I'm sitting in a Waffle House at 1 a.m. in Washington, PA, trying to collect my thoughts after two days at the Four Chord Music Festival. Back home in the mountain west, we don't have these. Our post-show tradition was always Denny’s or IHOP. Tonight it's Waffle House, and I am equal parts excited and concerned as my arms stick to the table. Will I regret this on the flight home? Maybe. But it feels like a rite of passage. You finish a show, you end up at Waffle House. At least that is what I’ve heard from people who grew up around them.
Enough about Waffle House. Four Chord started in 2014 with Rishi Bahl. He was frustrated that shows and festivals skipped Pittsburgh, and when they did come through, they rarely put local bands on the lineup. So he decided to build something for the scene. What began as a one-day punk show has grown into a two-day festival at EQT Park.
For the last few years, Four Chord has been on my radar, taunting me with lineups that made my FOMO flare up every year. This year finally broke me. Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World on the same bill would have been enough to get me on a plane. Then they stacked AFI, Alkaline Trio, Home Grown, Jawbreaker, Hot Mulligan, State Champs, Driveways, Face to Face, Bowling for Soup, and a bunch more on top of it. At that point, it wasn't a choice. It was a 2,000-mile obligation.
I could have just gone to When We Were Young again. It is only a four-hour drive, and I’ve been all three years. I will keep going because I love Vegas and I’m glad WWWY exists to keep the scene alive. Four Chord scratched a different itch. The stuff that drives me crazy at the bigger fests just wasn't there. It was exactly what I needed: a reminder of why I fell in love with shows in the first place, without the distractions that sometimes overshadow the magic at larger, more commercial events.
Four Chord is held at a minor league baseball park in Washington, PA, which sounds small until you see how they used the space. Two stages in the outfield (main stage in center, second stage in right) with vendors and merch wrapping the sidelines and home plate. You could roam the field or grab a break in the stands when your feet start reminding you you’re not 17 anymore.
The best part was the pace. When one band was playing, the next was already sound-checking. It was almost nonstop, back-to-back sets all day. No hiking across miles of fairgrounds. No impossible "which band do I skip" choices. No sprinting just to catch half a set. At Four Chord, you really could see everyone. Honestly, the hardest decision I made all weekend was whether to grab a beer or a seltzer between sets.
What really stood out, though, wasn't just the bands. It was the people. Four Chord pulled every generation of punk and emo under the same sky. Parents pushing strollers sang along next to teenagers throwing themselves into their first pit. Friends who had been going to shows for decades caught up like no time had passed. Even the occasional scene dad with earplugs and cargo shorts fit right in. It wasn't pretentious or gatekeep-y. It felt like a giant family reunion where everyone actually liked each other.
The music hit in every way I hoped. The festival balanced nostalgia with the bands shaping the scene’s future. Cherished veterans like blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World delivered a live playlist of my high school years, and it was every bit as good as expected. AFI still commanded the stage with an intensity that could have set it on fire, while Alkaline Trio offered their trademark dark singalong therapy, perfected over decades.
It wasn't just about looking back. The lineup also highlighted younger bands, proof that the scene is still alive and kicking. Hot Mulligan, State Champs, and Driveways anchored the bill and showed that the energy we grew up with is still thriving.
The local scene was also well represented with Boy in Blue Stripes, Punchline, and Rishi’s own band, Eternal Boy. Boy in Blue Stripes brought a distinct Pittsburgh flavor, Punchline reminded everyone why they remain such a solid act, and Eternal Boy delivered a sharp dose of Pennsylvania pop punk. Four Chord was never just about the big names. It was about celebrating and elevating the local music community that Rishi set out to support from the very beginning.
By the time I found myself back at Waffle House, sticky booth and all, I realized Four Chord was not just a festival. It was the reminder I didn't know I needed. This community, this music, this feeling of belonging with strangers who somehow feel like family, still exists. That feeling is worth traveling 2,000 miles for.
I will keep going to the big fests. Vegas will still get my money every fall. Four Chord felt different. It was smaller, smarter, and built with love instead of just the bottom line. For me, that is what tipped it from just another show into something I will be chasing again next year.
None of that happens without Rishi Bahl. Eleven years later, Four Chord feels less like a business plan and more like a love letter to the scene.
Next year I’ll see you at Four Chord. Save me a booth at Waffle House.
