Edgefest 2's Smaller Acts Upstage The Headliners

If Edgefest 1 brought the rock, Edgefest 2 definitely brought the punk. Or pop-punk, anyway.

Focusing on one genre instead of a mixed bag like previous years produced uneven results, but young punks flocked to the Molson Amphitheatre to see a wide array of mainstream and underground punk talent.

One of the great things about going with the all-pop-punk lineup was that smaller bands like Johnny Truant and Cancer Bats got to play in front of bigger audiences. I got to the Bedlam Society/Dine Alone/Distort Stage just in time to see Johnny Truant play their last song. It was a shame I missed the rest of the set, as they seemed to be working up a hell of a sweat, and so did those in the miniature mosh pit in front of them.

Cancer Bats followed and, after seeing them for the umpteenth time, I can easily say you can't get tired of this band live. They played a great set in the blazing heat and it's not hard to envision them playing the main stage next year if they keep up their momentum.

Putting the easygoing indie rock of The Junction on after two heavy-hitting punk/metal bands was a lesson in juxtaposition that worked, as the crowd enjoyed a little bit of hip-swaying after all the moshing.

On the other side of the park was the Next Big Thing Stage, on which Magneta Lane played a captivating set. Their audience, however, was siphoned off to the main stage, as their set overlapped with the bigger bands on the bill.

The main stage is where the cracks in the festival started to show. While the smaller bands were varied and incorporated different styles of music, the headliners all sounded more or less the same.

Matchbook Romance played a lukewarm set and didn't do much to get the crowd interested. Off-key harmonies and flat vocals hindered MR's set, and even their actual fans didn't look excited.

Story Of The Year played the main stage last year and were easily one of the most entertaining bands on the bill. This year, however, they were significantly more subdued, probably as a result of constant touring. They kept their back flips and spin kicks to a minimum, but they were still the most energetic band on the main stage, with guitarist Ryan Phillips running into the stands during their hit, "Until The Day I Die."

Next up were Hawthorne Heights, whose massive appeal I don't really understand. The band play it so safe with lyrics focusing solely on break-ups and music that sounds like a dozen other bands'. Live, they don't do more than walk around the stage and lift up their guitars. There's absolutely no danger or excitement in their music, and their set epitomized mediocrity to the point where they made Story Of The Year look like Iggy And The Stooges.

Thankfully, The All-American Rejects had loads of stage presence. Even though their music is tailored for teenaged girls, frontman Tyson Ritter has the type of onstage persona that gets even the most jaded crowd member singing along. A-AR mostly stuck to their singles and closed with "Move Along," which resulted in an arena-wide singalong.

It seemed an odd choice to make Yellowcard the headliners, seeing as they're no more popular than the other bands on the main stage, but the group took advantage of their top dog status and played a set filled with arena rock dramatics and witty banter from frontman Ryan Key. "Ocean Avenue" and "Lights And Sounds" translated perfectly to the open air environment, with even passive fans of the band chanting the choruses. The group may not have the most energy, but their songs were easily the most widely appealing of the night.

At the end of the day, if you were a fan of pop-punk, standing in the blazing heat and spending $20 for parking and $5 for a slice of pizza was more than worth it.