Bamboozle on the beach

Thank you Instagram for making this even prettier.

I spent this past weekend in Asbury Park, New Jersey for Bamboozle. Before I arrived, I had no idea that the festival would be on the beach. Seriously. This made the layout of the stages slightly confusing, but I got to dance to several of my favorite bands with my feet actually in the sand, so I'll overlook it.

My highlights of the weekend:

• Incubus. This band influenced my life more than any other, and seeing them live is always like a religious experience for me. Plus, hearing "Wish You Were Here" and realizing I could literally go dig my toes in the sand at that moment was just surreal.

Incubus playing "In The Company of Wolves"

• Watching people dance to Skrillex. Dubstep is really not my thing, but after watching these kids, I started to appreciate it just a tiny bit more. (There were even better moves going on before, but it was too dark for my camera at that point!)

• Motion City Soundtrack. To be honest, I haven't really kept up with their latest albums (I know, shame!) but they consistently put on a fun, energetic show that's not to be missed.
• The All-American Rejects. I don't know what I love more, the music or Tyson Ritter's habit of changing the words to their songs. He is easily one of the most entertaining frontmen I've ever seen.
• Jimmy Eat World. Do I really need to elaborate on this? They're a fantastic band and they always put on a beautiful show. They've been around for almost two decades for a reason.
• Foo Fighters. I only know a couple of their albums, but this band is just a must-see live act. In an industry full of computers and Auto-Tune, it is so refreshing to see true rock 'n roll like this.

I didn't stay for Sunday, although I would have loved to catch Brand New and the Gaslight Anthem. Oh well. At the end of Saturday night, I had almost no voice left and my legs were barely holding out. Aside from being forced to sit through half a Mac Miller set, I'd call Bamboozle 2012 a great success.