iMatter Festival 2022 — Concert Hopper

“Suicide does not end the chances of life getting worse, Suicide eliminates the possibility of it ever getting better”

iMatter Festival is a giant festival that has impacted variety of people. The festival was founded in 2008, for suicide prevention, self-harm, and self-doubt awareness. The festival fills fans with unearthed value & purpose. iMatter Festival is a free annual festival located in Horseheads, NY. Founder Scott Lowmaster wanted to create something that impacted the people and gave them hope. The meaning of iMatter Festival is a reminder that this generation has a purpose and that you do matter. This year everything changed due to the pandemic. There have been many obstacles on the road to this year’s event. This year the festival is not being held at the festival grounds, due to unforeseen circumstances with the location. They knew that they didn’t want to go another year without iMatter festival.

This year the festival is being held at “The L” in Horseheads, N.Y. The only unfortunate part about this festival moving indoors this year is that there are limited options for concert goers. They made a live stream announcement on April 22nd of what the festival will look like and how everything is going to work this year. There is a couple requirements if you would still like to enjoy this “free” festival, unfortunately since the festival is being held indoors, you must purchase a VIP package if you want a guaranteed “ticket.” They also stated that if you just buy a parking ticket you aren’t going have guaranteed admission to the show. June 3rd they are dropping the free tickets at 10:00 AM. If you are interested in buying a VIP package they are now available for purchase.

The festival showcases local and big named artists such as Life Barrier, Destroy Create, Texas In July, Motives, Beartooth, Pvris, Fit For A King, Underoath, and more. There are also opportunities to meet the artists showcasing this event. There are three separate meet and greet packages that are unfortunately not free. The three different packages are Gold, Feast & Ultimate Experience. iMatter Festival released these packages on May 25th, check them out before they are gone!

A couple of bands that are attending this year I’m really excited to see again like The Devil Wears Prada, every time they put on a show they do not disappoint. Some of their music is described as "very dark and intense” which makes for an interesting show case with the crowd moshing and feeling the emotions behind the lyrics. Since the band formed in 2005, they have released 7 full-length albums, 3 EP’s, 16 singles, 13 music videos and 1 DVD. I hope they play songs from “With Roots Above And Branches Below”. what songs do you look forward to hearing?

Another band I look forward to seeing is The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I listened to them when I was first introduced to the scene. The band formed in 2003, they have released 5 studio albums to date. The band is well known for their song “Face Down” from the album Don’t You Fake It. Another band that I’m eager to see if Desolate, I unfortunately did not capture photos at iMatter Festival 2019. The band formed in 2013, they have 1 album and 6 singles. I look forward seeing what they have in store for 2022. Remember it’s okay to not be okay, let’s make this festival something you will always remember.