By the time the reborn and reignited Scissorfight takes the Once Ballroom stage as the special guest band at Friday's Rock And Roll Rumble finale, Boston's best local music festival will have hosted 24 bands, 35 performances, and an incalculable amount of tacos consumed (both on stage and off) over a 20-night period.
As the judges deliberate up in the Once green room, ignoring the inevitable sound bleed from Scissorfight down in the ballroom and determining which 2016 participant will receive the crown from last year's champs Zip-Tie Handcuffs, one thing will be for sure: This was one of the most fun Rumbles ever. After nearly four decades of spirited rock and roll competition, this year's edition felt like a rebirth, as the new Somerville location, both Once's lived-in balcony lounge and the wide-open main ballroom, gave a certain freshness to the prelims and semis, and a new crop of young bands and scene veterans injected another dose of friendly rivalry and unmitigated support among fellow musicians. It felt like this was a year truly based around new music discovery.
But, this is a competition, and a winner on Friday will be declared. Amazingly, the final three -- likely favorite and metal juggernaut Worshipper, dark-horse indie rock sparkplug Weakened Friends, and electronic pop survivalists usLights -- all offer a distinct sound with little crossover. It's a nice reflection of the eclectic Boston scene, and going into the finals, it's truly any band's to win. It'll all come down to their individual performances.
Instead of predictions, here's a closer look at the 2016 Rock And Roll Rumble's final three, and how they got here:
For advance tickets for Friday's Rumble finals, click here. Check out the Facebook event page for more information, and go to the Rumble tag on our homepage for full coverage from Vanyaland.
