Day 2
Disturbed’s David Draiman performing on Saturday night at Sonic Temple
Saturday got things going with a huge buzz off the up-and-coming local band, Black Coffee. They opened up the Monster Main Stage and honestly, I couldn’t have been most impressed with their show! This band has a stage presence second to no-one and captured the audience from the word go. Maybe it’s because of the home-town crowd? Somehow, I think they bring this kind of show everywhere they go. As if their opening number wasn’t impressive enough, they performed an exceptional cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog,” just to make sure everyone was listening.
I worked my way over to the Echo Stage to see While She Sleeps. I caught them on tour a few years ago and was really impressed with their energy and overall performance, so I was really excited to see them on a festival stage. As it turns out, I wasn’t alone, as there was a huge crowd already gathered for them. Just as I’d hoped, their set was simply awesome. Lots of energy and fan interaction the whole time. I’ll be listening to them a bit more going forward!
Last year, The Fever 333 took the festival circuit by storm, so I was thrilled to see them back on this year’s lineup. It’s somewhat of a rare occurrence to see a band back two years in a row. With these guys, I had kind of expected it and anyone that’s seen their show live knows exactly why. They bring a kind of energy to the stage that is almost unfathomable. It’s no wonder they went from an unknown in their first year to a mid-afternoon slot on the main stage the next year. This three-piece band is simply relentless, whether it’s guitarist Steven Harrison jumping to incredible heights on stage, front-man Jason Aalon Butler heading into the crowd to perform, or drummer Aric Improta leaping from his drum kit mid set, this band is always on fire. Their set included some huge tracks such as “Burn It,” “We’re Coming In” and “Made an America.”
The next band on the lineup for me was Gojira. Several of my friends have been huge fans of theirs for years, and I was fortunate to see them perform as direct support for Metallica back in 2015, but I had missed their most recent performance at Rock on the Range a few years ago. This set certainly justified their place on the main stage. Full of pyro, ferocity and a guest appearance from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, Gojira made a statement this day! Unfortunately, the massive amount of pyro came at a bit of a price, as a gust of wind blew a flame right into the face of guitarist Christian Andreau. Shockingly, he returned quickly to the stage to finish the set.
Sticking to the main stage, In This Moment took the late afternoon spot, unveiling their new stage setup and ripping through a brief set including “River of Fire,” “Natural Born Sinner” and “Blood.” Like Ghost, this is another band that has become increasingly more theatrical over the last several album cycles. There are rumors of new material in the works, so it’ll be interesting to see where they take things next!
I finally was able to make my way back over to see Killswitch Engage. As was the case earlier with While She Sleeps, the crowd was simply huge! It’s typical that the biggest draws are on the main stage, and that’s largely true, but occasionally, a side stage draws a massive crowd, leaving standing room only as far and wide as the viewing area can cover. This was definitely the case here, as Killswitch Engage tore through some massive hits including “My Curse,” “The End of Heartache” and the closer of all closers, “Holy Diver.”
Back on the Main Stage, Randy Blythe returned with Lamb of God to finish the hardcore portion of the day’s performances. Opening with “Omerta,” they continued to feed off of the crowd that’s been running on full steam for hours now. They performed a 10-song set, including “Walk With Me in Hell” and “Blacken the Cursed Sun.”
The Cult closed things out on the Echo Stage Saturday. I was really excited to check them out for the first time! They kicked things off with “Sun King” from their “Sonic Temple” album. Their set also included “Love Removal Machine” and their massive hit “She Sells Sanctuary.”
Papa Roach’s Tony Palemro on drums, with an image of The Prodigy’s Keith Flint on the bass
The final stretch for the evening back at the Monster Main Stage kicked off with Papa Roach. Papa Roach was a late addition to the lineup, having been asked to fill in for The Prodigy after Keith Flint’s untimely death back in March. The first thing I noticed upon setting up to photograph their set was Flint’s image on the bass drum.
Papa Roach opened their set with their first ever hit, “Last Resort.” They kept things old school for a bit with other tracks like “Blood Brothers” and “Getting Away With Murder” from their first two albums. They mixed things up later in the set with a performance of “Gravity” featuring Maria Brink from In This Moment, as well as a great rendition of “Scars.” They really won over the crowd with a cover of The Prodigy’s “Firestarter,” completing their show of respect for both the band and Keith Flint. I’ve been a fan of Papa Roach’s since the very beginning, but it was this year’s performances that seemed to symbolize their shift from nu-metal all-stars to rock royalty. They wouldn’t be alone however, as Disturbed have undergone a similar transformation over the last album cycle or so.
This brings us to the final performance of the evening, as Disturbed took the stage with the album opener “Are You Ready” from 2018’s “Evolution.” They immediately followed it with “Prayer” from 2002’s album “Believe.” As I mentioned previously, Disturbed have undergone somewhat of a transformation during their return from hiatus a few years back. While the metal anthems are still ever-present, including “Stupify,” “Ten Thousand Fists” and “Down With the Sickness,” they’ve matured a lot these last several years. Sure, they’ve got an immensely popular cover song in Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” but they’ve taken a bit of an activist role in mental health with songs like “A Reason to Fight.” David Draiman and company of really embraced their role as rock superstars, and go out of their way every single night to really connect with their audience and provide a safe environment for them to enjoy music and realize that they aren’t alone. It’s truly impressive to see a band you used to merely pump your first to, come around and take on a mantle like that.
Not a bad second day at all! At this point, we’ve dodged virtually all of the bad weather that was predicted for the weekend. The grounds have stayed dry and the days have been hot and sunny. With one more day left of this incredible weekend, I was thrilled to see several more acts on Sunday!
Andrew Dice Clay:
Black Coffee:
Disturbed:
Fever 333:
Gojira:
In This Moment:
Jose Manguin:
Killswitch Engage:
Lamb of God:
Papa Roach:
The Cult:
