in all, they turn out to be the most pleasant surprise of the evening, not holding back during the hour allotted to them with their invective-filled, lightning-fast four-four meters, also giving space to tracks from their 2016 album like "Bent but not Broken" and "Double Crossed." The highlight moments for me are the performance of "I Want" and the melodic closure with "Disconnected," both from their successful debut "Don’t Turn Away," without neglecting other great tracks from their early albums like “You Lied” and "It’s Not Over." Rise Against should just take notes from Face to Face on what it means to play melodic without losing credibility.
If the headliners of the evening of the 14th were Bad Religion for obvious historical merits, for the night of Ferragosto, given the names in play and the following, the choice could only fall on the Chicago band. It was clear right from the start that things wouldn't be smooth sailing: the concert, scheduled to start at 11 PM, was delayed by about 15 minutes from the expected time, despite the Swiss punctuality in respecting all other performances' timings.
Now, it is essential to make a preamble regarding Rise Against. Until about 6 years ago, they were possibly my favorite band, and I adored their first four albums back in the day, but the subsequent studio efforts were disappointing, and considering their recent concert setlists, I was prepared and disillusioned about the fact that I wouldn’t hear the tracks I was attached to.
Aside from the annoying delay, the setlist as expected almost completely cuts off the first four albums except for "Give It All," "Like the Angel," and the acoustic "Swing Life Away," focusing on the latest albums, often featuring their most mediocre songs, which led to Rise Against’s transformation from being a respectable new face of the melodic hardcore scene to a banally generic ensemble from the liberticide and yuppie Leopolda.
Allegedly, a lackluster and unenthusiastic performance by Tim McIlrath and company, accompanied by unnecessary animated intermezzo footage that further took away from the performance time. And then they close with "Savior," which manages to make "Wolves" and "The Violence," tracks from the latest album, seem like undisputed cornerstones of their discography, and I think I've said it all.
From my side, they won't see another cent for a live show, little but sure given the direction taken.
In conclusion, I can say that the Bayfest experience was truly positive, thanks especially to the bands that played, the vast location just steps from the sea, the audience, and the organization. The only downsides surely are the prices (really not punk for food and drinks, with a small bottle of water at 2 euros) and the lack of variety in food options. While moshing on the sand can be fun and punk, there needs to be a solution in the future to make the air more breathable.
I can therefore go home happy and satisfied with this experience, which I intend to repeat, perhaps dreaming that one day even my land, which, although boasting high-profile festivals like Ypsigirock, could host such an event.
One thing is certain: punk with its culture and music is not dead at all; it exists and lives in all those people who, over these three days, filled the park with great brotherhood spirit, singing, jumping, and shouting in what was surely an event to be remembered for a long time.
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