Rocking Our Socks Off in Orlando, As If We Were Young Again

by Bothering the Band

Rock is not dead and Kraken Music Fest , Florida's first independent rock festival, is perfect proof of that sentiment, illustrated by the outstanding live music contributions of The Used, Anberlin, Story of the Year and more!

Rockin’ Socks

On February 19th, 2022, along the hallowed grounds of the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, we stormed Kraken like a fleet of aging hipsters, ready to rock out with our socks out. You gotta come prepared for these festivals and like Lieutenant Dan said to his grunts in Forrest Gump: socks are the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt.

Present-Day History

Most of us have grown up going to Warped Tour at this very venue (different name, now with a better set-up), so it was like dancing in a different decade for a brief moment in existence. The third edition of the festival was a mix of old(ish) and new. From The Used to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, we made the most of the moment in song and spirit.

Stacked Lineup at Kraken

It’s a bummer that Less Than Jake had to bail, but they were replaced by our pals, the Orlando-based band, Felicity, who let us bother them before. An all-dayer running from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m, featuring The Dev, and future guests of our podcast, We’re Wolves…we didn’t stop moving and shaking, shucking and jiving. We had to remind ourselves that we are old and need to drink water.

The Conclusion But Not the End

While crowd surfing during Story of the Year’s set, our friend Ian lost his shoes, which meant he had to walk around for the remainder of the fest with just his socks which got gross immediately. Ian is now dead and buried under the hallowed ground of the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Kraken Fest was amazing and worth the casualty.

Perfect Painful Postscript

There is nothing better than the evidence of a good day at a rock festival. From black boogers to bumps and bruises, our entire crew of now middle-aged morons had the hardknocks to prove that Kraken was a crackin’ good time. We aren’t dead either, and our fantastic time at Kraken was proof of that, too. We are dead tired, though. See you again next year.