Night 1 of KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2016 @ The Forum – December 10th 2016

Last weekend? Oh, KROQ was decking some halls alright. They had the Forum completely decked out in Christmas everything; it was all over- I mean, to the illuminated snowflakes cascading down the outside of the building, the gigantic light tree suspended above the stage (designed by Stan Crocker), and even the constant stream of confetti in everyone’s hair, they went all out. Night one of KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas was very happening.

The Strumbellas kicked off the night with some nice folk-pop, which was pretty easy going on the ears. Their harmonic melodies flowed through the room as we all settled in for the night.

As the stage rotated around, X Ambassadors’ Sam Harris exploded onto the stage and right into our faces. It was a pleasant surprise to see such an energetic and exciting set from a band I have never seen before. Later on, they brought out legendary Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Prophets of Rage) to play their final song- which was a pretty cool experience.

This time, as the stage turned, we were visually and musically transitioned through space and time during M83’s set. Their beautiful stellar light show (designed by Sarah Landau) really got us into the mood.

I have seen AFI a number of times and each time, AFI has nothing but high energy at their shows. This one was definitely a dance party to remember. After two years hiatus from the stage, they brought their A-game and killed it. Thank you so much for that.

But you know what was really cool was seeing a band I used to listen to in the early nineties who still played an amazing set. Jimmy Eat World was that band, and I know I wasn’t the only one singing along to songs off Bleed American…don’t lie, you were too.

Next were Kings of Leon who played a soulful set. They sort of calmed the crowd down and then built their excitement back up right before Blink came on.

Blink 182 was another story; the crowd was definitely pumped for their set, and it was great seeing another band I’ve listened to for so long. Everybody knows Travis Barker is a legend on drums, and it’s nothing short of amazing to see his arms really fly during their songs; Matt Skiba and Mark Hoppus brought their energy as well.