Once fans established their own dizzying schedule of shows, band signings at merch booths, food, skate events and all of the other activities/opportunities throughout the punk rock tent city, the day properly kicked off. I was personally crushed to have been caught in traffic during Rhymesayers rapper Grieves' performance not long after gates opened, but by all accounts he killed his set, pulling from his excellent new album Together/Apart (read our review) before appearing later with MC Lars, as well as Big Chocolate.

 

After August Burns Red's series of studio video blogs on CraveOnline documenting the recording of their fourth album, I was eager to see them in action onstage. They didn't disappoint, with a massively well-received set that showcased the band's airtight rhythm section and guttural vocal power.

Though I've been quite vocal in the past about Pepper's particularly prominent similarity in style to the Red Hot Chili Peppers & Sublime, the band put on an undeniably high-octane show that elicited the loudest girl-screams from the crowd thus far in the day. Their beach-rock anthems and jumpy choruses made for a fine mix with the ocean mist that would pass through every so often, but after a dozen minutes or so I found myself wishing Bradley Nowell were still around as I headed to check out Attack Attack! at the Taggart stage.

Post-hardcore electronic-infused rockers Enter Shikari made far and away the most permanent impression of the day, with a set sporting the explosive energy of a Prodigy show and the unpredictable, terrifying thrill of a nighttime run through a jungle with escaped insane asylum prisoners.

Frontman Rou Reynolds careened spastically across the stage and launched into the crowd in dedicated leaps, as guitarist Rory Clewlow and bassist Chris Batten alternated between riding atop one another's shoulders and doing front flips offstage into the adoring audience, barely missing a note despite rampant rock-acrobatics.

I left the Enter Shikari pit to the pummeling live-remix sounds of "Havoc A" and began to make my way to the next act when Reynolds announced a brand new song. I was locked mid-step as the band launched into what  Rage Against The Machine had Rage would sound like had they been white, British and raised on metal. Pulverizing, galloping aggression shrouded wildly unpredictable arrangements and sonic direction, and the reaction from the crowd was an utter blur of flailing bodies and pumping fists. If you don't know who Enter Shikari are, find them. See them live. You owe it to yourself.

3OH!3, regulars on the tour four years in, gave the audience exactly what they came for, while SoCal stalwarts Unwritten Law took to the Tilly's stage to do what they do best in front of a packed crowd.

Newcomers The Feaver fared well on the lesser-than Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands stage, enthusiastically egging on the small group gathered to watch them into an jumping frenzy. Florida punk outfit Against Me! shredded the afternoon away, showcasing cemented confidence in new drummer Jay Weinberg.