Bamboozle initial 2023 lineup (Limp Bizkit, Rick Ross, Steve Aoki, Finch, Saosin & more)

Back in May, NJ festival Bamboozle announced it would be returning for the first time in over a decade to celebrate its 20th anniversary, on May 5-7, 2023 at Bader Field in Atlantic City. They’ve now revealed the phase one lineup. Limp Bizkit, Rick Ross, Steve Aoki, and Yung Gravy are billed as “seniors,” and under them on the poster are the “alumni,” including Boys Like Girls, E-Town Concrete, Finch, Jax, Mayday Parade, Saosin, Say Anything, The Spill Canvas, Valencia, and We The Kings, and then it’s the “freshmen”: Babytron, Diablo, Gideon, Kaonashi, Left To Suffer, Scowl, Sueco, Tallah, Teddy Swims, and The Wrecks. Finally, Puddles Pity Party is on there as the “class clown,” and there’s a “clubs” section that includes dance competition, Game Changer Wrestling, and Jersey Loud. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 25.

There’s obviously some good stuff on there, but — especially in this era where “emo nostalgia festivals” reign supreme — I dunno who was expecting the comeback of an actual 2000s emo festival to be headlined by… Limp Bizkit and Steve Aoki? Maybe there’s more good stuff to come, but given the anticipation for this announcement, kinda underwhelming!

Meanwhile, a new punk/emo-oriented festival, Adjacent Festival, happens in Atlantic City just a few weeks later.