2019 Disrupt Festival in Austin

Texas played host to the birth of a new Summer Touring Festival this past weekend as the first ever Disrupt Festival took over the Austin 360 Amphitheater on Saturday, June 22^nd. The all-day event featured 10 of the top bands in the Alternative/Post-Hardcore genres including Thrice, Memphis May Fire, Hyro The Hero, Circa Survive, Four Year Strong, Trophy Eyes, and finally The Used as the day’s headliners. Split between two stages (Mainstage/Second Stage), with each artist having a designated time and no overlap, the inaugural Disrupt Fest essentially felt like the combination of the now-defunct Warped Tour and Mayhemfest. The ultimate product was a sort of curated Warped Tour with Mayhemfest’s bone structure; and it kind of works. Every artist had a chance to shine, from new-coming Rap-Artist Hyro The Hero, or Pop singer Juliet Simms, to Metalcore firebrands Sleeping With Sirens. Best of all for the acts at the top of the bill it felt like a proper ascension to their Amphitheater performances. Bands like The Story So Far and Memphis May Fire felt graduated under the spotlight of the Amphitheater stage, and Circa Survive exerted enough energy to completely steal the show. Thrice’s already stunning performance was elevated to glossy perfection in front of a massive audience, and The Used brought a massive light show and were given ample room to go truly wild! Whereas the Warped Tour felt like a buffet of bands leaving their Rock Star egos at the door, Disrupt Festival is a vehicle designed to elevate these incredible artists into Super-Stardom. The night came to a roaring close when The Used were joined by Sleeping With Siren’s Kellin Quinn for the band’s seminal hit, Box Of Sharp Objects.