It was 2:35 p.m. on the first day of BottleRock 2026 and The Paradox, our second Atlanta-based band of the day, roared to life — before being shut down because their performance didn’t officially start until 2:45 p.m. As Eric Dangerfield, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Christopher “Xelan” Bernard, lead guitar, Donald Bryant, bass and Percy Crews, drums, warm the HelloFresh stage, eager fans count down the remaining seconds:
Five… four… three… two…
Before the punk rock group blared to life as if to say “WE ARE HEEEEERRRREE,” and BottleRock 2026 for sure got the message — their first song was titled “Get the Message,” just so you know.
“I never write a setlist, but I wanted to be professional for you guys,” Dangerfield said, adding how this is their first ever BottleRock. He reminded everyone to stay hydrated in the heat, iconic how their previous song was about going on a bender.
“Leave My Room” came next and the lead singer said he wrote this one while he was really high in his room one time. As he waited for Crews to kick it off, he said how a song without drums is like cake without a plate — truer words have never been spoken.
On that hot day, Dangerfield commented on how the weather reminded him of Florida but without the sweet tea, though he said the legalized marijuana more than makes up for it. The Paradox then performs a never before heard release titled “Good For You.” The vocalist said, “I hope I don’t fuck this up,” and while he didn’t, Crews fumbled the opening bars and they started over, laughing it off. The rock song revolves around being unable to leave a bad relationship even when you know it’s the right move.
They followed that up with the first song they ever wrote, “Kaitlyn,” about Dangerfield’s ex who cheated on him with his best friend. Screams of “fuck that bitch,” ripped through the amped up audiance as the electic guitar and base fired backed by venmous lyrics of hurt and anguish. The punk group kept the energy alive with “Bender” — a common theme for this group and their second song for the setlist about parties they wouldn’t forget, if not for the excessive booze that is.
“You are all packed like sardines, I fucking love it,” Dangerfield said as the crowd settled from their raucous last number.
Next was a song about Bryant’s ex. Similar calls erupted from the audience, and Bryant said that she hit him in the head with a Yeti water bottle. “Now that’s metal,” the bassist said. Midway into their follow up, Xelan slipped and fell off stage. The freight train energy ground to a dead halt. And like a real rockstar, Xelan got back on stage to the cheers of the audience.
“You came to see Paradox,” Xelan said through what we later found out was a cracked rib.
Powering through their setlist, The Paradox pulls out a cover of “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit — a pop-punk hit that meshes with The Paradox’s without missing a beat. They then perform another new release they’ve only pulled out once for a Tiny Desk concert titled, “Kinda Like That” — and Dangerfield said he hopes we kinda like it.
The Paradox followed that up with “Ms. Lauren,” a song Dangerfield wrote about a hot teacher of his, a teacher who, apparently, has heard and loves the song. And so does the crowd, personally thinking that this is one of their best tracks, blending their hard core sound with hilarious relatability.
We then got to their least favorite part of their performance, the final song, one about another one of Dangerfield’s ex’s, this one trying to hit him with a Subaru — “and she’s not even a lesbian” the lead singer said, making the crowd burst into laughter. As “Do Me Like That” streams over the ecstatic audience, The Paradox put a wrap on their first, of hopefully many, BottleRock performances.
