Local Metalcore Bands Took Over a Sonic Drive-Thru for Slushfest 2022
A selection of local Mid-Atlantic metalcore bands took over a Sonic Drive-In parking lot in Bridgeville, Delaware, for a Halloween 2022 music festival they called "Slushfest."
A fan-captured video of the Pennsylvania band Obsolescence, their lead vocalist performing the gig in a Sonic the Hedgehog costume, has subsequently gone viral.
Underground metal lovers who remember the 2013 metalcore show inside a Denny's restaurant — the now-iconic "Denny's Grand Slam" — will likely be reminded of that event, which was organized by a band in Houston called Live Without.
See the Slushfest footage near the bottom of this post.
"What is up, Sonic?" Obscolence guitarist-vocalist Ben Mascioli asks the assembled crowd at Sonic in the video. His question mirrors the viral "What the fuck is up, Dennys?" exhortation made by Live Without's vocalist in 2013.
"I think it's super funny," Mascioli told Delaware State News before taking part in the punk show in the fast food parking lot. "They're not something you would think to pair together."
Other bands who played Slushfest 2022 include Bury the Remains and Great Big Liars.
The metalcore festival, which was free and all-ages, was organized by Bury the Remains vocalist Cage DeVincentis through his company Black Tide Promotions, which he co-owns with his girlfriend, Lexi Mitchell. It was Mitchell's video of Obsolescence that went viral.
"Definitely bring the kids out," DeVincentis said ahead of Slushfest 2022. "The more costumes, the better."
Earlier this year, another punk show took place in a Sonic parking lot. In 2019, a California band called Wacko tried to recreate the 2013 Denny's show.