idobi Radio Summer School Tour
BY HOLLY VAN NESSThis summer, I’m working at a summer camp. And for the most part, I love this job. The kids are hilarious, I get to spend all day outside in nature, and I even get the weekends off. But the worst part? Getting out so damn late (6pm, to be exact). Combined with the horrendous New Jersey traffic, I should have known there was no way I was going to make it to the idobi Radio Summer School Tour on time.
In fact, I missed nearly all of the acts. And yes, I was, and still am, devastated. Especially because I love Arrows in Action and my camp besties were super excited to see my photos of Huddy (he was loooong gone by the time I rolled in).
But I did manage to catch the end of Taylor Acorn’s set and thank God for that because the crowd was so in it. Fans were screaming the lyrics to nearly every song and when the popular ones hit, it was next-level loud in Starland. Her energy was infectious and I really wish I made it in time for the first two songs to snap some photos.
Next was Charlotte Sands. Side note, there were several small children sitting inside the photo pit and I did not, and still do not, know who they belonged to, what they were doing, or how they got there, but shoutout to them for securing the best seats in the venue. Another side note, BLUE HAIR. Charlotte was absolutely electric and her stage presence is so addictive. She was dancing and kicking all over the stage, never standing still for more than a second, and the crowd (and myself) was eating it up.
“Dress” is one of the first Charlotte Sands’ songs I’ve heard and I was super excited when she played it. Did you know it’s about Harry Styles when he wore a dress on the cover of Vogue? Personally, I like to pretend the song is about a girl for obvious Out Jamz reasons. Either way, fans were screaming, I was screaming, the visuals on the screens on stage were bright and fun, and the energy inside the whole building was just raw and amazing. Even though I missed so many acts, I knew that her set was easily one of the most fun ones of the night.
Finishing the night was Rain City Drive (who the venue called River City Drive on the schedule sheet and I thought that was funny). Their set was pure chaos in the best way, including all things punk rock; head banging, crowd-surfing, moshing, etc. Despite standing there for close to 5 hours at this point, the crowd continued to exude energy and the band matched their energy perfectly.
Even though I missed most of the lineup (once again, RIP to my camp friends’ Huddy dream), I’m so glad I got to catch what I did. Thankfully, late camp releases and NJ traffic couldn’t ruin the night completely.
Here’s to making it to the full show next year!
