The So What?! music festival, which featured a stacked and diverse lineup, returned to the beloved venue in Dallas, Texas.
The annual So What?! music festival, which features a variety of rock and rap artists, occurred this past weekend in Dallas, Texas. The festival spanned over three days, which incorporated a night of kickoff shows around the Dallas area on Friday and two full festival days at Fair Park on Saturday and Sunday. This year’s headliners included Pierce the Veil, The Used, Sleeping With Sirens, and Neck Deep.
On Friday night, I attended the So What?! kickoff show at Trees in Deep Ellum. Local pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids was the headliner, and the openers were Penny Bored, Jarrett Adlof, 408, and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. This was my first time going to a show at the famous Trees venue, and the atmosphere made me nostalgic for the days that I would regularly go to intimate rock shows in Deep Ellum while in high school. I unfortunately missed the first two acts, but got to the venue right before 408 took the stage. 408, an alternative band from Orlando, Florida, performed a high energy set that got the audience head banging along with them. Next up, iconic rock band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus played a majority of their hit album Don’t You Fake It, and a cover of Blink-182’s “All The Small Things”. The last act of the night, Forever the Sickest Kids, performed a mixture of their well known songs including “She’s A Lady,” “Whoa Oh! (Me vs Everyone),” and “Nikki.” During the set, the band interacted with the fans and gave out free merch, and the crowd sang along to every word. This was my first time seeing 408 and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and my third time seeing Forever the Sickest Kids, and each band expressed their gratitude to the So What?! team for inviting them as well as to the attendees for selling out the show.
In the early evening on Saturday, I made my way to the festival with two of my friends. The process for getting the wristbands that were required for entry was relatively easy, with the option of picking up the wristbands early a few days before the festival at a local venue or the day of at the front gates. Since the festival takes place during the hot Texas summer, attendees were allowed to bring an empty water bottle which can be refilled at the free water stations. After filling up our water bottles, my friends and I headed to our first set of the night at the Jack Daniel’s stage. Electronic music duo Breathe Carolina opened with a snippet of their popular track “Blackout” to get the crowd hyped up. The band went on to play several songs from their wide discography, and even brought out singer Danny Worsnop to perform “Sellouts”. After the set, we cooled off inside and checked out the merchandise.
To my knowledge, every artist on the lineup that day had their own merch booth that featured t-shirts, posters, stickers, and more. There were also several brands, such as Mosh It Up and Smart Punk Records, who were selling a variety of products. After we were done shopping, we sat in the lawn area outside and watched Forever the Sickest Kids’ fun and lively set. Afterwards, we grabbed tacos, drinks, and snow cones.
As the sun went down, we joined the thousands of other excited attendees to watch Pierce the Veil’s set. The band played a compilation of tracks from their hit albums Selfish Machines, Collide With The Sky, and The Jaws of Life. During their performance of “Hold On Till May”, lead singer Vic Fuentes brought a fan on stage so the crowd could serenade her, and even gave her his guitar.
Overall, So What?! fest made for an unforgettable weekend. Seeing all of the bands and music lovers being brought together in a safe space reminded me of the days when Warped Tour took over the summer. As a former emo girl, it was very fulfilling to see several of the bands that dominated my playlists when I was younger live in person. I will definitely be attending So What?! again next year, and I am excited to see what the future holds!
I currently live in Dallas, TX and work as a content creator. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2021 with a degree in Radio, Television, and Film. My top three artists are The 1975, Hippo Campus, and Fall Out Boy. In my free time I love to take photos, listen to music, and explore the city with my friends!
