Chris Stelmak
Rattaya Nimibutr
Staff Writers
Review
It was that time again Saturday, when KTBZ (107.5 FM, The Buzz) stepped up to the plate and offered a string-line of bands that blended into one giant mosh pit at the ever-popular Woodlands Pavilion as the radio station celebrated its fourth year of basic rock and booze.
Cool for August kicked off the sold-out Buzz Festival '98 on the main stage and, just like several other bands that came after them, seemed to attract little of the crowd's attention. Let's just say everyone had to satisfy the heat with beer, beer and more beer before big names like Foo Fighters and Spacehog graced the stage much later in the breezy day.
Mighty Joe Plum was the next act to take charge. Its folk rock style was typified in the radio single "Irish," and needless to say the four-man band fell into the same trap that most of the other main stage acts fell into: Every song simply flew by, one after another, unnoticed.
Big Wreck, Black Lab and Creed descended into the same crumbly mosh pit of mediocrity. Each act had one notable song, but they hardly advanced further than that. The simple metallic offerings were not as horribly bad as some of the earlier acts, but something just didn't quite click.
A sad remembrance of the '80s came via Houston's own The Hunger, who illustrated that if a band was showy enough there was no need for good music.
Members jumped around on-stage to the heavy rock style they played, all the while trying to pass themselves off as an electronica act by the use of occasional keyboards. Electronica? The Hunger? We don't think so.
The main stage woke up when Our Lady Peace successfully kicked some life into the proceedings. The band's several hit singles drove the crowd wild, giving them exactly what they wanted to hear.
The show's main attraction, the Foo Fighters, ripped into a frenzied, screechy style of music. Lead singer Dave Grohl was obviously the focus of the band, as his repeated screams at the end of each tune distinguished him from the rest. Those antics, though, got very old very quickly.
The four-man band brought in a heavier, unrefined touch to the main stage show. Despite poppy singles, most of Foo Fighters' music was rough-edged rock with a good mix of the lighter stuff.
The anti-climax of the festival came when impromptu final act Spacehog stepped out to an empty venue and general-admission hill. The energized band did not give up easily, though, and they played well enough before burned-out concert-goers and brought the day to a close.
The sidestage offered a taste of some local music. The small, unusual-shaped stage was deeper than it was wide and proved more interesting than the main stage for the first half of the day. Limited to 20 minutes each, the music kicked off with Face Plant, who only had a chance to sing a few numbers.
Decked out in suits, Riverfenix immediately followed. The band had no trouble pulling together a large crowd with its rock-influenced, swing style. The crowd and the obviously irritated band members were both left wanting more.
Train In Vain slid in for the side show, followed by Bluebird, a surprising act to see at Buzz Festival. The music had a very rough edge, uncharacteristic for an event put on by a radio station.
The variety of the sidestage really showed through with Los Skarnales. The local act's ska stylings encouraged generous dancing instead of the mosh pits that had dominated the early part of the day. The Latino leanings of the music as well as the Spanish lyrics really made the band stand out from the rest.
Sadly, the talent on the main stage did not rise in equal intensity until too late in the day, with too many people too drunk to notice.