Article and Photos by Andrés Alvarado

Under the sweltering heat of a prime summer day, the Rockstar Energy Drink-sponsored Disrupt Music Festival made huge waves during their Atlanta stop. Armed with eleven acts that ranged from the madman antics of Hyro The Hero to the throwback coolness of The Used, this inaugural version of the Rockstar ceremonies gave us terrific tunes, maniacal moshing, crazy crowd-surfing, and more importantly, the hope that the annual traveling festival is not dead — as we previously thought.

There were no shortages of pedal-to-the-metal virtuosos on hand. As previously stated, Hyro The Hero is bottomless energy in the shape of man. Hyro, a punk rapper from Houston, is an engaging dare devil-like performer that deserves plenty of accolades for his showmanship. Joining Hyro in the tireless and bouncy Performance Olympics, were Memphis May Fire and their fiery brand (pun intended) of metalcore hysteria. Orlando rockers Sleeping With Sirens were another outfit brimmed of insane vivacity. Riling up the fans was the name of their game and they succeeded with flying colors. Nonetheless, the most unhinged and mental production came from Philadelphia experimental rock gang, Circa Survive. Performing during the latter part of the evening, Circa are steered by the rock-star devilish charisma of Anthony Green, and his more mild-mannered musical buddies. Green leads an attack on all the senses and provides a fuck-everything-lets-dance kind of atmosphere. Simply stated, Circa Survive were the apotheosis of this Disrupt date in Atlanta.

By contrast, the festivities also included a more chilled vibe by a couple of its presenters. Australian punk rockers, Trophy Eyes, and Cali outfit, The Story So Far, were anything but punk or rock-n-roll. For all intents and purposes, respective lead singers John Floreani and Parker Cannon can be categorized as lackadaisical. For the majority of their sets, both artists stood at the microphone stand with their hands behind their backs — very Liam Gallagher like — and, to a degree, were the very opposite of disrupting.

Naturally, the remaining spectacles of the night were gratifying to varying degrees. Yet, the closing acts of the night, Thrice and The Used, were both surreal, professional, entertaining, and the embodiment of what we hope the Disrupt Festival will be with synonymous with in the coming years. Summarized, the Rockstar Disrupt Festival was a great deal of fun, a huge dose of musical bravado, and the proper resurrection of the traveling music festival. Do yourself a favor, if the Disrupt Festival is headed anywhere near your way, go check it out. You can thank us later. Until then, enjoy this gallery of the day in Atlanta.

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