At last year’s Wrex the Halls, the floor was made of mosh pits and shirtless men punching each other. This year, it will probably be more like people gently swaying while wearing flannels and hipster glasses. Like the radio station itself, 91X’s annual holiday concert has shifted from the anarchy of punk rock to the more mellow tunes of indie and electronica. While last year’s concert featured world-renowned punk bands like Social Distortion and Pennywise, this year’s lineup consists of some of the top indie and electronic bands including Tegan and Sara, M83, and Passion Pit. The most mainstream artist (and headliner) is still not a punk band, The Killers, the band that brought us “Mr. Brightside” and “Are We Human?”, a question still unanswered.
In addition to these performers, even more indie artists are included on the lineup, including The Joy Formidable, Youngblood Hawke, and the only punk band performing, Audio Addiction. This is also the first Wrex the Halls concert in the last five years that doesn’t feature SDA graduates Switchfoot, so take that as you will.
If you are an indie buff, it looks like this may be the first year that Wrex will appeal to you, so check it out. The concert is on December 7th at Viejas Arena and tickets range from $20 for the nosebleeds to $60 for the pit.