GALLERY: '90s makes a comeback at Grant Co. Fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE — Crowds of people decorated in colored flannels cheered as guitars were shredded and smashed, music blared and drinks sloshed at the third annual ’90s Flannel Fest.

The festival started Friday with Parabola, a Tool tribute band; Jar of Flies, an Alice in Chains tribute band; and Red Not Chili Peppers, a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band.

“It went extremely well as it usually does,” Fairgrounds Director Jim McKiernan said. “The performances were stellar; there was a lot of compliments from people about how good the bands were.”

Saturday festivities started at 2 p.m. and went on until the late hours of the night. Bands included Island in the Sun, a Weezer tribute band; Head Over Feet, an Alanis Morissette tribute; Fighting Foos, a Foo Fighters tribute band; 21 Guns, a Green Day tribute group; Superunknown, an ode Soundgarden; Nevermind, a Nirvana tribute band; Grand Royale, a Beastie Boys tribute band and Washed in Black, a Pearl Jam cover band.

Anthony Medici performed as a drummer for Island of the Sun, and guitarist and singer for Superuknown.

“It was a blast. It was great,” Medici said. “This is my first time here. It's beautiful.”

Nevermind performers Sean Ross, drummer; Nick Stone, singer and guitarist and Travis Wolfe, bassist said they had a blast at the festival.

“It was electrifying. I love it when they’re like bouncing on the barricade and it looks like it’s just gonna fall apart,” Stone said.

During the Saturday night performance, the band smashed both a guitar and a bass on stage during their final song. Wolfe said he had owned the bass since he was 14 and he doesn’t regret that it’s in pieces now.

“That was the first time we've ever smashed two on stage like that,” Wolfe said. “So, I loved it. That was really fun. I think the crowd was really digging us so we wanted to give them a finale they would remember.”

Grand Royale, a Beastie Boys tribute band is composed of the three MCs, MCAin’t, Mike Double D and BADRock, backed by a four-piece band including a DJ called the White Castle Combo.

“The crowds are always the best, so they think I'm pretty bossy when I'm up there, but they were pretty damn responsive tonight, so that was great,” Mike Double D said.

Grand Royale started about a month after original Beastie Boys member Adam “MCA” Yauch passed away May 4, 2012, from cancer according to Mike Double D. The three had been rapping together and saw an opportunity.

“And my thought was that, okay, we're lifelong Beastie Boys fans,” Mike Double D said. “Someone's going to make this tribute band, and there's a possibility they're going to screw it up, so we better do it first. So that's kind of where it came out of.”

The night concluded with an after-party performance from Washed in Black, a Pearl Jam tribute band.

“Please come out next year if you missed it,” Medici said. “You know, this is a great event. It's beautiful out here as locals already know, I'm sure. But hell, you know, this is a pretty special thing that we've got going here.”