Saturday May, 13th Houstonians were yet again blessed with another kick-ass annual Buzzfest hosted at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion by the one and only Houston’s rock and alternative radio station, 94.5 The Buzz. Despite it being one of the worst weather days for a semi-outside rock festival, us music fanatics were not going to let that bother us… rain or shine we were ready to have a blast with this year’s fire lineup. Gates opened at 2PM and fans were already rolling in along with the pouring rain. I was a bit skeptical on how this evening was going to go since the weather app was saying it was going to be continuous off and on rainfall for the whole entire afternoon. All I knew was that I was ready, either way, with my cameras in hand and nothing was going to stop me unless they obviously canceled the show. This year’s lineup was also one I was super stoked about with Godsmack, I Prevail, Highly Suspect, The Struts, Giovannie & The Hired Guns, The Warning, and Houston’s very own Rozy. Everyone was excited for what was in store for the evening to come, merch was being bought, drinks were being poured, and shit was about to get REAL.
The Warning was next and I was also extremely stoked to see these girls again. The three wickedly talented Mexican rock sister’s are becoming more and more huge and I couldn’t be more proud of them… so when I saw they were on this year’s Buzzfest lineup I literally jumped in excitement for them. As soon as they joined the stage the crowd was raging and singing right along with them. I’m sure the lovely Villereal sisters gained even more of a following after their energy packed filled set. Ending with songs “Disciple” and “Evolve” The Warning once again proved how much they deserve to be huge… Their performances get better and better every time I see them. Check these girls out guys! I promise you will be blown away.
As more rain poured in, the thought of the festival being canceled became more and more worrisome, attendees were told to take shelter under the large pavilion due to small lightning around the area. But that didn’t stop Giovannie & The Hired Guns, who were ready to jump around on stage and distract the crowd with an epic set. Playing various songs including “Bad Habits”, “I Don’t Mind”, and “Ramon Ayala” The Country / Rock Texas based gurus were giving us all a wild ride of fun and i couldn’t help but notice how much of a fan base these dudes had there supporting them through their show.
Following Giovannie & The Hired Guns was another full throttle, energy filled, wired band who I am ALWAYS stoked to see and photograph, The Struts. These British rock stars are always on point and ready to put on some entertainment and man do these guys deliver just that. Bringing on a nine song setlist including “Body Talks”, “Dirty Sexy Money”, “Put Your Money On Me”, and “Wild Child”, Vocalist (and also literally one of my favorite humans ever) Luke Spiller was electrifying, bubbly, frisky, and more with how active he was throughout it all. Running back and forth from each side of the stage reminded me of just how determined not only Luke, but all of the awesome Struts guys are with giving their fans one hell of a performance. Not only are they one of my favorite bands to see live, but also to photograph… I mean, the photos don’t lie… you can clearly see the energy radiating through them.
Massachusetts rock studs, Highly Suspect was up next, and also another band I was screaming with excited to see again. This time the rain was finally settling down for a bit, so getting drenched again wasn’t on the schedule for this part of the afternoon. Thankfully, since I was finally starting to dry off from the downpour I endured before. Frontman and vocalist Johnny Stevens rattled up his fans with starting song “Bath Salts” As I looked back around me I saw the swarm of humans wearing their MCID (My Crew Is Dope) merch, which is absolutely a Highly Suspect sort of ritual with their fans from their first album. Even i have a MCID hat from years ago, seeing that they still have that as their sort of logo these days is pretty awesome. Continuing their set with some of my personal favorites “Lydia”, “Serotonia”, and ending with “Pink Lullabye” Highly Suspect put on a phenomenal show and had everyone in the crowd singing and screaming alongside them.
As the sky got moody again, It was now time for the metalcore extremists I Prevail. I’m pretty sure over 70% of the attendees were mainly excited to see these guys, as I heard many people throughout the afternoon rant on and on about how much I Prevail is “the best band on the planet”. As a huge metalcore fan myself, I was ready to finally get some headbanging in and witness some crazy intense moshing, and we all know I Prevail is going to bring you up and out of your chair and rip your face off during their shows. It’s pretty much impossible to not be moving around while these guys are up on stage. Playing many hits through their vast catalog including “Bow Down”, “Body Bag”, “FWYTYK”, and “Deep End” these dudes were absolutely crushing it on stage. Finally that particular energy I’ve been feening for! Everyone was jamming out, there wasn’t one person who wasn’t at least nodding their head. Unfortunately things abruptly hit a halt after “Choke” and once again the weather was back and angry and led to the ending of their shortened set and the crowd to find shelter. I felt really bad for these guys as they were giving their all during their performance, but obviously they had to make the right call, and the weather didn’t seem like it was giving in.
After a weather break and a small delay, us photographers were told the show would still go on, so it was finally starting to sink in that I was about to finally, after years of dreaming and manifesting, be able to photograph one of my favorite bands, Godsmack. To say I was thrilled is an understatement. I’ve been listening to Godsmack since I was nine years old. Literally nine. With both my father and uncle being huge fans and listening to them constantly, I guess it was bound to happen that I, also, would become a hardcore fan throughout my childhood years. Right there, in the photo pit, was little Krystie geeking out about the fact that she was as close as she was ever about to get to Godsmack. The lights went dark for a split second and next thing I knew, it was time to witness the powerful greatness that masterminds Godsmack brings to us fans, and the first song blasting throughout our eardrums was “When Legends Rise”. Instantly the crowd was the most insane I saw that afternoon, and EVERYONE was out of their seats with their metal horns in the air. Following many jams including “Crying Like A Bitch”, “Soul On Fire”, “BulletProof” and more, Vocalist Sully Erna was grabbing us all by our throats and taking us one one hell of a ride. Blazing fire, lights, heat, raging screams, and more and it was only halfway through the set. It was definitely the most fun I’ve had in a long time and I’m pretty dang sure I am not the only one to say that. Following with Sully’s iconic Drum solo and even more fire, Godsmack once again outdid themselves with an epic performance and ended the night with long awaited fan favorite encores “Surrender” and “I Stand Alone”. I can’t even put into words how unbelievably amazeballs these dudes are, even after decades they are still just as tight and incredible as ever… just with much more fire.
Buzzfest 2023 was definitely one for the books. We had our few delayed moments but overall everything still seemed to go smoothly and everyone had a blast. I’m pretty sure everyone eventually forgot about the rain and made the best of it anyways. 10/10 will always recommend attending a buzzfest, it’s truly one of the best rock events and I’m extremely grateful 94.5 makes sure us Houstonians get one every year.
Godsmack
I Prevail
Highly Suspect
The Struts
Giovannie & The Hired Guns
The Warning
Rozy
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