Fork Fest 2025 Day Two • The Aquabats • June 7, 2025 • Art Dye Park
Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard and Kevin Rolfe
Fork Fest is the perfect local festival for Utah bands to bring their music to new and returning fans. Out in the middle of Art Dye Park in American Fork, Utah, Fork Fest is the hottest festival in the county, literally. Though the blazing heat was upon the festival, that didn’t stop some folks from getting out early to support some of the best bands in the state.
Out of the three stages during the earlier part of the day, the Forest Stage had the most people camping out there. The wooded and shaded area provided a break from the sun where festival patrons could pull up a chair or throw down a blanket and listen to some music. The bands and artists playing here were some of the happiest and folksy-sounding bands that performed at Fork Fest. With bands and artists like The Penny Candies and EmJay Hink, you couldn’t not fall in love with the sounds and environment that took place at the Forest Stage.
The staging alone at the Forest Stage was worth a visit. It’s a work of art. A sight to behold. I look forward to walking into the woods every year of Fork Fest and looking at the backdrop of the Forest Stage. It’s fun to see the subtle additions and adjustments to the stage and the area. But for the most part, it’s like coming back and revisiting a familiar and favorite art piece at a gallery or museum. To be honest, I’m not sure if they do actually change things up each year, or if I just notice something new every Fork Fest. Either way, I love it in there and it’s a great place to relax and recharge for the rest of the day.
The heat may have delayed some early attendance. However, this brought to light some of the most loyal fans I have ever seen. The other two stages, the Mountain and Lake stages, had absolutely no shielding from the blazing sun. On top of that, we had bands like Swerved by Blondes and WIlbere turning up the heat with their sounds on stage, and though they were visibly sweaty, the fans jumped and danced and sang back to these sets. Even though these crowds were fairly small, their energy was big and mighty.
At about midday, things really started to pick up. I’d say right around when Lantern By Sea took the stage. Fans began to get out of their chairs and move to the stage more often. More people made their way through the gates. Art Dye Park began filling up more and more as each hour went by. Lantern By Sea is a staple in the Provo music scene and a really talented band. It was good to see them playing in front of a larger crowd.
As Fork Fest began to fill up and I did another lap around the park. The Forest Stage was still a frequented spot. Even as the temperatures began do drop, the bands that performed in the wooded area were too good to miss.
I was happy to see patrons frequenting the merchant tents. My hope is that everyone did well and comes back next year. Hungry attendees lined up at the food trucks. I started to notice food trucks running out of inventory as the event wound down. That’s I’m sure what any vendor is hoping for. To me that was good sign for how well and how involved things were at Fork Fest.
Fictionist had the crowd’s attention. Sego is always a favorite. Hearing people yell, “Sego Sucks!” which has been a tounge and cheek monicker for the band always makes me laugh. I felt like right around this time, crowds had evenly dispersed between the various stages. People dressed up in Aquabat gear. Some simply in old concert t-shirts. Others in full costume. There began to be a buzz.
Stretsch Armstronng
One of the major highlights of Fork Fest was the reunion of Utah-based Ska band, Stretsch Armstronng. I wasn’t totally familiar with this band. But I’m glad I got to get acquainted with the group. It was very clear that the band had a lot of fans in attendance. A day filled with some of Utah’s finest indie bands turned into a full-blown Ska concert. So many people near the stage were dancing to the music. Ska circles formed, and people moved counterclockwise as Stretsch Armstronng played some of their best songs.
From what I understand, this was the first performance for Stretsch Armstronng since 2012, and only their fourth time reuniting since 1997. I had no idea. You couldn’t tell from the way the band performed. I thought they sounded great. I knew this was a reunion show, but I had no idea it had been that long. No wonder the fans were so excited!
Frontman, Scott Van Wagon, or Scott WV as I heard him called, had the audience in a frenzy. He was so fun to watch. I was impressed with the way he controlled this crowd. He was funny, engaging, and entertaining the entire set. I’m not sure if this is another one-time reunion and the next one isn’t for another decade or so. But I sure hope not. Stretsch Armtrong was a lot of fun and I’d enjoy seeing them again.
The Aquabats
The sun went down, and the moment so many Aquacadets had been anxiously awaiting had arrived. I made my way to the photo pit and could feel the excitement. The park was full. Looked like a sellout to me. It was fun waiting for the show to start as the pit filled with inflatable sharks. Aquabats fans up front knew what the band was opening with. Sure enough, they took the stage and once the MC Bat Commander made his appearance, the sharks flew into the crowd as “Shark Fighter” began. Anyone who had been worn out by the hot sun was somehow rejuvenated and going completely crazy.
Things did not let up from there. In fact, things rose to another level. The Aquabats performed what might be their biggest hit, “Super Rad,” second in their set. Fork Fest completely erupted. I’m surprised I have a photo in focus. I was fighting so hard not to jump up and down with the rest of the fired-up crowd. I love shooting shows. But I could not wait to get back to my group to be a part of this.
The setlist was filled with high-energy fun songs. “Red Sweater” and “Cat With Two Heads” were crowd favorites. In fact there was a young woman wearing a red sweater. She got on someone’s shoulders so that the MC Bat Commander could see her. While security did not let her stay up there long, she was up there long enough to get a shout-out from The Aquabats frontman.
If you’ve never seen The Aquabats live, you’re missing out. To say the show is interactive is an understatement. The band brought a boy on stage at the start of “Pizza Day” (a personal favorite) and threw him onto a large inflatable pizza slice that was being held up by the crowd. As the band played a Fork Fest-themed parody of “Blitzkrieg Bop”.
Things took a concerning turn when the evil Spoon Man took the stage. His plan to ruin everyone’s good time and put a damper on the success of Fork Fest was thwarted as The Aquabats battled in a ’60s Batman-style fight on the stage. Once again, MC Bat Commander was victorious in defeating the villain. He turned his spoon into a spork. He then insinuated that the festival be called “Spork Fest.” I don’t know how these guys think of these things. But it was so entertaining. It was clear that the audience was having a blast. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Another surprise appearance drew what might have been the largest reception from the crowd. Plex the Robot from Yo Gabba Gabba showed up and performed a cover of Van Halen’s “Jump.” I would have never predicted that. But it was pretty awesome. Kids of all ages were so happy to see Plex. I looked around the park, and everyone had the biggest smiles on their faces. You never quite know what you’ll get when you see The Aquabats live. But it’s always a good time.
The band flew through their 13-song set. It did not feel long enough. But a long day of music and a curfew made it so it was about time to wrap things up. The Aquabats could not go before they closed out Fork Fest with “Pool Party”. If anyone was tired or ready to go, I could not tell. Beach Balls flew into the air, and everyone jumped and danced, and sang along. MC Bat Commander made his way to the audience as he high-fived and sang with his cadets.
I was so happy when I heard that The Aquabats would be this year’s headliner at Fork Fest. I thought it was interesting that some fellow photographers were wondering what the hype was. They could tell how excited people were, but they didn’t totally get it. I have a feeling after the show was over that they understood the hype. The Aquabats put on an incredibly fun show. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and it was so great to get to see that they’re still doing their thing and people are loving it.
Fork Fest 2025 was a resounding success. Congratulations to all the bands and to those who put this on. The Harrington Center, Corey Fox from Velour, and the many others who work on Fork Fest have once again given us a great festival to look forward to year in and year out.
