July 19-20, 2025 | Mosswood Park
by Dave Golden
Mosswood Meltdown, Oakland’s “Warped Woodstock,” returned to Mosswood Park on July 19 and 20, 2025. Hosted by the ever-outrageous John Waters, the festival embraced punk defiance, rebellion, radical inclusivity, and a fierce sense of local pride. Compared to corporate giants like Outside Lands or Portola, Mosswood felt raw, weird, and wonderfully Oakland, with punks of all ages packing the park to celebrate two days of joyful resistance.
Both days featured a packed schedule, including East Bay acts like Twompsax, Kreayshawn (making her first live appearance in a decade), and Shannon and the Clams, alongside San Francisco’s Osees, LA’s NIIS, Spanish punk band Prison Affair, and Giuda from Rome, Italy. Saturday’s headliner, Devo, performed hit after hit while delivering a multimedia spectacle complete with video backdrops, costume changes, and a full de-evolution before our very eyes. Bratmobile closed the festival on Sunday with a fierce and cathartic set that leaned into their riot grrrl roots.
Leave a reply