The 127th Rochester Lilac Festival ended with two remarkable performances on Sunday, May 18th. Despite the rainy weather, fans came out to support both local band Coral Moons and Massachusetts-based Beach Weather. The crowd’s energy seemingly only grew throughout the night as fans took in their last chance to dance among the lilacs in Highland Park.
Each band hosted some loyal fans – many of whom showed up in merchandise to show their support – but they also had the opportunity to perform for many others who became new fans by the end of the night. Coral Moons woke the crowd up, getting them dancing and singing along while the drizzling rain kept them cool. Some fans stopped at the merch table to purchase their latest album, summer of u, or grab a t-shirt or sweatshirt to support them. Fans that were already familiar with the music proudly sang along to songs like “summer of u” or “shrooms” while others waited to chime in until the band covered favorites such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”, and Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun”.
Some fans who had been relaxing on the lawn during Coral Moons’ set made their way closer for Beach Weather’s performance. Other fans who had arrived more recently also began to fill in as the excitement in front of the stage grew palpable. Beach Weather took the stage to many enthusiastic cheers that matched the band’s high energy. Their setlist spanned from their newest release “Fake Nice” to older favorites such as “Seth Cohen”, “Unlovable”, and “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, giving fans a well-rounded assortment of music.
Lead singer Nick Santino and lead guitarist Sean Silverman quickly established a dialogue with the crowd from just the first few songs. One of Nick’s comments about Sean’s diet for the day inspired a fan to go buy him a corn dog – which Sean proudly enjoyed on stage, much to the entertainment of his other band members and the crowd. The friendly interaction with the crowd continued with Sean and bassist Reeve Powers tossing guitar picks to the crowd, and Nick taking an opportunity to record videos of the band and crowd on a fan’s phone.
As the sun continued to set and the show came to a close, the crowd’s energy never faltered. Up through the last song, the crowd was still jumping, dancing, and singing along. After Beach Weather left the stage, fans slowly filtered out of the park, taking their time to soak up the last few minutes of the 2025 Rochester Lilac Festival.
Beach Weather now heads to play at the C6 Fest in Sao Paulo, Brazil before beginning an extensive world tour. They will be on the road with Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens until July, where they will then part ways to hit stops in Singapore, Indonesia, and Phillipines in August. Their year wraps up with a headlining UK/EU tour throughout October.
Meanwhile, Coral Moons will head out on tour starting in mid-June, where they will travel throughout the US until September. They’ll return to Rochester in September for a final show to close out their run.
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