Last night, 107.7 The End threw its annual mini music festival at KeyArena with a lineup eight bands strong and attractive enough to gather multiple generations. There were 16-year-olds out of school early to catch openers Royal Blood at 3 p.m. to 30-somethings straight from work to see TV on the Radio or Weezer. Yet those big headliners weren’t the only heavy hitters on stage last night; up-and-comers Royal Blood wowed the crowd, as did fest favorites Young the Giant, drum-heavy indie rockers Kongos, and crazy crowd surfers Cage the Elephant. Aussie sweetheart Vance Joy and a finale with Imagine Dragons seemed to please the audience as well.
While Imagine Dragons made an excited announcement that they had just finished a new album (and had actually been listening to the final mix right before getting on stage), Weezer was the winner of the night. Ending its set with “Undone – The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly” sealed the evening with a kiss of ‘90s alt-rock nostalgia. With as solid as roster as ever, this annual event, now 24 years in the running, looks to be a festive holiday tradition for some time to come.