Give credit where its due to Dallas modern rock radio station KDGE-102.1 FM The Edge: The bill for their Edgefest concert this weekend, the station's 21st, is possibly its strongest ever, featuring headlining performances from the likes of Jane's Addiction, Weezer, Social Distortion and Flogging Molly. And, hey, the undercard isn't too shabby either, with performances from The Airborne Toxic Event, Neon Trees, Panic! at the Disco and Young the Giant littered in amongst the obligatory slots reserved for Seether, A Day to Remember and the Dirty Heads. All in all, it's a show worth seeing—and a nice change of pace from last year's douche-heavy offering of Limp Bizkit, Hole, 30 Seconds to Mars and, somehow, Phoenix and Metric.
It's just too bad that it's happening on the very same night that one of the biggest modern rock names going these days, Arcade Fire, still basking in their Grammy-winning glow, will open the summer season at the Gexa Energy Pavilion (nee Superpages.com Center, Smirnoff Center, Starplex) on a bill that also features the hyper-literate Austin indie favorites Okkervill River.
Even the programmers at the Clear Channel-owned station can't deny the draw of that show. Earlier this week, the station played three different Arcade Fire songs over a 24-hour period. Main Edgefest headliner Jane's Addiction had two. Intentionally or not, even The Edge is buying into the Arcade Fire show hype.
So, then, how to choose which show to attend? Perhaps a Venn diagram of the things you'll see at each concert will help settle the matter.
