The words “Beach Ball” conjure up images of sun, warmth, sand and water. Well Kansas City music lovers that headed to 96.5 the Buzz’s Beach Ball battled clouds, cold, mud and the threat of constant rain. Nonetheless, the swift disappearance of Summer and harsh realities of Fall didn’t stop this outdoor music fest from being a success. Fans were smart enough to don jackets and ponchos before heading out to see the Smashing Pumpkins, Cake, Anberlin and more.
While typical festival complaints would have been that each act had too short of a set, the rapid pace of the double stages and short sets worked in favor for this fest. It gave people less time to dwell in one location feeling too cold or getting bored with any act that wasn’t their cup of tea and giving up on the fest and going home.
AM Taxi had the privilege of kicking off the 5th Buzz Beach Ball. The rockers thrashed about the stage while fans shook rain sprinkles off their shoulders to raise fists to pump to “Fed Up.” Cooled down music and cooled down temps quickly followed their set as the folk rock of locals Dreams Are For Rookies rapidly followed on the second stage. The group puts a twist on the typical folk rock with the rich adornment of a cello.
After the Homegrown act finished, it was back down the hill for dark piano rockers Civil Twilight. A surprising amount of audience members knew more about this South African band’s songs than just set closer, “Letters from the Sky,” and the band took kindly to this warm response by delivering a set with more energy and flair than the last time I saw them in a dark Lawrence venue.
The rain thickened during what should have been local act Six Percent’s set time up at the second stage. However, the band was delayed by the challenge of an uncovered stage, so this half hour was treated as ‘time to eat warm food’ while concert workers attempted to make a makeshift cover for the act set to follow.
Fortunately, The Limousines weren’t deterred by the rain and played one of the most fun sets of the entire day. The quirky dance rock trio got the crowd moving and singing to “Very Busy People” and by the time they reached new hit “Internet Killed the Video Star,” everyone had a smile as they danced and shouted, “I’m a terrible dancer, I ain’t gonna lie, but I’ll be damned if I ain’t gonna try.” These guys have only gotten better since their last buzz show and their energy is contagious.
A Silent Film were this mystery act from the UK. Audience members had only recently started hearing the Keane-esque “You Will Leave a Mark” on the radio, but it quickly rose up the request lines. But aside from that song, little else was known about these guys. Heck, they hadn’t even played a show in the States before, so they probably knew even less about their audience in return. So whether out of curiosity or genuine love, the lawn was packed to watch these boys on the second stage. For their debut, US performance, even in the most miserable conditions, they killed it. Heavy piano chords and big drums made for a perfectly beautiful outdoor set that almost seemed to clear the skies and bring out the stars by the pure magic of it. Below you can find a video from their first ever United States show.
Anberlin followed A Silent Film with another high energy rock set. The guys are frequent faces at these Buzz events and just like the Limousines, they only seem to get better each time. Though they played songs from their entire higher catalog, they heavily promoted their latest release that came out just a week prior to this show.
Local ska act, Six Percent, delayed by the rain earlier, took to the second stage after Anberlin’s set and played a brass heavy set of covers and original songs. While some covers, “Final Countdown,” were triumphant, others such as a Weezer cover left a lot to be desired.
Beach Ball alumni Cake has been kind of silent on the new music front, but as they showed at Buzz Beach Ball, they have plenty of new material they’re ready to release in January. Half their set seemed to be new songs, but they still helped the audience quickly learn these tunes for singing along before the speak-f0lk rock act brought out some better known songs such as “Going the Distance.”
Local darling Beautiful Bodies showed why they’re on the top of the local food chain as they closed out the second stage sets. Front woman Alicia Solo came out wrapped in Buzz banners before breaking out and starting the rock. The group treated their performance as a celebration, sipping champagne and flashing sly smiles as they broke out new tunes after a year-long absence from the local music scene.
The Smashing Pumpkins. What can be said that can even measure up to the surreality of seeing one of the most influential rock groups? Sure the line-up has changed over the years, but Billy Corgan is still on top of his game. This set gave all the hits a fan could want and more. Throw in the addition of a breath-taking stage set with mosaic windmills and you have a perfect way to end out the night. It was well worth the wait through cold and rain for this.
