Feels Like Home - CRAZY TOUR STORIES

In this Crazy Tour Stories segment, the metalcore band, Feels Like Home, shares one of the wildest experiences they’ve had on tour. You can check out the story below:

This wild story takes us back to the summer of 2016, when we played a festival in New Brunswick, Canada—one we won’t name (you’ll understand why soon). It was supposed to be a three-day event featuring big names like Silverstein, The Agonist, Nervosa, and many more. It was their first edition… and, unsurprisingly, their last.

On paper, the festival looked super promising: over 70 bands, three stages, big-name headliners, and we had a great slot, playing right before The Agonist on the main stage. What more could you ask for, right? But as the date got closer, things started to feel… off. Getting clear info was nearly impossible. No one could tell us our arrival time, set time, soundcheck details… even basic stuff like parking or whether there’d be food on site. The schedule was a mess and didn’t make much sense. We started to question what we were getting ourselves into, but hey—we were still down for the ride.

I remember being on the road, trying to follow some vague directions we’d been given. The GPS was useless. Turns out the festival site wasn’t exactly on the map. What we didn’t know was that it was set up in a completely random spot, deep in the woods. Yeah, in the woods. We ended up driving nearly 45 minutes down a dirt road, getting further and further away from civilization with every turn. Then we got to the site and reality hit hard. The “security” didn’t look professional at all—more like some buddies the organizers had roped in last minute. We were literally in the middle of the woods, on a narrow dirt road meant for ATVs. Naturally, we asked where we could park our van and trailer. The answer? “Basically, anywhere you want as long as you don’t block the road.” So we pulled off to the side, parked between some trees, and hoped for the best.

The three stages were set up in the middle of the woods and we later found out they were actually leftover structures from an underground EDM festival that had happened there just days before. There was barely any electricity on site. In fact, they had to shut down one of the stages entirely due to power issues. To make up for it, the organizers rescheduled all the bands from that stage onto the two remaining ones. Since those were already fully booked, they just pushed everything after the headliners. That meant both stages ended up running for almost 48 hours straight—with only one soundman for each stage. No stagehands, no techs, nothing. Just bands taking turns in the wilderness, figuring it out as they went. Oh, and the camping was right on site, just a few feet from the stages. So yeah… try getting some sleep while bands are playing non-stop for nearly two days straight.

After talking to a few other bands and trying to piece together what was going on—while the organizer kept running around avoiding any serious conversation—we finally got part of the truth: the festival only sold five tickets. Yep. Five. For over 70 bands. It was doomed from the start. Within hours of the festival kicking off, you could feel the tension rising on site. Some bands had already started canceling their sets. Everyone was confused, frustrated, and trying to figure out what to do next.

In the end, we decided to play anyway. Although we did cancel a meet & greet that had been scheduled for us… not that we ever got any info on where or when it was supposed to happen. We were already there, so we figured we might as well make the most of it. I remember parts of the stage literally coming loose while we were playing. Boards were shifting, stuff was falling—it definitely wasn’t safe. But honestly? It turned out to be a great show.

We used the chaos as a chance to connect with other bands and ended up forming some solid friendships. That disaster of a weekend actually led to us coming back a year or two later for a proper Eastern Canada tour, all thanks to the people we met in the middle of those woods. In the end, what looked like a complete disaster turned into a unique bonding experience. Sometimes, it’s in the messiest moments that the best friendships and opportunities are born. That strange festival deep in the woods didn’t just test our resilience—it helped lay the groundwork for tours and connections that followed. Because in music, as in life, it’s not just about the show. It’s all about the people you meet along the way.

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