Bowling For Soup: Keeping The Energy High At Download!
Pop-punk legends BOWLING FOR SOUP are no strangers to playing to massive crowds all over the world, but at their two sets across Download Festival weekend, they had a duty to fulfil. After two days of solid rain and mud, they had to uplift the energy at their midnight acoustic set, and keep the party vibes going all the way through Sunday afternoon.
Of course, if any band is going to bring the positivity, it’s them. Speaking to their fairly new (at least for a band who’ve been around almost thirty years) bassist Rob Felicetti, a natural storyteller, details Download weekend. “The whole place was a giant mud pit, and we were told we should wear those big rubber boots… what do you call them? Wellies? I woke up in the morning and there was just this row of these boots with our names on them. I was like, well that was really nice they thought that through, but I’m thinking, how bad can it be? The second I step out of the van, I sink into the mud.”
Their first show of the weekend was an acoustic performance at midnight in the Doghouse Stage, right in the middle of the campsite on Saturday night. The day before, their guitarist Chris Burney had to go home due to a medical emergency, and the band spent two entire days at Download, waiting to play a show. “I was getting kind of antsy to play, and we were under the impression it was a pop-up acoustic near where the camping was done.”
While he explains that he doesn’t tend to get nervous before shows, they were questioning how they were going to entertain 10,000 festival goers without bringing the mood down with an acoustic set, and the sheer size of the stage was definitely a surprise. BOWLING FOR SOUP shows are designed to be fun and chaotic, and Rob and their singer Jaret Reddick loved the challenge of keeping everybody engaged. “We were lighting off fire and confetti just ‘cause we thought it would be funny for an acoustic set, and it ended up being awesome. We always expect fun and a good time, but this exceeded our expectations because it was this huge thing that we didn’t know that we were walking into.”
The next day, the band start preparing for their performance on the main Apex Stage, a perfect afternoon slot between other legendary bands. At this point, Rob has played so many different shows that nerves don’t really come into it, but he was aware of the gravity of the moment, and the way that the band are icons to the Download audience. He jokes, “our dressing room is right next to our buddies in SUM 41, so that was comforting. Things like that kind of keep you grounded.”
As they wait to walk on stage, he has a little moment of realisation of ‘oh cool. We’re going to do this. Here we go’. Quickly, this moment is shattered by the rush to switch his wellies with cooler sneakers while their introduction is playing. As they begin with the iconic Girl All The Bad Guys Want, accompanied by the first bit of sun all weekend, the atmosphere is electric, with a huge crowd singing every word. The entire set has this energy, with the band throwing around their usual jokes between each other and to the crowd. Because Download has the 30 foot screens in the middle of the crowd, Rob can see himself the entire time, and plays a game of trying to make himself laugh throughout the set. As the show ends, the band leave the stage, and the first person Rob bumps into is Fred Durst from LIMP BIZKIT, who is lovely, of course, and aptly labels the band ‘badass’.
Of course, playing such a huge show without their guitarist Chris really changed the dynamic. Rob explains that while they could have asked somebody to learn the parts and fill in, it just wouldn’t have been the same. “We definitely missed Chris. If someone else was up there it just would not have been BOWLING FOR SOUP. I know that’s ironic coming from the new guy in the band, but it’s just the reality of it.” From seeing them live, it’s obvious that the bond between the members of the band is what makes them work so well, and the fact that they are so clearly best friends is part of what makes them so fun to watch. Rob says, “we’re one of the few bands who actually want to spend time together when we’re touring, we don’t just separate. Chris was very insistent that we play these shows without him, and we we’re just happy to do it, and his attitude was great about it.”
At this stage in their career, BOWLING FOR SOUP have achieved literally everything they ever dreamed of, plus some random but incredible side quests, including writing songs for multiple cartoons and playing in the International Space Station, AKA literally having their music play in space. There isn’t much left to do, but this gives them the chance to dream of even crazier things. “We’d have to play in Antarctica or something. Maybe somewhere else crazy, like an aircraft carrier, or a submarine.” While it’s not quite on that level, they do have another UK tour coming up with WHEATUS, which they teased by playing Teenage Dirtbag at Download, and Rob promises that every show will be a party. “Everyone shows up and bought a ticket to have a good time, and that’s the only thing we want to deliver on.”
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