Hundreds of fans eagerly waited for the first ever Chain Fest music festival at the Observatory in Costa Mesa on Saturday. The line for general admission wrapped around the side of the venue and into the neighboring Home Depot parking lot.
The doors opened at noon and guests rushed in to purchase merchandise before the first band performed. The event honored Chain Reaction’s 20th anniversary.
Chain Reaction is a small concert venue in Anaheim, capable of holding no more than 250 guests. The venue is known for their cheap ticket prices and hosting artists ranging from Death Cab For Cutie and Paramore to local garage bands. The venue prides itself on holding all-ages concerts, serving no alcohol.
Coheed and Cambria, Circa Survive and Underoath headlined Chain Fest, along with 21 other well-known bands in the scene such as The Story So Far, Title Fight and MXPX. The event brought together newer bands and those who’ve been playing for more than 10 years.
“Every single band at the festival has played Chain Reaction or has some kind of history with the venue,” said organizer, longtime concert promoter and Chain Reaction owner Andy Serrao via press release. “The idea was to involve bands who have history with us and who we also personally love.”
The festival was first announced in the beginning of July, with the headlining bands and a few more confirmed to play. In late August, the entire lineup was released and around 8,000 tickets were sold.
The twenty-four bands played across three stages: one large stage outside, and the two inside the Observatory — a large main room with the capacity of 1,000 guests, and the constellation room which holds about 200 guests. Along with the main stage outside was a strip of vendor tents filled with band merch, food, and sponsors such as Jeffree Star cosmetics and non-profit organization Feed the Children. To the sides of the main outdoor stage, two large beer gardens hosted guests 21 years and over who wanted to sip their beers with a shady spot to watch the show.
From the soft swaying of the crowd during bands such as Turnover to the “crowd-killing” moshing during Zao’s set, the energy of the audience stayed strong throughout the entire night.
“Chain Fest was a great experience. I’ve always wanted to see Circa Survive and Zao, and couldn’t wait to see Movements again,” Chain Fest attendee Miranda Ortega said. Ortega has been listening to Circa Survive for five years, but this was the first time she’s ever seen them live. “I’ve been listening to a lot of the artists on the roster. I’m getting older so I have to keep up with all the newer bands.”
The 22-year-old wore herself out by the end of the night, running back and forth from the outdoor stage to the main stage inside.
Attendee Aaron Ward couldn’t wait to see some of his favorite bands: Basement, Comeback Kid and The Story So Far.
“I was most excited to see Basement, because they’re from England so they don’t come around that much,” Ward said. The large crowd and multiple crowd surfers indicated many fans aside from Ward couldn’t wait to see the band, too.
The day-long festival proved to be a fitting tribute to Chain Reaction’s 20 years of showcasing up-and-coming musicians and their community of loyal fans. Although next year’s festival has yet to be scheduled, fans are already eagerly anticipating round two.
“It would be crazy if there isn’t going to be many more after today’s turnout and lineup,” Ortega said.