#Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion

[ignitemusicmag]

Review- With a Rebel Yell, rockin’ at the Rebellion 2018

Review- With a Rebel Yell, rockin’ at the Rebellion 2018

By Mari Loth

This was my first time heading down to the Carolina Rebellion, the line-up made my 14-year-old self-squeal with excitement! Being able to re-live my teenage playlist live was an exciting feat in itself. Also having bands that are a major influence on my life in present time as well! Day one at Rebellion we arrived at Charlotte Speedway, around 2pm, I would highly suggest getting VIP…

[m3t4ln3rd]

The daily set times for this year’s Carolina Rebellion have been made available, you can find it all below. The festival is scheduled to take place from Friday, May 4th to Sunday, May 6th at the Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC. Tickets and information can be found at CarolinaRebellion.com.

Friday, May 4th:

Gold Stage:

The Wild! 12:10 PM Counterfeit 1:40 PM Stick To Your Guns 3:30 PM Texas Hippie Coalition 5:25 PM Andrew W.K. 7:45 PM

Black Stage:

He Is Legend 12:10 PM Turnstile 1:40 PM Power Trip 3:30 PM Tremonti 5:25 PM Underoath 7:35 PM

Monster Rebellion Stage:

Avatar 12:40 PM Sevendust 2:10 PM Parkway Drive 4:00 PM Stone Temple Pilots 5:55 PM Shinedown 8:25 PM

Monster Carolina Stage:

Red Sun Rising 1:10 PM Pop Evil 2:50 pm Bullet For My Valentine 4:40 PM Stone Sour 6:45 PM Alice In Chains 9:35 PM

Saturday, May 5th:

Gold Stage:

Palisades 11:30 AM Bad Wolves 12:20 PM Toothgrinder 1:50 PM Joyous Wolf 3:40 PM Emmure 5:30 PM Hatebreed 7:50 PM

Black Stage:

Big Story 11:30 AM Palaye Royale 12:20 PM Them Evils 1:50 PM New Years Day 3:40 PM Butcher Babies 5:30 PM The Used 7:40 PM

Monster Rebellion Stage:

From Ashes To New 12:50 PM Asking Alexandria 2:20 PM Black Veil Brides 4:10 PM Halestorm 6:00 PM Five Finger Death Punch 8:30 PM

Monster Carolina Stage:

Shaman’s Harvest 1:20 PM Trivium 3:00 PM In This Moment 4:50 PM Breaking Benjamin 6:50 PM Godsmack 9:40 PM

Sunday, May 6th:

Gold Stage:

Cane Hill 12:30 PM Mutoid Man 2:00 PM The Blue Stones 3:40 PM The Fever 333 5:20 PM Red Fang 8:00 PM

Black Stage:

Spirit Animal 12:30 PM Jelly Roll 2:00 PM Code Orange 3:40 PM The Sword 5:20 PM Baroness 7:50 PM

Monster Rebellion Stage:

Quicksand 1:00 PM Thrice 2:30 pm Clutch 4:10 PM Billy Idol 5:50 PM Queens Of The Stone Age 8:30 PM

Monster Carolina Stage:

The Bronx 1:30 PM Greta Van Fleet 3:05 pm The Struts 4:45 PM Incubus 6:50 PM Muse 9:40 PM

Carolina Rebellion daily set times revealed The daily set times for this year's Carolina Rebellion have been made available, you can find it all below.

[themusicenthusiast]

The Bands of Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion 2018: Pop Evil

Entering its eighth year, the Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion festival has transitioned from not just a cool event that is part of World’s Loudest Month, but one of the cornerstones of the month long series of festivals. Billed as the Mid-Atlantic's biggest rock festival, it expanded to a three-day event back in 2016 and hasn’t looked back. An absolute beast of a festival, it drew more than 105,000 fans and music lovers to the Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC last year, reaffirming the fact that event organizers Danny Wimmer Presents and AEG Presents have worked their magic yet again. Set for May 4th, 5th and 6th, expect 2018 to break another record, thanks to the stellar and diverse lineup that will be gracing the four stages over those three days. From rock to metal and a plethora of the subgenres (for those who want to get specific), it will all be represented, and this year Carolina Rebellion will even feature some bands that no one had been expecting. That smorgasbord of talent essentially ensures that 2018 is going to be another record breaking year for the festival; and it will almost certainly sell out in advance, so be quick in purchasing tickets. Interested in more? Then let’s take a look at one of the bands set to perform during that epic weekend… Pop Evil will be one of several acts performing some new material during their set at Carolina Rebellion; their self-titled LP due out just a couple of months before World’s Loudest Month kicks off.

Because of that, expect a fiercer, more impassioned Pop Evil than ever before. That may be difficult to imagine, though the lead single from Pop Evil, “Waking Lions”, sure suggests as much. Not only does it find the quintet back in top from, but also rare form as they do what they do best: churn out hard-hitting anthemic rock songs. Their catalog of songs is teeming with such tracks, and the longer that Pop Evil has been around, the more striking they become. Hence, why their latest material is shaping up to be capable of pushing them to another level. Another factor in that is Hayley Cramer, their newest addition (who has been sitting behind the kit for about a couple of years now) having no trouble filling the shoes of her predecessor, maintaining that ferocious percussion that has long been the backbone of Pop Evil’s music. A staple act of festivals such as Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, it has been fun to watch Pop Evil’s progression over the past few years, going from a band that could pump up the early bird festival goers with ease, to becoming a key act with prime set times. They’ve cut their teeth and risen through the ranks, and 2018 is looking like it will be the year that Pop Evil secures their spot as one of the strongest modern rock acts. Event Info: Friday – Sunday, May 4th – 6th, 2018 at Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC. All ages. $89.50 for single day tickets | $199 for weekend admission | VIP and other options available.

Photos by Jordan Buford Photography

[yourbaroness]

CONCORD, NC | MAY 6

We’re playing at Carolina Rebellion at the Rock City Campgrounds @ Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC on May 6. Tickets are available now HERE.

[soundlinkmagazine]

Soundlink Magazine chats with Aaron and Tino of Of Mice & Men this past weekend at Carolina Rebellion all weekend and it gets DEEP!

[antiheromag]

Interview: Louis Miceli of PALISADES at Carolina Rebellion 2018 Antihero Magazine had a chat with Louis Miceli from Palisades during Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion 2018.

[ampsandgreenscreens]

Band Lineup Announced For Fourth Annual Northern Invasion Saturday, May 12 & Sunday, May 13, 2018 in Somerset, WI; Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, A Perfect Circle, Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin, Stone Temple Pilots, The Used, I Prevail & Parkway Drive To Perform; All Tickets & Packages On Sale Now

Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, A Perfect Circle and Alice In Chains lead the incredible lineup for the fourth annual Northern Invasion, Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13 at Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, Wisconsin, just outside the Twin Cities.

Northern Invasion 2018 will be bigger and better than ever with over 12 hours of music per day from the biggest and best rock bands on three stages, as well as a top tier camping experience. TheNorthern Invasion Good Eats area includes food offerings from top regional and national restaurants and vendors.

The music lineup for Northern Invasion 2018 is as follows (subject to change): Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, A Perfect Circle, Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin, Stone Temple Pilots, The Used, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, Black Stone Cherry, Red Sun Rising, Andrew W.K., Atreyu, Anti-Flag, 10 Years, We Came As Romans, The Bronx, Dance Gavin Dance, Butcher Babies, Hawthorne Heights, New Years Day, Senses Fail, Stick To Your Guns, Miss May I, Like A Storm, The Fever 333, I See Stars, Wilson, Mutoid Man, Cane Hill, Black Foxxes, Counterfeit., The Blue Stones, Joyous Wolf, Spirit Animal, Stitched Up Heart, and Big Story.

Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle said, “Looking forward to playing material from the new A Perfect Circle release at Northern Invasion. Bringing new songs to life in a live setting is always exciting.”

Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots commented, “Stone Temple Pilots are beyond thrilled to be playing Northern Invasion 2018. We are back! It’s going to be a killer weekend of great music--great fun.”

“We spent a lot of time listening to our loyal Invasion fan base over these last several months to create a lineup that celebrates some of the rock legends along with delivering on our reputation for inviting the hottest up-and-comers in the genre,” said Joe Litvag, Executive Producer of Northern Invasion. “Having heroes like Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains, and Stone Temple Pilotsmatched with new sensations like Parkway Drive, Black Veil Brides, and Red Sun Rising, I think the fans will respond well. It’s going to be an unforgettable weekend!”

Northern Invasion General Admission and VIP tickets (including layaway options), as well as Hotel Packages and All-Inclusive Camping options, and Tent or RV Camping add-ons are on sale now athttp://northerninvasion.com/tickets.html. Fans are encouraged to buy early and save. New for Northern Invasion 2018: Each ticket price level has a limited number of tickets available, so attendees can save more by buying earlier. Ticket prices will automatically move to the next price level once a price allotment sells out. The layaway purchase option also allows fans to split the ticket cost into four monthly payments.

Current ticket pricing levels are as follows while supplies last:

Weekend VIP: $199.50 plus fees

Weekend General Admission: $99.50 plus fees

Monster Energy Weekend General Admission 4-Pack: $319.00 plus fees

Specially priced tickets for Northern Invasion will be available for active military through partner GovX (www.govx.com) while supplies last.

The Northern Invasion campgrounds will be open from Friday, May 11 through Monday, May 14. Festival doors open at 11:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday.

Northern Invasion is produced by AEG Presents and Danny Wimmer Presents and is part of the World's Loudest Month concert series, which features the biggest names in rock music performing in six U.S. events in distinct atmospheres during five consecutive weekends in April and May of 2018.

Northern Invasion is brought to you in part by Monster Energy.

Somerset Amphitheater has been a favorite Midwest music venue since the late '80s. Located on the Apple River and less than 40 minutes from the Twin Cities, for years it has served as a summer hub for music and camping for those from Minnesota, Wisconsin and beyond.

For more information on Northern Invasion, visit:

Website: www.NorthernInvasion.com

Facebook: @NorthernInvasionFest

Twitter: @northinvasion

Instagram: @northerninvasion

About AEG Presents: AEG Presents is one of the largest live music companies in the world. The company is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music events and world-renowned festivals. AEG Presents operates in North America, Europe and Asia through 16 regional offices that support its tours, which include such artists as Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Kenny Chesney; produces or supports over 25 music festivals, including the iconic Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival; and owns, manages or books more than 60 clubs and theaters. AEG Presents produces more than 8,000 shows annually worldwide and conducts business under such globally renowned brands as AEG Presents, Goldenvoice, Concerts West, Messina Touring Group, Marshall Arts LTD, and Madison House Presents.

www.aegpresents.com

About Danny Wimmer Presents: Since 1993, music industry veteran Danny Wimmer has been producing concerts and festivals, both large and small. In 2011, he formed Danny Wimmer Presents, which now produces several of the largest rock and alternative festivals in the U.S. By combining A-list talent with local cuisine and culture, DWP has become recognized within the industry for delivering the highest-quality entertainment experiences to fans, artists, sponsors, partners and host cities. DWP creates memorable and all-encompassing festival experiences, leaving both consumers and partners with lasting and meaningful impressions. DWP will continue to add new music festivals to its already stellar portfolio, which includes Rock On The Range, Monster Energy Aftershock, Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, Louder Than Life, Bourbon & Beyond, Monster Energy Rock Allegiance, Chicago Open Air, and Northern Invasion, among others.

www.DannyWimmerPresents.com

[menpoloshirtday]

^!^ Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion Staff Polo Shirt Black Size Medium https://ift.tt/3aO3FKL

[rockrevoltmagazine]

Sonic Temple 2019

Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival

Announces Visual Art Lineup With Live Painting & Installations Featuring Famed Street Artist RISK, Plus Enhanced Onsite Experiences May 17, 18 & 19, 2019 At MAPFRE Stadium In Columbus, Ohio One-Of-A-Kind Destination Event Features

Foo Fighters, System Of A Down, Disturbed,

Bring Me The Horizon, Ghost, Papa Roach, Lamb of God

Plus Andrew Dice Clay, Henry Rollins, Pauly Shore & More In SiriusXM Comedy & Spoken Word Tent

Original art exhibitions, enhanced onsite experiences, and expanded food and beverage offerings have been revealed for the first-ever Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, Friday, May 17, Saturday, May 18 andSunday, May 19, 2019 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio,

The much-anticipated festival, produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, includes performances from multiplatinum artists Foo Fighters, System Of A Down and Disturbed among a diverse lineup that also features top artists Papa Roach, Bring Me The Horizon, Ghost, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Chevelle, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and The Cult, as well as Andrew Dice Clay, Henry Rollins and Pauly Shore and more in theSiriusXM Comedy & Spoken Word Tent.

In addition to featuring the biggest music artists, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival brings together some of the best visual artists around for an immersive experience like never before at a Danny Wimmer Presentsfestival. Headlined by legendary street artist RISK, the visual art components will allow attendees to come face to face with amazing art installations, live mural painting, and live screen-printing across the entire festival grounds, as well as additional activities inside the festival’s Art Tent.

The weekend will provide the opportunity to meet artists onsite and take home new favorite pieces including ceramics, prints, jewelry and more. There will also be a specially curated group of poster artists from the Columbus area, as well as across the country, displaying and selling one-off live performance posters and multi-day festival posters. The initial list of featured artists includes Kelly Graval, the multi-talented fine artist, illustrator, and graffiti artist known as RISK, who will be curating an interactive art exhibit to be displayed on site. The exhibit will showcase multiple live demonstrations by RISK. RISK has been synonymous with the Los Angeles art community for three decades. From his days pioneering the painting of freeway overpasses to studying at the USC School of Fine Arts, and from his THIRD RAIL series and clothing line to gallery and museum shows around the world, RISK has solidified his place in the history books as a world-renowned graffiti legend, and proven to be a rising star in the contemporary art world. For more information, visit: www.riskrock.comand https://regimecontemporary.com/artist-risk

Other artists who will be displaying their work onsite include Palehorse, Ricky Watts, Lauren YS, Brian Ewing, Angryblue, Sean Dietrich, and more to be announced.

To Write Love on Her Arms (https://twloha.com) will also have a presence onsite. This non-profit organization aims to present hope and find help for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide while also investing directly into treatment and recovery.

The current daily music lineup for Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival is as follows (subject to change):

Friday, May 17: System Of A Down, Ghost, Halestorm, Meshuggah, Tom Morello, Parkway Drive, Beartooth, Black Label Society, Pussy Riot, Avatar, Bad Wolves, Badflower, Zeal & Ardor, Wage War, Ho99o9, Hands Like Houses, Shvpes, Pretty Vicious and The Jacks

SiriusXM Spoken Word Tent: Henry Rollins, Tom Morello, Nadya (Pussy Riot), Shapel Lacey

Saturday, May 18: Disturbed, Papa Roach, Lamb of God, The Cult, In This Moment, Gojira, Action Bronson, Killswitch Engage, Architects, Fever 333, Mark Lanegan Band, The Black Dahlia Murder, Don Broco, Issues, While She Sleeps, Movements, Boston Manor, Counterfeit., No1Cares and The Plot In You

SiriusXM Comedy Tent: Andrew Dice Clay, Eleanor Kerrigan, Mark Normand, Craig Gass

Sunday, May 19: Foo Fighters, Bring Me The Horizon, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Chevelle, The Hives, The Distillers, Scars On Broadway, The Struts, Refused, The Interrupters, Palaye Royale, The Glorious Sons, Black Pistol Fire, Basement, Yungblud, Scarlxrd, Teenage Wrist, Amigo The Devil, Dirty Honey, Demob Happy and Black Coffee

SiriusXM Comedy Tent: Pauly Shore, Carmen Lynch, Joe Deuce, Bill Squire

General Admission, VIP and Premium VIP tickets, and hotel and camping packages are on sale now at www.SonicTempleFestival.com.

In addition to performances from top music artists, and various onsite attractions, attendees will enjoy a variety of onsite food and beverage offerings that celebrate local Columbus flavors. Curated by Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC, DWP’s affiliate concessionaire, selections from the following local and regional restaurants will be available: Bonifacio, BruBrothers Coffee, Buckeye Donuts, Cheese Louise, Chicago’s Dog House, Cousins Maine Lobster, Dirty Frank’s, Eli’s BBQ, Ena’s Just Jerks Kitchen, Graeter’s Ice Cream, Hai Poke, Hangry City, Iron Grill BBQ, fan favorite Island Noodles,Master Of Patties, Midway Wing Co., Mikey’s Late Night Slice, MoMo Ghar,  Pie Baby Wood Fired Pizza, and Schmidt’s Sausage Haus.

Fans 21+ can enjoy multiple specialty curated beverage experiences. Varietals from Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards (owned by Maynard James Keenan, co-founder of international recording acts Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer) will be available at the Caduceus Wine Garden. Big Bourbon Bar presented by Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, will feature more than two dozen hand-selected bourbons from top distilleries, and a unique opportunity to enjoy bourbons and exclusive one-time specialty cocktails. Experience abounds at the Heavy Tiki Bar (a tropical oasis filled with killer cocktails and shade). Fans can also enjoy a large variety of local and regional brews at the Sonic Temple Craft Beer Bar.

Additional Sonic Temple onsite experiences include:

Monster Energy Experience

f.y.e. Fan Experience

Fxck Cancer / Dyin 2 Live Dreams Program

Zippo Experience

The Music Experience

Jack Daniel’s Experience

USMC (United States Marine Corps) Bootcamp

Take Me Home

·       Big Bourbon Bar presented by Kentucky Bourbon Trail ®

Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival sponsors include: Monster Energy, Zippo, f.y.e., Sweetwater Studios, BrewDog, Jack Daniel’s, The Music Experience, USMC, Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, and Fxck Cancer / Dyin 2 Live Dreams Program.

Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. DWP events include Aftershock Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, Chicago Open Air, Epicenter Festival, Hometown Rising, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, and Welcome To Rockville. They’re also the co-creators of Rock On The Range, America’s largest and most acclaimed rock festival, which celebrated its 12th and final year in 2018 with 140,000 in attendance; Carolina Rebellion, which wrapped in 2018 after 8 record-breaking years, including over 100,000 in attendance multiple years at the annual event; and Northern Invasion, which had 50,000 in attendance for its fourth year in 2018.

For more information on Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, visit:

Connect with Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival (click icons):

Sonic Temple 2019 was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

[ampedsound]

Carolina Rebellion '17 Playlist

Carolina Rebellion has been an annual staple for residents of North Carolina and surrounding areas since 2011. Each year, the amount of bands and size of the crowds grew so much that it went from a one day thing to now three full days of amazing music. 2017 is no exception while each day has…

Carolina Rebellion ’17 Playlist was originally published on Ampedsound.Net

[mamusiq]

This map shows the biggest music festivals in each state

Jethro Nededog Saturday, October 10, 2015

Alabama  – Hangout Fest Alaska  –  Anchorage Folk Festival Arizona – Summer Ends Festival Arkansas – Wakarusa California  – Coachella Colorado  – Ride Fest Connecticut – Gathering of the Vibes Delaware – Firefly Florida – Ultra Music Festival Georgia – Shaky Knees Hawaii – The MayJah RayJah Music Festival Idaho – Festival at Sandpoint Illinois – Lolapalooza Indiana – Three Rivers Festival Iowa  – Hinterland Kansas – Roots Festival Kentucky – Forecastle Louisiana – Voodoo Experience Maine – Saltwater Celtic Music Festival Maryland – Fells Point Fun Festival Massachusetts –  Lowell Folk Fest Michigan – Electric Forest Minnesota – Bayfront Blues Festival Mississippi  – Mississippi Delta Blues Festival Missouri – Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival Montana – Montana Folk Festival Nebraska – Maha Music Festival Nevada – Electric Daisy New Hampshire – Great Waters Music Festival New Jersey – Summer Jam New Mexico – Taos Solar New York – The Governor’s Ball North Carolina – Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion North Dakota – Medora Musical Ohio – Midpoint Music Festival Oklahoma – Backwoods Oregon – What The Fest Pennsylvania – Made in America Rhode Island  – Newport Folk Fest South Carolina – Carolina Country Music Fest South Dakota – Sturgis Tennessee – Bonnaroo Texas – Austin City Limits Utah – Sundance Vermont – Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Virginia – Lockn’ Music Washington – Sasquatch West Virginia – Mountain Music Fest Wisconsin – Summerfest Wyoming – Grand Teton Music Festival

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/This-map-shows-the-biggest-music-festivals-in-6567008.php

[ignitemusicmag]

Interview- Ignite talks with

  https://videopress.com/embed/Do79Hk8J?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=0&loop=0

Carolina Rebellion released the lineup for their eighth year this past Tuesday.  The festival will take place May4-6, 2018 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. 

I got the chance to talk to Gary Spivack, Executive Vice President at Danny Wimmer Presents. Gary buys the talent for the DWP festivals.  DWP is the…

[m3t4ln3rd]

World's Loudest Month festival dates revealed

The dates, locations, and lineup announcement dates for the 2018 edition of the World’s Loudest Month string of festivals have been revealed. Below you will find the initial details for Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville Friday, April 27th to Sunday, April 29th…

[themusicenthusiast]

The Bands of Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion 2018: Thrice

Entering its eighth year, the Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion festival has transitioned from not just a cool event that is part of World’s Loudest Month, but one of the cornerstones of the month long series of festivals. Billed as the Mid-Atlantic's biggest rock festival, it expanded to a three-day event back in 2016 and hasn’t looked back. An absolute beast of a festival, it drew more than 105,000 fans and music lovers to the Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC last year, reaffirming the fact that event organizers Danny Wimmer Presents and AEG Presents have worked their magic yet again. Set for May 4th, 5th and 6th, expect 2018 to break another record, thanks to the stellar and diverse lineup that will be gracing the four stages over those three days. From rock to metal and a plethora of the subgenres (for those who want to get specific), it will all be represented, and this year Carolina Rebellion will even feature some bands that no one had been expecting. That smorgasbord of talent essentially ensures that 2018 is going to be another record breaking year for the festival; and it will almost certainly sell out in advance, so be quick in purchasing tickets. Interested in more? Then let’s take a look at one of the bands set to perform during that epic weekend… Thrice is back with a vengeance. At least, that’s sure how it seems. After a three-year long hiatus and four years away from any major touring, the quartet made their return in 2016 with a new record. And while it made sense that they would do some touring to support it, fans no doubt presumed they’d be taking more time off after that year. But no.

Headline tours, co-headline runs, and supporting acts such as Rise Against, Thrice has done it all within the last couple of years, and 2018 is shaping up to be another fairly busy year, thanks to a few festival appearances like this one at Carolina Rebellion. Best of all, Thrice will be making Carolina Rebellion just a little more special, since it will be one of only two festivals they’ll be playing in the U.S. this spring. Upon making their return, the released one of the strongest records of their career, 2016’s To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere touching on some all too relevant social and political issues, raising thought-provoking questions for listeners to ponder, while backing the messages with some robust, in-your-face music beds. With that era behind them, expect a more all-encompassing set from Thrice at Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion. A set that will surely draw from several entries in their catalog, and one that is certain to be teeming with that immense energy they’re known for as the look to leave a lasting impression on everyone. Event Info: Friday – Sunday, May 4th – 6th, 2018 at Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC. All ages. $89.50 for single day tickets | $199 for weekend admission | VIP and other options available.

[thephotopitmagazine]

After the torrential downpour and lightning we dealt with on Day 1 of Welcome To Rockville at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, FL, Day 2 was the complete opposite for most of the day. It started off sunny and hot and helped immensely drying off the grounds that were saturated with water. I had some fun stuff set up early in the day for The Photo Pit and was very excited to see that lineup of artists.

The day started off with an interview with John Cooper, vocalist and bassist of Skillet. This was an interview I was super excited to get and it was absolutely worth taking the time to do it. For those who don’t know, John is a huge fan of fantasy, sci-fi, and comic books. So we had some great discussions around Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Avengers: Endgame. We talked about the teaser to the new Skillet album, their current tour, and a follow-up tour that will have a stop in Orlando, FL, where I live. Look for that interview to be posted soon to The Photo Pit YouTube channel and on the website.

Afterward, I took a run over to the Zippo Sessions Stage for another interview. This one, I never thought would happen, so thank you to Alex from Zippo for getting this set up for me. As I waited by the stage, Jose Mangin walks in. He is the host of SiriusXM Octane and one of the hosts of SiriusXM Liquid Metal. Jose and I have met a few times and he remembered me. We talked a bit about the Zippo Sessions, our love for the festivals, and Jose teased about an upcoming project as well. It sounds like a new festival to me! Look for that interview to be posted soon to The Photo Pit YouTube channel and on the website.

And then it was on to photographing some of the bands playing that day. My first of the day ended up being Black Label Society at the Monster Energy Stage. The band is currently on their 20 Years of Sonic Brewtality Tour and will be releasing on May 17th their next album Sonic Brew – 20th Anniversary Blend 5.99 – 5.19. The album is a remaster of their first album Sonic Brew. As expected, Zak Wylde was a wild man on the guitar, shredding as no one else can, while singing. The huge crowd appreciated their performance, which was not surprising. Black Label Society is a fun band to watch.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

On the Metropolitan Stage we had Skillet ready to rock our faces off. The band is known for getting the crowd moving with their anthem rock music and also known for being extremely energetic during their live performances. Today was no exception as John Cooper and his wife Korey Cooper were seriously rocking on stage. Jen Ledger, who I think is one of the best drummers today, played with such passion and you think she’s going to knock off her cymbals with every hit. Seth Morrison provided his own energy on stage getting the crowd engaged and getting very creative with his guitar playing. Skillet had a tremendous crowd and they were moshing, crowd surfing, and bouncing on their feet for the whole set.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

It was then back to the Monster Energy Stage to see In This Moment perform. Their sets are always unique and the most fun for their hard rock/metal theatrical performances. With an entire church like background on the stage and the Blood Dolls performing in unison with Maria Brink, the band delivered a stellar performance. My personal favorite is always watching Travis Johnson performing with his piercing gaze and thunderous bass notes. In This Moment is still touring in support of their most recent album Ritual. 

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

After a much-needed break from the heat and for some water, it was back to the Monster Energy Stage for a very special performance. Last year on May 4th at the former Carolina Rebellion, Shinedown released their latest album Attention Attention. The album was a tremendous success and today was the one year anniversary of the album’s release. Besides that, Jacksonville, FL is Shinedown‘s hometown. So this was a very special performance for them to play today. And when they hit the stage, you could feel the excitement from the crowd and the love and support they had for this band. There were so many people there to see them that you could clearly hear the fans singing back the songs from halfway across the venue. Shinedown must have fed off the fan’s energy because it was one the best sets I’ve seen them perform. And I was happy to see Brent Smith perform his normal ritual of having the crowd shake hands with their neighbors while he shakes hands with the photographers in the pit.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Back at the Metropolitan Stage after Shinedown was done, the legendary Judas Priest took the stage. The legendary British rockers were recently in Jacksonville, FL at Daily’s Place back in September 2018. The band is still touring in support of their most recent album Firepower. Judas Priest had some killer firepower going that night with some excellent mix of older and newer music in their catalog. Rob Halford came out on stage wearing a top hat with skulls and a long cane and changed outfits throughout the night and even rode out on a motorcycle when they performed “Hell Bent For Leather”. The crowd went berzerk for Judas Priest with moshing and crowd surfing. It was a great performance and personally was pleased they were on the lineup. Seeing Judas Priest is a performance you’ll never forget.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Last, and certainly not least, Rob Zombie played the Monster Energy Stage. The band is no stranger to the Danny Wimmer Presents festivals as they have played them numerous times in their career. Rob Zombie always puts on a performance that makes you feel alive. It’s entertaining, engaging, and honestly, you never know what to expect from them. And that night, they didn’t disappoint anyone. Rob Zombie, John 5, Piggie D., and Ginger Fish rocked the crowd with some favorites “Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O., complete with a giant robot on stage,  “Living Dead Girl”, and wrapping up the night with “Dragula”.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Welcome To Rockville Day 2 was a huge improvement to the craziness that occurred on Day 1. With great weather and a solid lineup, the fans absolutely appreciated the hard work all the bands put in on the stage.

From The Pit To The Crowd: Welcome To Rockville Day 2 – Metropolitan Park – May 4, 2019 After the torrential downpour and lightning we dealt with on Day 1 of Welcome To Rockville…

[salistenandreview]

And Finally, Review of Day 3 of Welcome to Rockville, with closing notes

Ok, to recap: Day 1 I show up with stars in my eyes and not knowing what to expect, and it was a FREAKING AWESOME day. Lots of pleasant surprises, made some new friends, got to enjoy a lot of great music that I might otherwise not know about, etc.

Day 2: Expectations were too high and not met. Got to see what I could of my favorites play, but other than that it was a series of annoyances from the heat, the crowd, and the inconvenient scheduling

So now we’re on to the final day, Day 3.

But before I go on to that, let me talk about the merch and the food vendors. Oh, and the Monster Energy drink setup that might have saved me on Day 3.

You’re allowed to bring in ONE bottle of water with you, After that you have to purchase your hydration for the rest of the day. There’s lots of water, beer, and soda options for purchase. All overpriced, of course but in the heat you’ll do it. If you’re pitiful enough you might be able to get someone in security to hand you a bottle of water from their coolers in front of one of the stages.

Monster Energy Drink also had this interesting setup where you could walk into a shaded area and get a free drink. But you could not leave the area until you finished your drink and threw away the can. But, at least it was free. And the drinks were COLD. And the area was SHADED. Supposedly it was also an area where you could stand in line to get something signed from various bands there, but I never did see an actual schedule for this and I very quickly got tired of standing in lines, especially when it meant I’d probably be missing some pretty good music sets. Anyway, on Days 2 and 3 I was super grateful for the Pipeline Punch Monster Energy drink I was able to get. Day 3 especially helped, because despite my best efforts to stay hydrated and at least keep a little something on my stomach, I had a massive headache and some queasiness going on that day, which seemed to go away after the Monster drink and some advil. One other thing I will note about the Monster setup, if you went all the way to the top story of it, you could actually get a pretty decent, if distant, view, of both the Monster stage and the Metropolitan Stage. I wish I had known that on days 1 and 2.

Food there: lots of variety, but truthfully I didn’t eat much all weekend. What I did eat was delicious. Day 1 I stopped by the Island Noodles truck and that was freaking amazing. Day 2 I had a falafel wrapped in pita. It was delicious but I couldn’t finish it as the heat was making me queasy and I was more interested in water than food that day. Day 3 I stopped by an interesting stand at the River Stage that had a vegan option of nachos and that was delicious. Probably the best deal price-wise and tastiness of food-wise was the Island Noodles. My friends that I hung out with this whole weekend only ate there all weekend.

Merch: Dotted all throughout the entire venue for the festival were tents that had private vendors selling things, but there was also several tents with tshirts specifically that were band merch or Rockville tshirts. I did notice they did not carry tshirts for every band that represented that weekend. I did not end up buying any specific band tshirts. I did buy 2 Rockville shirts and a shirt from a private vendor called Demons Behind Me. I recommend checking out their website and their story and their merch to anyone reading this.

Alright, Day 3. This was the day that I was an hour early before doors (as I had been the last 2 days), and I was the FIRST person through the gate. So clearly Day 3 just wasn’t the exciting day on everyone’s mind, or everyone was just exhausted by Day 3. The bands started playing by 12:30, but I don’t think the real crowd was there until 3pm. The dedicated fans of this day were the older fans who enjoyed acid rock moreso than metal or metalcore. 

Me personally, the two acts I wanted to see were Bullet for my Valentine, and Billy Idol. They were scheduled later in the day on the Monster stage.

Right after getting there was when I started developing the massive headache that took me. So in the earlier part of the day I just stayed under the VIP tent near the Monster stage, drinking water. I casually watched the bands The Bronx and Red Fang. I only vaguely remember their sets. These are two bands at some point I’ll need to go back and listen to with intention.

I missed all of the bands of the River Stage that day. I think MAYBE I heard 1-2 songs by The Fever 333 (assuming that’s who was playing) when I was getting my nachos. And truthfully I wasn’t paying attention so that’s another band I should listen to with intention at some point.

At the Metropolitan Stage the only band I caught was Thrice. I’m not familiar with their music. What I noticed most of all during this set was that their audience actually pulled together the energy to enjoy their show, the way the crowd had been (especially on day 1). Despite knowing very little about these guys, their fans are definitely the dedicated sort.

Bullet for My Valentine was one of the few bands that I went to see in the general admission area. These guys are pretty hardcore, and there was a lot of moshing and crowd surfing the crowd. So Bullet was definitely a band that could get the audience amped up and charged to enjoy the music, despite the heat, the direct sunlight, and it being the last day of the festival so people were pretty visibly wilting. These are guys I want to see in concert on tour, just to see what they can REALLY do in an enclosed concert venue. I’m betting it’s one of the best shows to go see.

After B4MV, I did go back to the VIP area for the Monster stage. I figured I’d just wait there, watch Billy Idol from there, and then call it a weekend. Interestingly enough, I learned that something like 2000 extra tickets had been sold just for THAT day for the people who were there to see the Foo Fighters end the festival with their set being the final of the whole weekend.

Now, to end my weekend. BILLY IDOL. BILLY. FREAKING. IDOL. It would have been my greatest wish to have just met this guy for a moment and taken a picture with him. BVB might have been my favorite band playing the whole entire festival, but to me (yes, even moreso than Ozzy) Billy Idol is a LEGEND that I grew up listening to.

I don’t care how old Billy Idol is, he brings so much passion, so much energy and so much “Bad Boy of Rock” Badassery even to this day to his performance. He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. It was beautiful how he had everyone singing White Wedding with him, and it was epic how he played the long version of Eyes Without a Face. I was so caught up in the spell of Billy Idol and the effect he had on his audience I forgot to take any pictures or videos.

So this concludes my weekend of the Welcome to Rockville Festival.

I just didn’t have it in me to stay any longer after Billy Idol, so that meant missing a few more acts, even Foo Fighters. So I apologize Foo Fighters. I’m sure you were absolutely brilliant closing out the festival like that, but I just didn’t have it in me to stay that long.

I learned my limit of being the Florida sun ALL DAY with all the heat and humidity is about 3 days.

But some closing notes:

Welcome to Rockville, overall, was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. I really truly hope I can do it again. Or maybe do Carolina Rebellion next year (which is closer to my neck of the woods and pretty much the same festival but in NC). I’m so happy and grateful I was able to make some new friends, see so many great acts, and just have a weekend of some of the best rock music has to offer.

But, let’s recap some of the areas where things could be improved:

1--If you’re going to pay THAT much more for  VIP ticket, there should be more perks involved. Not just some extra shaded areas. Early entry, discounts with vendors/merch, line jumping options, exclusive band meet and greets, free water, ANY of that could have been a decent perk to actually be VIP.

2--Shaded areas for the general public should be better provided, but there needs to be some more crowd control so that people aren’t blocking any means at all from walking from point A to point B (especially that area under the overpass you have to walk through to get from Stage 1 to Stage 2).

3--The River Stage really could have been put in a more accessible location because it was way too easy to miss the bands playing there.

4--More of those Monster Drink shelters would have definitely been welcome.

5--Signing and meet and greet schedules for bands could have been more accessible so that you’d actually have an easier time KNOWING who you could meet. And if it was required ahead of time to BUY something to sign that should have been blatantly obvious as well.

6--There should have just been one big tent or sectioned off area just for where bands would be for the meet and greets and signings. Not 3 scattered small obscure areas.