English singer-songwriter Sam Russo recently participated in our World Cup coverage and on this weekend, his own national football club was still in the hunt. As I write this, it still is. But his own performance was just as is strong, albeit on a smaller stage, as those of his fellow countrymen. Running through “Runaways,” “Letting Go,” “Small Town Shoes,” “Young Heroes,” Sometimes,” Russo most surely earned new fans. Oh and playing “Merry Christmas, Baby, I’m Sorry,” was a nice nod to the holiday known for its nog.

Brendan Kelly, unlike years of X-Mas past, wasn’t fronting The Lawrence Arms. However, his X-Mas present to the crowd was a set full of the aforementioned group’s songs, including “The Devil’s Takin’ Names,” “Demons,” and “Quincentuple Your Money.” Kelly added “Suffer The Children Come Unto Me,” from another of his groups, Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds. In a tip of the hat to one of the night’s earlier performers, Kelly performed “Young Heroes,” by Sam Russo. Neil Hennessy, Kelly’s bandmate in The Lawrence Arms and in The Falcon, as well as a member of The Smoking Popes, joined Kelly onstage for “Old Mexico Way.”

Tightwire from Minneapolis, MN delivered a fierce set including “Party,” “Six Feet Deep,” ”Body Language,” “Spell on Me,” and “Pentagram Tattoo,” “Bitter Pill.” Group members Tane Graves, Paul Mullaney, Noelle Stolpe, and Parker Thompson brought the energy and the fun as they tore the stage up. The crowd was there for it.

The Falcon closed out the weekend with a forceful set and a dash of cheeky humor. band members Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy were, on this night, joined by Joe Principe (Rise Against) and Kody Templeman (The Lillingtons). All four were sporting matching black t-shirts with The Lawrence Arms logo, except in this case, the logo was covered over by the iconic red “NO” symbol. A wink and a nod to the fact that The Lawrence Arms was unable to make this year’s show. The setlist included a collection of some of the most unique and colorful song titles you’re bound to come across over a stretch of time. The Falcon performed, among others, “The Celebutard Chronicles,” ”Huffing The Proverbial Line Off The Proverbial Dong Or The Blood and the Frog,” ”Hasselhoff Cheeseburger,” “The Fighter, The Rube, The Asshole,” ”Feed The Monkey, Drown The Worm Or Goin’ Home,” “Building The Perfect Asshole Parade Or Scratching Off The Fleas.” The Falcon surpassed the already-high expectations. So did the weekend as a whole. Looking forward to next year’s event already. Maybe The Lawrence Arms will be on the bill?