Day 1
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, fans from all over the state and out of the country weathered the cold downpour and descended upon Margaret T. Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix for two days of music spanning the genres of rap, indie, alternative and emo rock for the inaugural Zona Fest.
In its first year of infancy, the festival mixed local rockers with some of the biggest names in the alternative genre, spacing acts across four stages as they took turns filling the airwaves with a plethora of sounds.
The raindrops weren’t the only thing dancing when homegrown alternative artist Sydney Sprague kicked things off on the Nicks stage, the main stage of the festival, around 12:30 p.m. Dec. 3.
The National Parks
After a pleasant performance by Phoenix rapper Pariah Pete and an elongated band change due to technical difficulties, the National Parks took the Ronstadt stage around 2:45 p.m. as the second act of the day — just as the rain began to lighten up.
Though the set list clocked in at just over 30 minutes, the National Parks made the most of their stage time to journey fans through an energy-packed, multi-instrumental set list.
The band’s first tune, “Wildflower,” featured harmonica, keys, violin and a percussive rhythm and was accompanied by an unrelenting energy that didn’t waiver throughout the rain-drenched set list.
Even though the band switched over to acoustic guitars by the second track, the National Parks garnered the biggest reaction of the day up to that point when vocalist Brady Parks commanded the crowd to sing the chorus of the song “Wind & Anchor”: “Oh, oh don’t leave me like this, I belong to you.”
This became so anthemic that by the tune’s end, the whole band abandoned its instruments and sang the campfire-style song with the crowd.
With the energy already high by the midpoint of the band’s set list, the National Parks gave fans a glimpse of its more percussive side when keyboardist Sydney Macfarlane and violinist Megan Taylor ditched their instruments for a pair of drumsticks and performed a synchronized drum routine on two floor toms as drummer Cam Brannelly treated fans to a brief drum solo.
The band then took the opportunity to treat fans to two tunes off its forthcoming record “8th Wonder” — due March 3, 2023 — “Angel” and the title track.
The band concluded its high-octane set list with a poppy, even-tempo tune that ended with the crowd crouching to the floor, then jumping in command and continuing to bounce to the tempo until its conclusion.
Set list:
Wildflower
Wind & Anchor
I Can Feel It
Angel
8th wonder
As We Ran
Phantom Planet
Further braving the cold downpour was California based- alt-rockers Phantom Planet, who filled the Ronstadt stage with poppy beats and guitar licks that accentuated beachy lyrics, bringing some warmth to the damp day.
The band managed to get cold toes tapping and soggy bodies swaying early on with its sultry sound, and although the band didn’t have much time to make a mark with listeners, Phantom Planet plucked tunes from its earlier discography — including two songs from the record “The Guest,” which recently feted 20 years — and also treated fans to material from its latest work, 2020’s “Devastator.”
However, no song was more fitting for the clammy day than the tune “Lonely Day” — which many fans found irony in.
The set then hit a peak when the tune “Geronimo” entered the fold, giving the fans an up-tempo track to jive and jump to.
With the energy high, the band concluded the set by paying homage to its home state with the tune “California” — contrasting the frigid, wet park with the idea of a warm Southern California beach.
Set list:
The Happy Ending
1st Things 1st
Always On My Mind
By the Bed
BALISONG
Geronimo
Do the Panic
Dropped
Time Moves On
Big Brat
California
Bleachers
Bleachers took to the Nicks stage after a lengthy delay around 7:30 p.m. and immediately got the crowd roaring with the nuptial jam “Let’s Get Married.”
With the crowd jazzed by the conclusion of the opening jam, Bleachers gave fans hoping to hear an abundance of saxophones just that and much more by blaring the tune “How Dare You Want More” into the night sky, treating fans to a saxophone duel between the two saxophone players accompanying vocalist Jack Antonoff’s band.
The rest of the set list alternated solos between the guitars, keys and saxophones as all three shined equally.
However, the spotlight mostly remained on Antonoff, who is Jewish, and at one point in the set list used his platform to call out the recent antisemitic remarks made by rapper Kanye “Ye” West and explicitly challenged the rapper-turned-Republican presidential candidate for 2024 to a fight.
After Antonoff’s brief rant, the set list rolled on culling tunes largely from the records “Gone Now” and “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night.”
However, the band did throw fans a curveball by covering a tune of the alt-pop act Tegan and Sara — who had to drop off of Zona Fest at the last minute after Sara Quin tested positive for COVID-19.
Though the band’s set was a bit shorter than initially planned, Bleachers packed myriad tunes into its roughly hourlong set list and brought it all home with a rendition of the track “Stop Making This Hurt.”
Set list
Let’s Get Married
How Dare You Want More
Big Life
I Miss Those Days
Everybody Lost Somebody
Call It Off (Tegan and Sara cover)
Goodmorning
Wake Me
Chinatown
Don’t Go Dark
Rollercoaster
I Wanna Get Better
Don’t Take the Money
Stop Making This Hurt
Playboy Manbaby
Over on the Mingus stage, just before 8 p.m., Phoenix-based art-rockers Playboy Manbaby took the stage with their backs turned to the audience and began perhaps the most vibrant performance of the two-day festival.
The band began its set list by turning its backs to the audience as the downtempo, bass and ride cymbal-heavy intro to the tune “Chemical Reprieve” began to play.
Then, just before the chorus of the tune kicked in and the tempo changed, the band did a 180 and flipped the slow, bass-heavy tune into a hard-rocking ditty that was met with crazed fanfare.
The moment the band faced frontward, members of the audience rushed toward the stage and began bobbing their bodies and flopping like fish out of water to the tempo of the tune.
The fans kept rocking to the set list on the second tune, which began with a distortion-heavy bass solo before kicking into a lively, up-tempo funk-rock tune titled “Strangers Making Assumptions.”
As the band rocked along to the tune and entered the sounds of horns into the set list, vocalist Robbie Pfeffer stole the show with his enigmatic stage persona and by shouting the lyrics of the tune at the top of his lungs.
With the crowd buzzing, Playboy Manbaby capitalized on the spirited fanfare that hadn’t waivered throughout the first two tunes and took things up a notch with the tune “Cheap Wine.”
Though Pfeffer continued to woo the audience with his unique stage presence, the rest of the band’s rhythm section kept the crowd buzzing by mixing in unique instruments including, what appeared to be, a coffee tumbler that was played like a scraper, trumpet, saxophone and tambourine.
Adding to the ante, guitarist TJ Friga showed off his chops by shredding the strings of his instrument.
Most of the set list plucked tunes from the band’s 2017 album “Don’t Let It Be” but also pulled songs from the records “Boundless Vanity,” “Toxic Positivity” and “Bummeritaville.”
Just when it seemed as if things couldn’t get any rowdier, the set list came to its head when the band broke out the tune “Cadillac Car,” which heard the fans recite the chorus of the tune with Pfeffer.
Pfeffer was so impressed with the crowd’s energy that he decided to treat the audience to a more intimate performance by belting out the final lyrics of “Cadillac Car” from the stage barricade — where he would remain for the remainder of the set list.
Playboy Manbaby closed out its set with a rendition of the tune “You Can Be a Fascist Too,” which gave the audience a final chance to lose their voices as the crowd belted out the chorus of the tune.
As Playboy Manbaby bowed off of the Mingus stage, fans who had spent the entirety of the band’s 30-minute plus set getting their heart rate up caught a much-needed breath.
Set list:
Chemical Reprieve
Strangers Making Assumptions
Cheap Wine
Glory Days
Falafel Pantyhose
The Feeling I Get Petting a Dog
Last One Standing
Cadillac Car
You Can Be a Fascist Too
Beach House
Closing things down on day one was the dream pop duo Beach House, which took the Nicks stage about a quarter after 9 p.m.
The key and guitar-striking duo, accompanied by a drummer, was greeted by a sea of screaming fans — some of whom had braved the storm and camped out all day at the front of the stage to gain the most intimate experience possible.
As soon as the band struck its first note, Beach House filled the still rain-drenched air with soft sounds that got the crowd swaying throughout the lengthy set.
Opening things up for the band was the titular track off of its work “Once Twice Melody” — which was released as a four-disc record in February.
Visually throughout the performance, the stage was dimly illuminated by a screen backdrop and a melody of dancing stage lights, causing the band to almost look like silhouettes.
The rest of the band’s set was culled largely from its recent work, as five more tunes from the record would receive stage time.
However, the band utilized the rest of its hour-and-a-half-long set time to give die-hard fans a deep dive into its discography by pulling out deep cuts like the tunes “Wildflower,” “Girl of the Year” and “Over and Over.”
However, the band also mixed in several hits like “Silver Soul,” “Myth” and, the band’s biggest hit, “Space Song.”
Topping off its hour-and-a-half-long set, the band prepared fans who planned to return for the second day of music in moist conditions with a rendition of the tune “Over and Over.”
Set list:
Once Twice Melody
Lazuli
Dark Spring
Pink Funeral
Silver Soul
Wildflower
Superstar
PPP
Only You Know
Lemon Glow
Somewhere Tonight
Girl of the Year
Space Song
New Romance
Myth
Over and Over
Day 2
On the second day of the festival, the rain cleared up, leaving Margaret T. Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix looking more like a swamp than an urban desert park.
When the gates opened around noon, fans waded through muddy puddles that sometimes sank almost ankle deep as they marched toward the four stages.
Because of this, fans either sought refuge on top of cable covers or dropped their feet in puddles to keep their shoes as clean as possible.
However, by the time the first act took the stage, most fans conceded to the mud, entrenching their shoes and pants in the sludge.
Diva Bleach
Kicking things off on day two was Phoenix-based four-piece “sparkly pop” rockers Diva Bleach, which consisted of three female rockers — Sydney Roten on vocals and bass, and guitarists Brie Ritter and Sara Windom — and a male sticks man.
Diva Bleach began its set about 30 minutes after the gates opened and quickly blew fans away with its vibrant sound that melted elements of punk, pop and indie rock.
The band served as a strong opener as it gave fans a taste of the sounds that would be heard throughout the day.
By the midpoint of the set list, Diva Bleach got fans grooving to the tunes by encouraging fans to clap the tempo to the tune “Eggshells.”
However, the highlight of Diva Bleach’s performance was when the band busted out an original tune penned by Windom that was inspired by the film “Jaws” titled “Beaches.”
The band then used the pent-up energy to deliver fans a new jam before its release titled “Temper, Temper.”
Closing out the band’s nearly 30-minute performance was the tune “Circles,” which concluded with an enigmatic bang.
Set list:
White Noise
Eggshells
Ashes
Beaches
Bad Habits
Temper, Temper
Pillowcase
Circles
Breakup Shoes
Hot on the heels of Diva Bleach in planting their feet on the Nicks stage around 1:30 p.m. was Phoenix-based four-piece Breakup Shoes.
Breakup Shoes kicked its set off with a toe-tapping indie tune titled “Brian Wilson is My Dad” which got fans grooving early on.
Throughout the rest of the performance, the band broke the crowd in jazzy guitar solos, slow jams and even a new tune titled “Monotony” — which is slated for a release sometime in 2023.
After jamming for just under a half-hour, Breakup Shoes tied things off with the tune “IDK,” which got fans dancing in the muddy grounds and saw guitarist John MacLeod toss his guitar above his head and gracefully catch the instrument after the tune — leaving some fans with their jaws dropped.
Set list:
Brian Wilson is My Dad
How It Goes
Accessory
Nicotine Dream
Unrequited Love (& other clichés)
Monotony
IDK
Flor
About 10 minutes after the clock hit 3 p.m., Oregon-based indie rockers Flor, playing its final gig of the year, took the Ronstadt Stage to a bassy, ominous intro.
Once the dust settled, Flor kicked things into high gear by bumping the bass and kick-heavy track “Clouds.”
This set the tone for the performance, as the rest of the band’s 30-minute stage time continued to reach new heights with heavy-handed drumming, chord-heavy guitar licks, and the display of vocalist and guitarist Zach Grace’s soprano vocal range.
The set reached its ceiling when the band got the crowd busting out their best dance moves during the tune “Dancing Around” — which was accentuated by dueling guitar solos performed by Grace and guitarist McKinley Kitts.
From there, the band gave fans hope for drier conditions by entering the track “Future Shine” into the fold before closing out its set with the performance of the tune “Hold on.”
Set list:
Clouds
Come Over Now
Imho
Skate
Dancing Around
24
Future Shine
Hold on
Turnover
After multi-instrumentalist Jeff Rosenstock rocked his highly anticipated set list, the Nicks stage was turned over to Virginia-based rockers Turnover, who rolled into Zona fest amid a North American tour.
Turnover took the stage at about a quarter to 4 p.m. and wasted no time in filling the airwaves with soft, fuzzy ballads that emanated a comforting sound for fans to sway to.
Though the band jammed nine tracks as part of its 40-minute set, nearly half of the songs came from the band’s hit 2015 record “Peripheral Vision” — which delighted most of the audience.
Though the band broke out the hits off of the record like “Cutting My Fingers Off” and “Dizzy On the Comedown,” Turnover also shed light on a deeper cut from the record by murmuring the track “Humming” into the set list.
Although the “Peripheral Vision” tracks were largely celebrated, Turnover also managed to give three tunes off its latest work “Myself in the Way” some stage time.
The set list was mostly accentuated by fuzzy guitar licks, poppy beats, and the unique vocal stylings of vocalist Austin Getz — who used a special microphone that reverberated his voice to make each lyric sound like it was sung as a duet.
Rounding out the band’s set list was a performance of the tune “Take My Head,” which was met with loud cheers and the audience joining Getz in humming along to the lyrics.
Set list:
Tears of Change
Mountains Made of Clouds
People That We Know
Cutting My Fingers Off
Humming
Super Natural
Plant Sugar
Dizzy on the Comedown
Take My Head
The Front Bottoms
Following the soft, fuzzy performance of Turnover was an animated performance from emo-indie rockers the Front Bottoms.
The Front Bottoms took the stage just after 5 p.m., treating fans in attendance to a bit of a taste breaker from the warm and soft sounds they had been treated to most of the afternoon by breaking out a melodic, pop-punk-Esque performance filled with sorrowful lyrics, campfire-style guitar riffs and punk-style drumming.
Because of that, the crowd engaged in perhaps the rowdiest fanfare of the weekend as some fans gyrated near the center of the stage in a mosh pit, danced in the mud, crowd surfed their way to the stage, and even engaged in some mud wrestling, according to some fans recounting their experience.
Though a section crowd remained steadfast in engaging in rowdy concert antics through the bulk of the band’s hourlong set, the tunes to garner the most widespread fanfare were the tracks “West Virginia,” “Twin Size Mattress,” “Cough It Out” — which featured guest vocals from Sydney Sprague — and “New Song d” — which caused fans to bounce and blurt the lyrics as loudly as possible.
With the energy seemingly at its peak, the Front Bottoms reached a climax with the penultimate tune, “Au Revoir (Adios)” — which heard the audience belt out the catchy chorus of the composition.
After teasing that the band was about to bid the stage adieu, the Front Bottoms bowed out with the tune “The Winds” — which was introduced as being a love song.
Set list:
Bus Beat
Far Drive
Swear to God the Devil Made Me Do It
Historic Cemetery
Maps
West Virginia
The Beers
Cough It Out
Twin Size Mattress
Fairbanks, Alaska
Leaf Pile
Be Nice to Me
New song d
Au Revoir (Adios)
The Winds
Upsahl
After a lengthy delay due to technical difficulties, Phoenix-based alternative pop artist Upsahl took the Ronstadt stage around 6:30 p.m. and was instantly greeted by screaming fans.
Accompanied by a guitarist and drummer clad in white painter’s suits, singer and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Upsahl, who performs under the moniker Upsahl, sparkled when she entered the stage clad in bright red shoes that matched her red and black dyed hair, loose-fitting gray overalls and a bright red shirt.
The show was extra-special for the budding pop star as she attended Arizona School for the Arts, located less than a mile up the street from Margaret T. Hance Park.
Upsahl kicked things off with the tune “Lady Jesus” — the title track of her debut album from 2021.
The rest of her set list largely featured songs that were released as singles, including the recent “Into My Body” — which Upsahl got the crowd amped up to by jumping as high as she could during the duration of the tune.
Though Upsahl was accompanied by talented guitarist Jonny Sim and stellar beatkeeper Ross Hodgkinson, she astonished the audience by breaking out a bass and a hollow-body guitar at points to further show off her musical talents.
When Upsahl didn’t have an instrument in her hands, she bounced across the stage enigmatically and held the crowd in the palm of her hand.
Because of this, she was able to have the crowd act like lunatics when she busted out the poppy jam “Lunatic.”
Upsahl concluded her 45-minute set list with a bang by playing the party-anthem “Drugs,” which gave the crowd one last song to wiggle to.
Set list:
Lady Jesus
People I Don’t Like
MoneyOnMyMind
Arizona
Antsy
Last Supper
Into My Body
Sad Sorry After Party
Lunatic
Drugs
Portugal. The Man
After a rain-drenched the first day and a mud-soaked second day and all the chaos that fell in between, Zona Fest closed out in perhaps the best way possible with an unforgettable performance from Portugal. The Man.
Portugal. The Man — a six-piece alternative rock outfit from Alaska — added five additional members, creating a grand ensemble of backing vocals, fiddle, saxophone, cello, multiple sets of keys, bass and guitar.
Each instrument blended into an operatic concoction of sounds that propelled the arrangements along symphonically.
Not only did Portugal. The Man marry myriad sounds during its set, but the band kept tunes rolling on a continuous loop.
Although this left little time for the stringed instruments strummers to adjust their tunings, the set rolled on seamlessly journeying fans through the expansive discography of Portugal. The Man and giving snippets of classic rock tunes like the Rolling Stone’s hit tune “Gimme Shelter” — which was covered in a gospel manner — during the playing of the track “Atomic Man” — and Portugal. The Man also mashed up The Beatles tune “I Want You (She’s So Heavy.)”
The rest of the set list managed to somehow touch on touch on most of the dynamic range of sounds heard throughout the weekend.
There were solos from saxophones, guitars, low-tuned bass and a plethora of keys tuned to sound like synthesizers, organs and classical keys.
When it seemed as if the band couldn’t grow any larger, members of the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra took to the stage for the final five songs of the set list, adding the sounds of the french horn, baritone saxophone and trumpet into the sonic mix.
With a grand band grooving in full swing, Portugal. The Man broke out its breakthrough hit “Feel It Still” — which was greeted by a roar from the crowd when the song was queued up.
Portugal. The Man continued to seamlessly transition from tune to tune until the band reached the end of its set list, concluding the weekend, and its hour-and-a-half set, with a performance of the tune “Creep in a T-Shirt.”
Set list:
AKA M80 the Wolf
Purple Yellow Red and Blue / Modern Jesus
Marching with 6
Atomic Man
Chicago
So American
You Carried Us (Share With Me the Sun)
Guns & Dogs
All Your Light (Times Like These) / The Sun / All Your Light (Times Like These) / I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Sea of Air
Waves
Senseless
Feel It Still
Live in the Moment
Evil Friends
Creep in a T-Shirt
At the end of the festival, fans, some of whom looked like mud creatures, others who resembled Jackson Pollock paintings due to the spattered mud, took one last trek through the swampy conditions and reflected on the mystifying sounds that were heard over two days at Margaret T. Hance Park.
Others could be heard marveling at how Steve “Psyko Steve” Chilton was able to curate a music festival that showed how music can overpower the coldest of cold and the muddiest of days.
Photos by Amanda Karas/Contributor
