Memorial Day weekend usually entails big events, but the local events that aren’t as commercialized brought a different taste and approach to celebration. 97X, a local rock radio station, hosted what has become its annual Backyard BBQ, which is unlike any the Bay area experience all year. A Family Life Center became the venue for a younger audience to support each other through words and performance. Also, The Orpheum in Ybor City became the home of a restART show that brought together people of all ages, vendors, artists of all mediums and formed its own community for one night.

97X Backyard BBQ:

On Saturday: American Bang, Paper Tongues, Flobots, NeedToBreathe, Crash Kings, Richy Nix, Orange Hour and Misunderstood Superheroes took over Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. What started a few years ago as a small BBQ to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with the 97X crew has transformed into a massive festival consisting of hundreds of people. The festival maintains an eight-band lineup and costs only $10. For that amount, Bay area listeners were eating, drinking and dancing the day away with an after party right up the road at Durty Nelly’s, where the lead singer of Paper Tongues, Aswan North, sang a couple of songs acoustically.

EPILOGUE:

Friday night, approximately 30 to 40 people, including some USF students, gathered at the Family Life Center in Temple Terrace. The night was filled with performances, but ended with creative words. The theme of the night? Local talents, art, food and support. Hosted by a recent USF alumna, the EPILOGUE was a one-night performance event where people could express themselves through reading creative pieces or playing music that displayed what words could not.

restART Spring FORWARD Show:

The Orpheum in Ybor City was the place to be Friday night, as it drew more than 100 people throughout the night. With more than 25 visual artists and music by local musicians and DJs, it was a celebration for what may come of summer and the rest of the year. The event sought to bring together local people from all walks of life. Art, music, performance and video were among the many mini events going on in the Orpheum. With a full bar, cheap admission and a great location, the place was filled with local artists looking to have a good time.

Interested in more events going on in the Bay Area? Check out Scene & Heard tomorrow for the latest updates.