FMX Birthday Bash branded blast

by Schuyler Clark, staff writer

27th Annual FMX Birthday Bash Branded a Blast

Local radio station KFMX-FM in Lubbock assembled an amalgam of modern rock and roll to celebrate its anniversary this year.

I'm not exactly sure precisely when the actual birthday is, because the Birthday Bash is held at a different time every year.  But one thing is for sure, and that is the 27th Annual Birthday Bash on Feb 29 at the Lone Star Pavilion was a complete success. 

Gates opened at 5 p.m, and the show started out slow, featuring lesser-known, local bands such as Cult to Follow, Bury Your Dead, and Another Black Day.  They all did their part to add to a fantastic rock show.  A highly-anticipated Fair to Midland took the stage almost halfway through the evening and rocked the stage in a great display of guitar-playing finesse and astounding drum solos. 

After they had warmed the crowd up good, they bid farewell and relinquished the floor to the first headliner. A very successful and unbelievably rockin' Nonpoint went on first,  blowing the minds of many in the crowd for almost an hour.  By this time there were plenty of drunk people. One guy who climbed the rafters to get closer was forcibly removed by security guards, providing additional entertainment. 

The crowd got even wilder as the next headliner, Hurt, took the stage.  Everybody was screaming and dancing, just flat out rockin' their hearts out. The raw energy of the massive crowd was amazing, and it only got wilder from there.

By the time the main headliner, Hellyeah, came out, everybody was running on pure adrenaline, among other things.  The heavy metal tirade was readily accepted by the crowd, and lead singer Chad Grey worked and manipulated some like puppets. 

When the time came for moshing and getting more rowdy than what was expected, some responded to an incredible influx of good ole' fashioned heavy metal rock and roll that resulted in a massive pool of flailing, swirling bodies and appendages.   By the time Grey and his crew of musical miscreants left the stage, everybody was so drained, both physically and mentally, that they looked like a massive group of sweaty penguins leaving the gates, waddling and everything. 

Only an occasional passerby would still be pumped and yelling and jumping around. But for the most part, everybody just talked among themselves about the crazy, cool night that they just experienced. 

Half an hour later, the last remnants came through an IHOP in Lubbock, easily distinguishable by the sweaty hair and ripped clothes. But most of all, they had the wide, bright, and tired smile of having just experienced an excellent rocker night.