Best Friends, Best Fest: A Perfect Pairing
Article written and photos by Kili Goodrich
Best Friends Forever Festival 2025 was certainly jam-packed with memories we will never forget. The three-day-long festival was seventy-two hours of friendships, witnessing high octane level artists perform together, and new friendships a chance to bloom and blossom. From reunions to modern performers, the stages we always set ablaze. It was a weekend of reunion, celebration, and creation of unforgettable moments. Held at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, BFF 2025 promised no overlapping sets between its two accessible stages. An absolute gift, so you didn’t feel like you were constantly choosing what to miss out on. A festival for emo, indie, and post‑hardcore obsessives, a gathering of old friends and favorites missed.
From day one, the crowd felt like a welcoming community. If people-watching, you could see people exchanging stories, playlists, tattoo stories, merch, and anticipation. The neon-lit Las Vegas night sky hovered close, but the emotional heat came from the stage. Even the weather on Friday, with constant rain, couldn’t dampen it. From the first moments of Friday, it rained on and off. Intermittent drizzles caught in stage lights. Turning the concrete slick and shimmering. Though each performer hadn’t allowed that rain to erase their electricity. Their energy sharpened.
Someone who went unnoticed was a longtime fan who shows up every single year dressed as a wizard. The wizard was often posted at the barricade of the smaller stage. During the rain, they tried to cast invisible spells to fend the weather off. “I’ve got it you guys.” They promised. The wizard's presence has become something of a tradition. Many joked that he should be crowned the official festival mascot. He has definitely become part of the lore.
Smaller acts opened the day, but carried a heavy weighted energy punch. Milly opened the Third Street Stage. A solid kick off bringing the gritty-raw energy. Also on that stage was Speedy Ortiz. The band brought a vibrant break into the gloom that the sky carried. Their set glowed. With moody guitars and Sadie’s vocals cut through with such gorgeous urgency. The crowd quickly responded. Fans spun merch overhead. They also danced through the rain with their friends. Making day one look like a cinematic scene. If you came solo, you left with new cherished friendships. Despite the rain, sets rolled on. The only real pause came toward the end of the night when lightning struck nearby. Bringing a heavy downpour and forcing a brief delay. Sadly, Narrow Head got caught in the cutoff. Their set was cut short just when the energy of the day was climbing. Luckily ,the band played an aftershow, giving those who stayed a chance to witness what they missed. Rival Schools packed a punch, closing out the day on the smaller stage.
There was a constant blood rush on the Best Friends Forever Stage. Superchunk, an indie-rock band from North Carolina, was more than lively. Their energy surged off the stage and into those in the crowd. They performed during a burst of sunlight. A break from the rain. Their music was joyous in addictive riffs. Bear Vs. Shark took that energy and ran even higher. Performing their album Terrorhawk, there was no moment to catch your breath. Their performance felt possessive of your attention. The lead singer scaled the stage structures. He often was seen hoisting the mic into his mouth and tossing tambourines into the crowd so fans could play along. The performance felt dizzying. A blur of motion and collective exhilaration turned their set into a standout. Definitely a highlight for me on day one. Also performing a beloved album was Cursive. After the rain delay, they performed their album Domestica. An album packed with its own type of heartbreak. The tension within it played live felt like fractured intimacy. It landed beautifully in that night’s emotional arc, hushed away from the rain. Kasher’s voice felt constantly pleading. Mineral’s farewell show rang out with the fallen sun. The performance was hushed then transformed to a crescendo of haunting lyrics. Minus the Bear closed the first night out performing their album Menos El Oso. Many fans traveled just to see the band take the stage.
Day two only carried forward momentum. Saturday dawned bright many sporting sunglasses instead of rain ponchos. The weather was comfortably tempered by a breeze. Fans strolled with snow cones in hand. Weaving through vendor tents, flipping through stacks of vinyl and CDs. They were caught posing for photos in front of giant festival signage. I was caught on more than one occasion exploring the Polyvinyl tent. The merch line was ever enthusiastic in its line length.
The day’s music opened with Awakebutstillinbed on the Third Street Stage. The band took the stage in what was their last performance together. Lead singer Shannon is now going in a solo direction. Their set felt like a tender farewell. Many fans held their hands in the air or close to their chest. Local band February the heat back to Nevada. Their performance was a burst of emotional energy. They had loved ones proudly watching side stage. Midrift, Oakwood, and Hey Mercedes were also ones we didn’t want to miss out on. The crowd scrunched together during their performance as if all of their energy together could create a beautiful explosion of appreciation.
Knumears kicked off the main stage. Rustling the crowd awake, there were many taking part in the crowd surfing activity. Pity Sex followed by breaking the grit and delivered a more dreamy, soft blow to the air. Their performance gave the crowd a chance to breathe before ramping up the energy again. Alternative-indie band, Tigers Jaw, hit the crowd with total eruption. Their set felt charged. Pretty Girls Make Graves kept the fun uplifted. Their performance was utterly compelling. The set felt disruptive and fun. It was fitting for Pedro the Lion to take the stage as the night cooled. Fans were more than excited for their 30‑year anniversary performance. Songs were sung so intimately. The vocals sounded tender to the folding night. Texas Is the Reason also took to the main stage. Many fans anticipated their performance. The songs filled with longing paired well in the lineup that faded towards the end of the day. Jawbreaker closed the night. Schwarzenbach brought both grit and humor. Between songs, the lead singer cracked jokes and bantered with the audience. Often, he would pause, acknowledging the long‑standing fandom with generosity.
If anything, Sunday carried just as much energy as day one. The crowd, including myself, was warmed already by two nights. The day felt like a surging energy. As if all of the fun from the first two days was fueling us enough to want everything to last. To just keep going. Much like the feeling of these bands that retired long ago, we get the chance to see their energy power up again for another round.
Day three kicked off strong on the Third Street Stage. Many were dressed in Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely State) merch. The band from Michigan, my home state, performed their emotional indie-rock sound to very excited fans. Eliott gave a captivating performance. Higdon wore sunglasses that reflected the cityscape. Delicate instrumentation and emotional softness contrast with the duo Mates of State. A performance by Wednesday had an intimate, warm staging setup. The band played around a warm lamp paired with an end table. On the table was a stuffed panda perched atop it, and a porcelain trinket. This created a cozy ambience. It was all a contrast of their emotional songs that drifted from soft to loud. Penfold closed the 3rd Street Stage by punching through the night air with thick-edged riffs.
Early sets on the main stage brimmed with momentum. These Arms Are Snakes brought perhaps the most intense energy of the day. Dare I say the entire weekend? The set was definitely a performance personifying caffeine. The lead singer leapt into the crowd on more than one occasion. Lead singer, Snere, even crowd-surfed himself. The epitome of a rock ‘n roll star. He indulged in a swirl of bodies and voices around him. The Appleseed Cast and Marietta swept the crowd's approval. I even caught sight of someone in a banana costume crowd surfing. Another fan used his best friend as a surfboard above the sea of hands. Cursive returned for another night on the stage. This time performing their album The Ugly Organ. The sound of this performance was much more ragged and dark than their performance on Friday. It unfolded beautifully. Jenny Lewis from the band Rilo Kiley joined the stage to perform “The Recluse” with the band. An absolute highlight of the entire weekend. Lewis returned an hour later to the stage for Rilo Kiley. The band, recently on their anticipated reunion, brought a gentler groove. Lewis, from Vegas, caught sight of commotion in the crowd. “Wow… I don’t think anyone’s ever crowd‑surfed during our show before. Thank you for that.” Jimmy Eat World closed the festival on Sunday night. Their mix of ballads and jagged rock made everyone’s last jolt of energy burst. They left the audience exhilarated.
Beyond the music, the festival layout, food variety, accessibility, shade tents, vendor variety, and Ghost energy drinks kept people fueled. People lounged comfortably with their friends. Some were circled in the shade playing UNO. There were a lot of moments where people even discovered new bands. In summary, Best Friends Forever 2025 carried such an emotional story physically and emotionally. There was so much connection within the community brought together by the music. It rained. It paused. It roared. Walking out of its glowing arches and barricades, I was left with more than merch. I was left with solidified connections and a bucket full of memories.
