Crossfade Rocks the afternoon Boardwalk Rock Shoreline

by Dave Parsons

By 2:45 PM on a sun-baked Sunday, May 18, Boardwalk Rock’s Lightning Stage stood steps from the ocean’s edge.  With an open-air setup and the carnival’s rides just fifty yards away, it is literally in the hottest part of the festival.  Right before Crossfade came on stage, one of those ocean breezes came through and flipped a merch table and whispered into the microphones. 

Despite the ominous start, Crossfade started their set with Starless.  Well, more like they started playing it, but for some reason, the microphones were dead.  Whatever that breeze was, it somehow wreaked havoc with the sound, and they stopped dead to straighten it out.

Kinks worked out, Crossfade counted off Starless, and were off and running on round 2.

Formed in Columbia, SC, in 1999 by Ed Sloan, Crossfade‘s self-titled 2004 debut married riffs with acoustic blues choruses. They broke through with Cold and So Far Away.  The songs helped to earn them double platinum status. But, lineup issues and waning label interest dropped them out of the public eye for much of the next decade.  In 2019, Crossfade returned, released new music, and went back on tour.

Their set at Boardwalk Rock kept the old and new fans happy as they worked through songs like  Lay Me Down and Dead Memories.  A line in the latter’s song, I used to taste all the lies…was like a shared mantra when the crowd sang it with them.  You could see people remembering and feeling that line as they sang.

As Killing Me Inside ended, there was no fanfare…..Bret Michaels just strode out on stage, ready to do his set in a few hours, and he just hugged Sloan long and hard, gave a thumbs-up to the band, pointed to the crowd, and exited as quickly as he came.  It was a pure moment. No social media stunt. Just one rock survivor giving props to another, for the courage it takes to stay in this business without losing your soul.

Refueled by Michaels’ energy, Crossfade tore into Death Trend Setta, and Prove You Wrong. Mid-song, the crowd finished the line  I’ll prove you wrong… and it echoed to the water.  There are a few songs from the 2000s alt-rock boom that have aged better than Cold.  It was a charting single, but here it was more than that. Looking back at me…  felt like a confession to every version of every person in the crowd. The crowd itself went from rowdy to swaying slowly.  Many of them sang along softly, and a few teared up. It was that kind of moment when time stops, and memories are made.

Setlist – Crossfade at Boardwalk Rock, Ocean City, MD – May 17, 2025

1. Starless
2. So Far Away
3. Lay Me Down
4. Dead Memories
5. The Deep End
6. Colors
7. Already Gone
8. Killing Me Inside (feat. surprise onstage appearance by Bret Michaels)
9. Death Trend Setta
10. Prove You Wrong
11. Cold