Heavy Rain Could not Dampen Spirits at Wayback Pointfest

Sean Derrick September 3, 2019September 5, 2019 0 Comments Collective Soul, Everclear, Goldfinger, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Saint Louis, Living Colour, Saint Louis concert review and photos, Stir, The Urge, Wayback Pointfest

–by Sean Derrick

Fans came out in droves for the fourth installment of local radio station 105.7 The Point’s Wayback Pointfest on Saturday and left wet, but happy after going back in time for some great alternative rock.

A popular alternative to the annual Pointfests that have been a staple for the past 25 years, Wayback Pointfest provies fans a chance to see some of their favorite bands they grew up with in the 90’s kick it in a festival setting.

Stir performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre for Wayback Pointfest 2019. Photo by Sean Derrick/Thyrd Eye Photography.

This year’s lineup of eight bands alternating between two stages had a hometown feel as local favorites Stir and The Urge took prominent roles with high energy performances.

Stir’s set consisted of seven songs that included their breakthrough hit “Looking For” and a great rendition of the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.

Another local favorite Philip Sneed (AKA Moon) joined bandmates in Goldfinger as they cruised through a terrific set when a thunderstorm rolled through. When lightning was spotted in the area the decision was made to put the show on hold.

When lead vocalist John Feldman told the crowd that they were being forced into a break due to the lightning he led the crowd in showing their displeasure with a raucous “F**k you, lightning!” chant. That was actually one of the most amusing things I have seen at a show in quite a long time; thousands chanting and giving the middle finger salute to a bunch of clouds.

For nearly 45 minutes rain poured in and drenched thousands who weren’t under the cover of the pavilion.

The resulting delay caused the rest of the bands’ sets to be cut short to keep the show from going past the 11:00 pm city ordained curfew.

The Urge performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre for Wayback Pointfest 2019. Photo by Sean Derrick/Thyrd Eye Photography.

The crowd, antsy for The Urge to begin their set, began the usual chant of “PTMFUS” (Play that Mother F**kin’ Urge Shit!). To which Steve Ewing and company happily obliged. The squeezed in an 11-song set in 45 minutes that, of course, included fan favorites “Too Much Stereo”, “Jump Right In”, and “All Washed Up”.

Living Colour’s spirited show followed The Urge’s high energy show. For them it is nothing new, but it’s kind of hard to follow for a band that might not be that active. For Living Colour it was no problem as Corey Gover’s vocals and Vernon Reid’s guitar work were still electric and gave the crowd a stellar, albeit short, show.

Living Colour performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre for Wayback Pointfest 2019. Photo by Sean Derrick/Thyrd Eye Photography.

For headliners Collective Soul the evening was supposed to end with a 90-minute set from the boys from Georgia. However, they only had 60 minutes form which to squeeze as many songs as they could in. So, instead of a 17-song set Collective Soul could only fit in 10 songs.

Collective Soul performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre for Wayback Pointfest 2019. Photo by Sean Derrick/Thyrd Eye Photography.

Yes, fans missed out on Favorites like “Gel” and “Precious Declaration”, but I was most looking forward to hearing “Now’s the Time”, from their latest, and tenth, album BLOOD, which was just released in June. (It’s a kick-ass track very much in the vein of classic Collective Soul with a modern twist from a very solid album that most fans of the band would love.)

That’s not to say the set list that was played was less than stellar. On the contrary, it was compact, efficient, and hit hard. Vocalist E Roland (Formerly Ed) was magnificent with his delivery and flamboyantness (not a word, I know. But it fits.) The rest of the band (guitarists Dean Roland and Jesse Triplett, bassist Will Turpin, and drummer Johnny Rabb) were tight and sounded crisp with a raw edge.

The band delivered with it’s generous helpings of signature Collective Soul hooks and catchy choruses to fill the fans’ needs.

Some of the highlights included a killer cover of R.E.M.’s “The One I Love” with the help of the Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson, and wonderful performances of “The World I Know” and “December” to balance out the guitar driven signatures of the rest of the set. It was just the right amount of ballads to give the fans a breather as they rocked out to the likes of “Shine”, “Better Now”, and “Heavy”.