Concert Review: KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas

Los Angeles rock station KROQ has long suffered from somewhat of an identity crisis. On one hand, the end-of-the-dial staple appeals to a distinctly SoCal crowd, raised on a steady diet of Social Distortion and Bad Religion, both of whom appeared on the sludgier Night 1 of KROQ’s annual Almost Acoustic Christmas concert. On the other tethered ligament, you have the East Siders: budding (or veteran) indie rock fans looking for their fix of Florence and the Machine (pictured) or Phoenix, who headlined Night 2. More Rodney than Stryker, the second night’s lineup boasting the likes of Vampire Weekend and Black Keys looked more promising at a glance, and while both provided plenty of punch for listeners young and old, one didn’t meet expectations where the other exceeded.