Concert Review: Rockstar Disrupt Festival, Syracuse, NY

Rockstar Disrupt Festival 2019

Thrice, The Used, Circa Survive, The Story So Far, Atreyu

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019

St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse, NY

Our score 3 out of 5 stars

The Rockstar Disrupt Festival made a stop in Syracuse, NY on July 2nd as part of the tours inaugural run featuring a variety of musical acts including Hyro the Hero, Andy Black, The Used and Thrice. Despite the event starting off under questionable skies it didn’t stop the bands or fans from giving their all over the course of the 7 plus hour event.  

Kicking of the day on the Festival Stage was the Texas based Hyro the Hero who performed a handful of songs of their latest album “Flagged Channel”. Though fans were still filling in the sprawling lake side venue the bands high energy and unique style of rap infused metal quickly grabbed people’s attention and set the stage perfectly for the day’s festivities. After checking out the various merchandise booths which were placed around the venue grounds we made another stop at the Festival stage where we took in performances by Memphis May Fire, Four Year Strong and Andy Black. All of which put on solid sets despite the muggy afternoon conditions. Sleeping with Sirens closed out the Festival stage lineup however it was hard to focus given the lineup which was about to be performing on the Main Stage. Veteran metal act Atreyu opened up the stage performing songs from their various albums including “Ex’s and Oh’s”, “Bleeding Mascara” and their cover of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”. The band sounded great and really got the crowd going again after a brief lull during stage changes caused the energy to dip. The Story So Far and Circa Survive would follow both turning in note worthy performances that had large portions of the audience dancing and singing along from beginning to end. The Used were up next performing a spattering of songs from their career including “Take It Away” “The Taste of Ink” and “Buried Myself Alive. Front-man Bert McCracken and company even included a cover of the Oasis song “Wonderwall” which made us question if a majority of the crowd were even alive when that song first debuted? Thrice would close out the night with an eleven song set including songs “The Artist in the Ambulance”, “In Exile” and “Black Honey” before closing out the evening with “The Earth Will Shake” from the bands 2005 album “Vheissu”.  Though the band members were all fairly stationary throughout the performance the crowd did not seem to mind as they loudly sang along to front-man Dustin Kensrues lyrics.

For those looking to fill the void left by the Warped Tour whose last full summer run was in 2018, Rockstar Disrupt Festival could be just! Yes the festival is much smaller and not hitting as many cities as its predecessor however the artist lineup is on par as are the various vendors and pop-ups. Probably the biggest selling point for us was the fact that you could actually see all the acts on the bill if you chose to. Having only two stages made for a much less stressful day and ensured you could everything. This feature alone makes the tour stand out above others with a similar design. Sure the tour has to contend with some growing pains and the various first year hiccups however with those things aside if you are looking for a full day of diverse music where you can actually see everything then we highly recommend the Rockstar Disrupt Festival.

Festival Stage:

Sleeping With Sirens

Andy Black

Four Year Strong

Memphis May Fire

Trophy Eyes

Juliet Simms

Hyro The Hero

Main Stage:

Thrice

The Used

Circa Survive

The Story So Far

Atreyu

Live Nation and SGE Present Rockstar Energy Drink DISRUPT FESTIVAL

Featuring The Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, Sum 41, The Story So Far, Atreyu, Sleeping With Sirens, Meg & Dia and more, in select cities

Tickets On Sale Now at https://rockstardisrupt.com/

Featuring some of the biggest bands in rockas well as the genre’s rising stars,The Rockstar Energy Drink DISRUPT Festival is a brand-new music experience making its debut across North America this summer.The touring festival will feature unique line-ups in each city, with performances varying from artists including The Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, Sum 41, The Story So Far, Atreyu, Sleeping With Sirens, Andy Black, Four Year Strong,Memphis May Fire, Trophy Eyes,Meg & Dia, Juliet Simms and Hyro The Hero.

Please visit rockstardisrupt.com for full line-up details by city. The 25-city rock roadshow of the summer will kick off June 21st in Dallas, TX at the Dos Equis Pavilion and make stops in Austin, Atlanta, Toronto, Denver and more,before wrapping July 28th in Albuquerque, NM at the Isleta Amphitheater.

Fans will be immersed into a full-day interactive experience where they will not only be able to see some of their favorite bands live, but will also be exposed to the latest in lifestyle brands and pop-up activations. Unlike most other festivals, there will only be one band performing at a time,avoiding conflicting set times and allowing fans to experience the full lineup in one rock-filled day.

The event will start on an outdoor stage on festival grounds with surrounding activations before shifting into an amphitheater setting around sundown allowing for larger stage productions as well as comfortable seating options for fans. Concert-goers will get the best of both worlds with a festival environment during the day as well as a high-production amphitheater concert at night from some of the most exciting live performers in the rock scene today.

Fans who bring any empty 16 ounce can of Rockstar Energy Drink to recycle at the main gate will have the opportunity to skip the line and be entered to win a signed festival guitar and exclusive meet & greet with festival headliners.

Energy Drink DISRUPT Festival Dates

June 21–Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion

June 22–Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheater

June 23–The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman

June 25–West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatreat S. Florida Fairground

June 26–Tampa, FL @ MID FLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds

June 28–Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheare at Lakewood

June 29–Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion

July 2–Syracuse, NY @ St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview

July 3–Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage

July 5–Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center

July 6–Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center

July 7–Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre

July 9–Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

July 10–Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre

July 12–Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

July13–Thornville, OH @ Legend Valley

July 14–Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center

July 15–Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

July 17–Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre*

July 20–Irvine, CA @ Five Point Amphitheater presented by Mercury Insurance

July 23–Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre

July 24–Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre

July 26–Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

July 27–Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion

July 28–Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater

*not a Live Nation date DISRUPT is presented by Live Nation and Synergy Global Entertainment, Inc. (SGE).

Live Nation and SGE Present Rockstar Energy Drink DISRUPT FESTIVAL

FeaturingThe Used, Thrice,Circa Survive, Sum 41,The Story So Far, Atreyu,Sleeping With Sirens, Meg & Dia and more, in select cities  Tickets On Sale Starting This Friday, March 29that 10am Local Time

Featuring some of the biggest bands in rock as well as the genre’s rising stars, The Rockstar Energy Drink DISRUPT Festival is a brand-new music experience making its debut across North America this summer. The touring festival will feature unique line-ups in each city, with performances varying from artists including The Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, Sum 41, The Story So Far, Atreyu, Sleeping With Sirens, Andy Black, Four Year Strong, Memphis May Fire, Trophy Eyes, Meg & Dia, Juliet Simms and Hyro The Hero. Please visit rockstardisrupt.com for full line-up details by city. The 25-city rock roadshow of the summer will kick off June 21st in Dallas, TX at the Dos Equis Pavilion and make stops in Austin, Atlanta, Toronto, Denver and more, before wrapping July 28th  in Albuquerque, NM at the Isleta Amphitheater. 

Fans will be immersed into a full-day interactive experience where they will not only be able to see some of their favorite bands live, but will also be exposed to the latest in lifestyle brands and pop-up activations. The entire festival will take place across two incredible stages, allowing fans to experience all of their must-see artists in one rock-filled day. Fans who bring any empty 16 ounce can of Rockstar Energy Drink to recycle at the main gate will have the opportunity to skip the line and be entered to win a signed festival guitar and exclusive meet & greet with festival headliners. 

Tickets for DISRUPT will go on sale beginning this Friday, March 29th at 10am local time. A full list of dates and ticket links can be found at rockstardisrupt.com. Citi is the official presale credit card for the tourAs such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, March 26th at 12pm local time until Thursday, March 28th at 10pm local time through Citi’s Private Pass program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.  

Rockstar Energy Drink DISRUPT Festival Dates

June 21 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion

June 22 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater

June 23 – The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman

June 25 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre at S. Florida Fairground

June 26 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds

June 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheare at Lakewood

June 29 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion

July 2 – Syracuse, NY @ St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview

July 3 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage

July 5 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center

July 6 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center

July 7 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre

July 9 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

July 10 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre

July 12 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

July 13 – Thornville, OH @ Legend Valley

July 14 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center

July 15 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

July 17 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre*

July 20 – Irvine, CA @ Five Point Amphitheater presented by Mercury Insurance

July 23 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre

July 24 – Boise, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheatre

July 26 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

July 27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion

July 28 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater 

*not a Live Nation date DISRUPT is presented by Live Nation and Synergy Global Entertainment, Inc. (SGE).

Need a Holiday gift idea for the Rockstar in your life? Check out Pluginz “Jack Rack”

PLUGINZ ‘Jack Rack’ Now Available via Guitar Center & Musician’s Friend –

The Hottest Music Accessory of 2016!

Take it from Reputable Industry Leaders such as Marshall Amplification and Metal Blade Records + Artists such as Dillinger Escape Plan, Of Mice & Men, Warrant, Atreyu and More…

www.thejackrack.com

Pluginz recently introduced their newest product – the latest musician’s must-have – the “Jack Rack”! Already making a name for itself, this unique, eye-catching wall-mounted keychain holder is the best way to “Hang Your Keys like a Rockstar”. Now, Pluginz is pleased to announce that in addition to their online store at www.thejackrack.com, you can now purchase your very own “Jack Rack” online via top musical gear retailers Guitar Center and Musician’s Friend.

Not only can you buy your own “Jack Rack” via Pluginz, you customize them for your business or brand, too. Artists and reputable companies in the music industry are already creating their own custom Pluginz “Jack Rack” designs after witnessing the personalized nature of the product – allowing them to further promote their brands with a fun and functional twist. To find out more on how to customize your very own “Jack Rack”, email Pluginz at: contact@pluginzkeychains.com.

Pluginz was founded in early 2015 by Mike Stricklin. Stricklin soon partnered up with Rockworld Merchandise owners Dan Jacobs of the band Atreyu, and his brother Joe Jacobs. After a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $10,000, Pluginz started making a buzz within the music industry. Soon after, the “Jack Rack” went viral on the front page of Reddit, as well as breaking records for post likes, comments, and shares on pages such as Guitar World, Revolver Magazine, Shut up And Take My Money, Celestion Speakers, 100.3 the Sound FM, Alt 98.7, OC Weekly and many more.

Take it from those who have used the “Jack Rack” and branded their own:

Josh Bernstein
Alternative Press
“There are many inventions in the world that I wish I came up with, such as the iPhone, the electric car and most recently, the cronut. But, when I saw the “Jack Rack” by Pluginz, I was truly humbled. I can’t think of a more highly coveted item by both music players and music fans alike. I know how I will be stuffing my stockings this winter!”

David Peterson
Shut Up and Take My Money
“Pluginz has single-handedly revolutionized the wall mounted key holder industry.”

Rick Zeiler
Coldcock Whiskey
“Dan’s been a longtime friend and business colleague of mine. He presented me with a COLDCOCK Whiskey “Jack Rack” and I was floored at the detail and quality that went into it, so much so we welcomed him using our trademark. Pluginz, the company Dan created, makes an instant impact and is a conversation starter, love them!”

Read more about the Pluginz “Jack Rack” via http://www.jackrack.com, and stay tuned for more news coming soon!

Suicide Silence’s Mark Heylmun talks about album “You Can’t Stop Me” and Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival

 

Mark Heylmun is the lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Suicide Silence. The band recently released their 4th studio album titled “You Can’t Stop Me” via Nuclear Blast Records and is featured on this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Mark about the new album, the bands new singer and how they overcame the loss of the bands original vocalist Mitch Lurker.

Adam Lawton: With the new album being out just over a month now what has the overall reception been like from the fans?
Mark Heylmun: It’s been really amazing. To be honest I am waiting for this whole thing to become difficult. This time last year I was looking into the future thinking that things were going to be very hard. I knew we were going to have to be comfortable with whatever happened and just ride it out. The record is out and people a really loving it. Were out on Mayhem right now and it feels like were just killing it every day.

AL: What was it like for the band working on both new material and with a new singer all at the same time?
MH: We had to build a working relationship with Eddie. We were of course friends beforehand but Eddie’s the type of guy who when you catch up to him you have to hear all of what he has going on. Building that new relationship was a lot of fun because he is our friend and now he is in our band. Surprisingly it was a very easy transition as he works in the same way Mitch worked. We would give him a song and he would either feel it or not. With Eddie being new to the band things were very fresh for him and us as well which made the experience very exciting. In a week we wrote 3 songs together. After those first three songs were written we knew things were going to be ok. This was the first time as a band that we all collaborated together on material. It was very much a group effort this time around.

AL: The album features two songs written by Mitch before he passed away. Can you tell us about those?
MH: One of those tracks is actually a really old song that appeared on our first EP in 2005. We wanted to redo it because we have had a lot of requests to hear those songs. We chose “Ending is Beginning” because it just made sense with what we are doing. A lot of friends wanted us to do one of these old songs as well to see if Eddie could really pull this off. He just slayed it! “You Can’t Stop Me” is the other track Mitch was working on and it’s one of the two last songs we worked on with him. “Blue Haze” was the other track which appeared on a B side. The music for both of those songs was done in the same writing session in 2012. Mitch had only written lyrics for one and we had to looks at those and figure out which song they were actually meant for. It ended up being very easy to figure out because of the structure in which the lyrics were written. The song had no title but the lyrics were “You can’t fucking stop me!” so we really took a lot from those words as it just all fit so well with what we were doing and what we were going to have to do in the future. That song really built us up. Even though Mitch wasn’t physically there he still had a lot to do with the latest record.

AL: What was it like on an emotional level revisiting these songs?
MH: The whole time we had it in our minds that we wanted this album to really mean a lot. We wanted this album to be all that it could be. We postponed jamming and getting together with Eddie until we could all be there at the same time. We got those lyrics sent to us and we all read them together. From there we just started jamming and playing music together. I remember that first session and we didn’t even really play Suicide Silence songs at first. We were playing songs by Pantera, Metallica, Sublime and Offspring. Eventually we started doing our songs but it was just an emotional time that felt new and very real.

AL: So far you have released 2 songs off the album as singles. Are there plans to release any others?
MH: We have had the discussion. We couldn’t really decide which songs we wanted to roll out first because we liked all of the songs. There is potential to release a video for every song off the album. We have a pretty good video team that is in our world and we facilitate all those things. We have a bunch of ideas right now on what to do.

AL: Have you found people are more focused on this being the band’s first album with a singer as opposed to it being your senior release?
MH: A lot of people ask if we feel like this is our first record. I don’t think it feels like that because we are building off of what we have learned from each other. “The Cleansing” was our first full length and that album was really done because of the response from our EP. We had a lot of offers come our way and we had to decide which would be best for us and then write a record. We wrote the record because we had gotten signed and that record was our reaction to those events. We learned that we had to put ourselves in a position to where we were motivated to write. We learned a lot over the course of three records and this new album is the culmination. I think after this we have really learned to write a piece of music and I am looking forward to continuing with what we are doing.

AL: With Mayhem Fest wrapping up in August does the band have any plans for the remainder of 2014?
MH: We will be a part of this year’s Knot Fest which is being held in San Bernardino, CA in the later part of October. That’s going to be just an insane time. We also will be heading over to Europe in November for a tour run over there as well.

Texas Hippie Coalition talks about album “Ride On” and Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival

The southern heavy metal band Texas Hippie Coalition are set to release their fourth studio album titled “Ride On” in mid October of this year and are currently out on tour as part of this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes was able to catch up with the leather vested 4 piece backstage in Scranton, PA recently to discuss the bands upcoming album and the bands progression since their debut release in 2008

Shawn Meas: What can you tell us about the bands upcoming album?
Texas Hippie Coalition: It’s going to be bad ass! We went back to more of our roots on this album and it’s going to be really hard hitting. We went and worked with Skid Mills at the Sound Kitchen and it turned out really well. We are anxious to hear what everyone thinks. We definitely went back to the format of the first record while spending more money. (Laughs)

SM: What type of process do you guys take when starting to record a new album?
THC: We start off by drinking a little moonshine and smoking a little weed. Then we cuss a little bit and things start to work. (Laugh) Cord Pool and I (Big Dad Ritch) are the only guys in the band who can really do math so song structure is pretty easy to come out. (Laughs) I think if we really used any true written format that it was the same every time we wouldn’t have as good of a creative flow as we did. Things are never the just as long we are all in good spirits and have positive energy around us we can write good tunes together. This time we flipped things and worked on the album early in the morning as opposed to late at night because you could never get all of us in the same room at the same time when it comes to working at night. (Laughs)

SM: How do you feel the band’s sound has evolved from your debut album “Peacemaker” to your upcoming release “Ride On”?
THC: I think we have evolved as players. With the new record we certainly tapped into our roots but we are all better players these days. With this band you get what you came for. We try and keep things real and carry out that theme from album to album.

SM: The band has gone through a number of lineup changes to get to where it is now. What do you guys feel each of the new members bring to the band?
THC: This is actually Timmy Braun’s second album with us. He left for awhile to do some side projects that he has and now he back. We are happy to have him back 100% now. Cord has actually been with us since the release of “Peacemaker” however he joined just after we finished recording that album. We have a pretty good team of guys and we are all having a lot of fun. Cord does seem to be everyone’s favorite though and he has said that if he was ever fired he would still show up anyways. (Laughs) Getting out here is like a bull ride with the music business being the bull. It can take a lot out of you and all four of us can take it while some of our previous members couldn’t stay on for the full 8 seconds. This crew is going to be there at the end to get our buckle!

SM: What are the bands plans for the rest of 2014?
THC: The first single off the new album just got released and is titled “Monster and Me”. The full album titled “Ride On” comes out October 7th and we have a lot of stuff going on leading up to that release date. We are going to be making stops at Gas Monkey Garage in Texas and also playing at this year’s Ride for Dime. Once this album comes out we are going to be going through some tires! There are still a lot of people who aren’t familiar with us so we want to get out there and try to get in to as many homes as possible.

Korn’s Ray Luzier and James “Munky” Shaffer talk about touring with the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival

The heavy metal group Korn is out on the road this summer as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. The group recently released a tour version of their 2013 album “The Paradigm Shift” exclusively through Best Buy which features several new tracks along with some exclusive live tracks as well. Media Mikes had the pleasure of talking with drummer Ray Luzier and guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer during the tours recent stop in Scranton, PA about the release and how they connect with the different crowds they perform for each night.

Adam Lawton: When you are out on a tour like the Mayhem Festival is there any one thing that is the same from day to day?
Ray Luzier: We hear the same bands every day. (Laughs) What’s really great is that we get to play to diverse crowds every show. There are people who have seen us 27 times and there are people who are just seeing us that day for the first time. I’m not sure about constants but I try to stay in a similar routine from day to day.

AL: With the band playing all over the world how do you go about connecting with each of the crowds you perform for?
James “Munky” Shaffer: Every audience is different and that’s really the beauty of it. Like Ray said before you get people who have seen you a lot and you get people who have never seen you before. We are playing the same songs night after night so we try and keep that thought in our heads so we go out and put on a great show every night. We want them to really enjoy the show and to come and see us again.
RL: We may be super tired from traveling or whatever before we hit the stage but once we are up there we are energized bythe crowd. We are fans of music ourselves and still go out and see a lot of bands and buy their merchandise and what not. This is Korn’s 20th year as a band and I have been touring myself just as long. It never gets old. We are still excited to play every time we go up there.

AL: Have you guys seen any bands on this tour that you have really become fans of?
JS: Trivium is a band that has really impressed me. Their songs and how they engage the audience has really impressed me. Those guys are super tight professionally which is really inspiring. I know they have been around a few years but to see that level of commitment is really awesome. I was a mess at that stage of the game. (Laughs) I still am a mess but I have gotten a little better over time.
RL: I go out and check out the side stages from time to time and there are a lot of bands on this tour that have really impressed me. I watch bands like Mushroomhead and Miss May I and you can see just how hungry they are. They all have their own thing going for them which is really great to see.

AL: Can you give us some info on the tour version of your most recent album “The Paradigm Shift”?
JS: We initially released that album last year and after it was out for a couple months there were some songs that never got finished that we wanted to still work on. Jonathan went back in and wrote lyrics for these songs that we didn’t get to finish because we just ran out of time. They came out pretty good and we also decided to add some live tracks on the new release as well. When we are out on the road we like to have something in stores for people to buy that is fresh.

AL: Ray, how do you go about balancing your time in Korn and working with your newest project KXM?
RL: We all have side projects that we work on when we aren’t working on Korn. We just have a tremendous amount of music inside of us. I think these side projects are important for each of us to do as they help us remain creative. KXM is something that George, Doug and I have been talking about doing for years. The idea goes all the way back to my son’s first birthday party when we all were talking about jamming together. Scheduling is always the hard part as Korn is very busy but we hope to get some shows set up before the end of the year. Right now we are just working on videos and such.

Concert Review “Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival” Scranton, PA – August 3rd 2014

“Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival”
Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Body Count, Cannibal Corpse, Mushroomhead, Suicide Silence, Miss May I, Emmure, Veil of Maya, Upon a Burning Body, Texas Hippie Coalition, Darkest Hour, Ill Nino, Wretched, Islander, King 810, Erimha
Date: Saturday, August 3rd 2014
Venue: Toyota Pavilion, Scranton, PA

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The “Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival” one of the summers most anticipated traveling heavy metal festivals pulled in to the quiet hills of Scranton, PA on August 3rd and completely turned the tables upside down. This summer the festival featured 19 bands spread over 4 stages. Sporting one of the tours biggest main stage line ups to date the tour once again proved why they are the premier package for heavy metal in the summer time.

Though it would be several hours before the main stage festivities engulfed the remote Toyota Pavilion quickly became a bevy of excitement as fans packed the side stage areas to check out several up and coming bands along with an impressive slew of veteran acts. The Victory Records stage was home to some of the most brutal ear splitting music of the day as bands like Ill Nino and Emmure pulverized the crowd’s senses with their brief yet no holds barred approach. Directly to the left of the Victory stage was the Cold Cock Whiskey stage which sported a lineup featuring Suicide Silence, Miss May I and the always entertaining Mushroomhead that evoked a huge response from their chaotic stage show. The masked 9 piece band made several trips over the security barricade which only added to excitement of the bands set which also featured water filled drums and an inflatable killer whale!

Further down the festival grounds was the Head bang for the Highway/Sumerian Records stage which played host to impressive sets by Upon a Burning Body and Veil of Maya before being dominated by the one and only Body Count featuring Ice-T. Ice and his crew dominated the stage with their unique blend of punk/metal/hip hop that had fans from all ages on their feet with their fists in the air.

As night slowly descended on the venue the festivities shifted to the main stage which was instantly ignited by the sounds of Trivium. Front man Matt Heafy commanded the audience’s attention as they barreled through their 7 song set which included the popular “Anthem (We Are The Fire). Next up was UK import Asking Alexandria who received heavy applause from the crowd however did little to impress this concert goer. I’m not sure if it was singer Danny Worsnops incoherent rambling or just his lack luster attitude that made the bands set painful to endure. Quite possibly it was both.

Korn would take the stage next complete with lighted floor and day glow colors adorning the sparse stage set up. The band went through hit after hit and never sounded better. It’s great to see guitarist Brian “Head” Welch back in the fold permanently as it just never seemed right during his time away from the band. The night set was closed out by the band member’s children taking the stage to add a little extra fun to the group’s signature song “Blind” which was immediately concluded by an onstage wedding proposal between two lucky fans.

Closing out the long day of music was Avenged Sevenfold who impressive stage setup consisted of a large skeleton on top of a burning throne which peered out at the audience with an evil grin. The band performed a variety of songs from its catalog including several songs off their latest album “Hail to the King”. Though the band sounded great their performances were overshadowed by their smug facial expressions and lack of interaction with the crowd. Only ever so often did it appear as though the band was having somewhat of a good time. After the brief “leave the stage so people can cheer” moment the band returned for two more songs. The cartoonish “A Little Piece of Heaven” blasted through the mountainous hills before the band brought the night to a close with the fan favorite “Unholy Confessions”.

All in all a long day of music was absorbed by my ears and body.This year’s Mayhem Festival certainly lived up to my expectations and it is was very apparent that the festival shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon leaving me to only dream of what Kevin Lyman and company have in store for next summer.

Trivium Set List:
1.) Black
2.) Built to Fall
3.) Through Blood and Dirt and Bone
4.) Strife
5.) Dying In Your Arms
6.) Anthem (We Are The Fire)
7.) In Waves

Asking Alexandria Set List:
1.) Don’t Pray For Me
2.) Run Free
3.) To The Stage
4.) The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel)
5.) Moving On
6.) Killing You
7.) The Death of Me

Korn Set List:
1.) Falling Away From Me
2.) Twist
3.) Got the Life
4.) Did My Time
5.) Spike in My Veins
6.) Hater
7.) Shoots and Ladders
8.) Coming Undone
9.) Here to Stay
10.) Never Never
11.) Freak on a Leash
12.) Blind

Avenged Sevenfold Set List:
1.) Shepherd of Fire
2.) Nightmare
3.) Bat Country
4.) Hail to the King
5.) Almost Easy
6.) Buried Alive
7.) So Far Away
8.) Afterlife
9.) The Means War
10.) A Little Piece of Heaven
11.) Unholy Confessions

Upon a Burning Body’s Ruben Alvarez talks about touring with RockStar Mayhem Festival

Ruben Alvarez is the guitarist for the San Antonio, Texas based band Upon a Burning Body. The group recently released their 2nd full length album titled “Red. White. Green.” Via Sumerian Records and will once again be a part of this year’s Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes spoke recently with Ruben about the album’s release and the bands plans for this summer’s tour run.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us a little background on the bands formation?
Ruben Alvarez: We had all been members of different bands here in the San Antonio area. Danny and Sal had wanted to start up a side project and they were the ones who started Upon a Burning Body. I jumped in a month or two later. Basically this side project took off way faster than any of our other bands. People really started liking us and were coming out to the shows so we realized we had something with this group.

AL: Can you tell us about the new album “Red. White. Green.”?
RA: When the band goes out on the road it becomes very hard to write so this time around we had our producer and a couple other songwriters working with us. We still brought a lot of songs to the table as a band but we chose a couple of their songs do go along with six of ours to help change the feel of the record. We wanted to keep our style while adding some diversity. I think it’s going to be our biggest record so far.

AL: how do you guys go about adding in that diversity while staying true to your original sound/style?
RA: I have always looked at song writing and you are telling a story through music. I feel that if we can write a good story and we can add in some chaos to that it will make for a fun listen. It definitely changes with each song. A lot really depends on what we want the song to be about. We like to listen to the songs and see what type of emotion it has and then go deeper from there.

AL: Do you ever feel limited or confined to write in the genre you are identified with?
RA: There is definitely a barter that goes on. We have to stay true to our sound because this is what we have always been and what our fans like. It’s always a scary moment for a band when you transition to a bigger sound because you don’t know how many fans you may lose or gain. You have to try and keep that familiar vibe. For us it’s all about the energy.

AL: What are you guys most looking forward to about being back on this year’s Mayhem Festival?
RA: The cool thing about this year’s tour is that we are going to be on a bigger stage. When we did the tour the first time we were on a small side stage. Last time out we were playing to around 3,000 people per shows and this time were going to be playing to around 15,000 people per show. This is a big step up for us.

AL: What is it that appealed to you about joining Mayhem Festival as opposed to going out on your own solo headlining tour?
RA: I think Mayhem is just such an awesome tour to be on. For me it’s the new “”OzzFest”. It’s a big metal tour for metal heads. I love metal heads because they are just so crazy and into the bands. I think if we toured on our own we would get sort of demolished as there are so many great tour packages out there. We had to be very precise with what we want to do as a band because of that.

AL: What are the bands plans after Mayhem Festival?
RA: Things are pretty crazy right now. Even before Mayhem starts we are going to be out on a short headliner run then we are going out with Emmure for some show in Canada before we take off for Download Festival. We get a couple weeks off and then we hit the road for Mayhem and go from there.

John 5 talks about “The Lords of Salem” and Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival

John 5 has played guitar for many notable acts in variety of music genres. He is currently the guitarist for Rob Zombie who recently released his 5th solo studio album titled “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor”.  The band is set to headline the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival this summer and Media Mikes caught up with John during rehearsals to discuss the tour, the new album, scoring Rob’s latest film “The Lords of Salem” and if he has been able to recover any of his recently stolen guitars.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming run on this year’s Mayhem Festival?
John 5: The summer time is my favorite time of the year to tour. I love playing in the states and getting to see all of my friends. Touring is hard at time but the way we do it is great! We can sleep till whenever we want, get up eat some breakfast, maybe go get a massage and play some guitar. I can go watch bands play and just hang out. Then we get to go out on stage and hear the people scream. It’s a blast and I can’t complain. It is something I don’t take for granted. Getting out there and meeting everyone is just really great. Mayhem is going to be a blast!

AL: Will you be unveiling a new stage show on this run?
J5: Everything is going to be brand new. We are really excited to have everything come together. This is something that I am excited to see as well. We also are going to be playing some tracks off the new album which is something I am definitely looking forward to. We love playing the hits also but
getting to play new material live is always fun. People will have to wait until the tours first show on June 29th to hear what we will be playing.

AL: What has it been like adapting the songs from the new album in to a live setting?
J5: I am a total perfectionist so what we do is we go to our drummer Ginger’s house and myself, Piggy .D and Ginger set up in the living room and we just play the new songs. It’s kind of like when Rocky goes to Russia and he’s training with logs and paint cans. (Laughs) We just are jamming in a living room. From there we take things to a big room. I think once we start getting together with Rob things are going to sound incredible. I am very excited.

AL: Have you and Rob been working on any special features for “The Lords of Salem” DVD release?
J5: Yes we have. Being a movie fan I love special features. Rob had started doing interviews with all of the actors talking about the behind scenes stuff and I got a call one day after he finished and he told me he had a film crew coming down to talk to me about my work on the score for the film. Griffin and I were filmed very last minute but we will be on there.

AL: What type of reactions have you gotten now that people have seen “Lords of Salem” and heard the soundtrack?
J5: I think when people hear things from me they are never surprised anymore as I do so many different styles of music. We have gotten so many great reviews on the score Griffin and I wrote. I am so thankful for that as I was very focused and did my best. Without Rob’s help it would have been difficult as he was able to steer me in the direction towards what he wanted. The score was a lot of fun and things came out really well.

AL: Being a guy who is always busy what else are you currently working on?
J5: I am always working on my instrumental stuff and am half way done with my next record. I am also always writing with other people as well. I wrote a song on the last Rod Stewart record which ended up being a number 1 record over in the UK and is also doing well here in the states. I don’t take anything for granted. I am really happy and lucky to have all these things happening. I appreciate all of the fans and their nice comments. I read them all and talk to every fan out there.

AL: Recently you had a bunch of gear stolen from your home. Have you been successful in retrieving any of those items?
J5: Actually I just got two guitars back. This guy had called my webmaster that lives in England who then sent me an email saying that she had talked with a guy that just bought two of my guitars. I guess he had recognized them from the internet and sure enough they were my guitars. The guy gave me the guitars back but the person he bought them from vanished. Maybe more will turn but I am very glad I got these two back. So much stuff was taken it was terrible.

The Sixth Annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Announces Artist Lineup

ROB ZOMBIE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, MASTODON, AMON AMARTH, MACHINE HEAD, CHILDREN OF BODOM, BEHEMOTH AND MANY MORE

Tickets Go On Sale Friday March 22nd at 12 Noon

Tour Starts June 29th In San Bernardino, CA

(BEVERLY HILLS, CA) March 18th – Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, the world’s biggest hard and heavy music touring festival announces its electrifying sixth-year lineup. Artists performing on the 2013 thunderous fest include main stage metal and horror legend, festival closer, ROB ZOMBIE, plus, the triple gold certified FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and a monster lineup that includes additional main stage bands MASTODON and AMON AMARTH. The festival area is led by stage closers CHILDREN OF BODOM and MACHINE HEAD as well as BEHEMOTH, JOB FOR A COWBOY, EMMURE, BORN OF OSIRIS, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, BUTCHER BABIES, BATTLECROSS, HUNTRESS, THROWN INTO EXILE and CITY IN THE SEA. Four stages will be presented this year for the first time ever and the stages include the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE, THE JAGERMEISTER STAGE, MUSICIANS INSTITUTE STAGE, as well as, the SUMERIAN RECORDS/HEADBANG FOR THE HIGHWAY CONCOURSE STAGE, (local bands performing on the Sumerian Records/Headbang for the Highway Stage will be announced in June).

All tickets go on sale March 22nd at 12:00 Noon local venue time via
www.rockstarmayhemfest.com or www.livenation.com. The tour will stop in 26 cities across the United States and Canada as it makes its way to the Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas, Texas on August 4th, 2013. Dates and venues are listed below.

Get a sneak peak of new FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH music:

A rock icon and auteur filmmaker with insight and unlimited vision, Rob Zombie has continuously challenged audiences as he stretches the boundaries of music, film, and publishing. Now, the seven-time Grammy nominated recording artist releases his fifth solo album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, which streets April 23, and includes the first single, “ Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Super Town,” along with such tracks as “Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga,” “Lucifer Rising,” “Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures” and a heavy-duty cover of Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band.” Rob Zombie’s Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor is the first release on his new label, Zodiac Swan, through T-Boy Records/UME. Zombie’s also written and directed his 6th feature film, “The Lords of Salem”, in theaters April 19th (Anchor Bay).

After three gold albums in a row and ten consecutive top ten radio singles, Five Finger Death
Punch continue their evolution in 2013 by releasing a new single in early May, followed by their fourth studio album in June. FFDP are set to perform live at this year’s Revolver Golden
Gods Awards show in Los Angeles on May 2 and will warm up for Mayhem playing this summer’s most prestigious European festivals, amongst them UK’s Download Festival and
Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park.

The World’s Greatest Freestyle Motocross team THE METAL MULISHA is also confirmed to
perform on most dates.

Sponsors for the 2013 ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM FESTIVAL include title sponsor ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK and stage sponsors JAGERMEISTER, MUSICIANS INSTITUTE, and SUMERIAN RECORDS. Festival sponsors include IBANEZ GUITARS, ZIPPO, METAL BLADE RECORDS, NAPALM RECORDS, SQUATCH SNACK STICKS, FUCK CANCER and KEEP A BREAST. Media partners include REVOLVER MAGAZINE and ZUUS MEDIA.

In addition to catching their favorite bands live, fans can take part in a number of festival
activities, including playing the newest video games, perusing vendors, attending autograph
signing sessions and a slew of various interactive activities that will only add to the festival
experience.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK will be sampling their products and providing awesome surprises for all attendees. Rockstar will also present the VIP/Contest winner area designated as THE
ROCKSTAR LOUNGE and the festival area PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR TENT where fans can sample ice cold Rockstar and get autographs from their favorite bands.

Addition to the festival’s music and arts, MUSICIANS INSTITUTE and the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival have partnered to create the Rockstar Mayhem Independent Artist Scholarship! This scholarship fully covers tuition and material fees for a two quarter IAP
certificate (Room, Boarding and Travel are not included.) The application period runs from
March 18 until June 1, 2013. Applicants must visit www.mi.edu/mayhem-rock-festivalscholarship
to enter.

Fans can go to www.rockstarmayhemfest.com to keep up with additional details as they are
released.

Make sure to check out this brand new video announcing the official 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival line up and stay tuned to Mayhem TV for more video updates and features coming soon!

Tour dates are as follows:

Date City Venue
6/29 San Bernardino, CA San Manuel Amphitheater
6/30 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/2 Boise, ID Idaho Center Amphitheatre
7/3 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheater
7/5 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
7/6 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheatre
7/7 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
7/10 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
7/12 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion
7/13 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
7/14 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake PAC
7/16 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
7/17 Bangor, ME Bangor Waterfront
7/19 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
7/20 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC
7/21 Hartford, CT The Comcast Theatre
7/23 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/24 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
7/26 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
7/27 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/28 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/30 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/31 Tampa, FL Live Nation Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds
8/2 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater
8/3 The Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8/4 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL STAGES AND ARTISTS:

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE
ROB ZOMBIE
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
MASTODON
AMON AMARTH

MUSICIANS INSTITUTE STAGE JAGERMEISTER STAGE
CHILDREN OF BODOM MACHINE HEAD
BEHEMOTH JOB FOR A COWBOY
EMMURE BUTCHER BABIES
BORN OF OSIRIS BATTLECROSS
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE HUNTRESS
THROWN INTO EXILE

SUMERIAN RECORDS/HEADBANG FOR THE HIGHWAY STAGE
CITY IN THE SEA
3 LOCAL OPENERS

Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna talks about touring with Rockstar Mayhem Festival

Joey Belladonna is the lead singer for the seminal NY thrash band Anthrax. Media Mikes caught up with Joey at this year’s Mayhem Festival where we talked about how the crowds have changed over the year and the bands recent work on several cover songs.

Adam Lawton: What has been the best experience so far on this summer’s tour?
Joey Belladonna: I would have to say the new kids. We are running in to a whole lot of different fans. There are young people, old people, new fans and old fans. It’s been really great. The whole atmosphere of this tour has been quite a bit different. It has a carnival like feel to it but it’s still a heavy metal/rock show.

AL: How have shows like Mayhem changed from the band first started playing on them to now?
JB: I think the buzz has started to pick up more. People have started taking notice that we as a band are still strong and better than ever. We aren’t a manufactured something that is just out here for nothing. We don’t mess around and the new material live is brutal.

AL: How did you go about making the set list for this run of shows?
JB: The real hard part was covering are catalog in 40 minutes. We have some songs that are pretty long. We had to try a few different things to fit in to that time frame. I think we have done pretty well touching on all aspects of our music. Sadly there is just no winning if someone wants to hear a specific song but I think we did the best we could with the allotted time.

AL: Can you give us any updates about the cover album that has been in the works?
JB: There have been some songs recorded but I can’t tell you much more than that. I haven’t really started doing vocal tracks for it yet. Things are still sort of lingering with what will become of it and if deadlines can be met.

AL: What are the plans for Anthrax after the Mayhem Festival wraps up?
JB: We will be hitting Canada and some portions of the U.S. That will take us through mid October. Then we will be back out with Testament and Death Angel for the third time around. Starting in November we will be out with Motorhead in Europe as the support act. That should be pretty cool.

AL: Anthrax did a lot of recording at the legendary Pyramid Studios in Ithaca, NY. What is your take on what’s happening with the city trying to destroy that building/business?
JB: Alex was out and saw us the other night. It awful what is happening with that situation. I can’t even imagine being told one day that you have to move out of your house because it’s supposedly unsafe. I didn’t really know what to say when we were discussing it. I passed along some info and I hope everything works out.

 

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The Devil Wear Prada’s Andy Trick talks Rockstar Mayhem Festival and recent live CD/DVD release

Andy Trick is the bassist for the metal-core band The Devil Wear Prada. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Andy recently about playing on this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival and what other plans the band has for this year.

Cody Blencowe: How has the Rockstar Mayhem Festival compared to other tours/festivals you have been a part of?
Andy Trick: It has definitely been a little different. On this tour we have been touring with legendary metal bands like Slayer and Slipknot. That has really been a big difference. Aside from that the shows have been awesome. We are pretty accustom to playing outdoors in the summer time. The tour has a similar feel to the Vans Warped Tour but there are fewer bands so things seem to be more tight knit.

CB: Have there been any highlights from the tour thus far?
AT: We don’t really get in to anything crazy. There have been some great moments on stage. The Chicago and Detroit shows I think were two of the best so far.

CB: What can you tell us about the bands recent live CD/DVD release?
AT: The released is titled “Dead or Alive” and it was shot at the Palladium in Worchester, Mass. We have been wanting to do a live DVD and we were finally able to bring everything together.  We like to try and find new ways of gettting content out to the fans other than just CD after CD. The DVD format was an obvious choice. It was a great opportunity and the show we recorded is basically the same one we put on for fans every night of the tour.

CB: What are the bands plans for after Mayhem Festival?
AT: We have a bit of time off. We have been looking at going in to the studio and working on some new material. Aside from that not much is going on until the fall. Once the fall rolls around we will be heading over to Europe with August Burns Red and White Chapel.

Concert Review “Rockstar Mayhem Festival” Scranton, PA

“Rockstar Mayhem Festival”
Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, Asking Alexandria, Anthrax, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, White Chapel, I The Breather, Bleeding Ink
Date: Saturday, August 4th 2012
Venue: Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

On Saturday August 4th the heavy metal circus known as “The Rockstar Mayhem Festival” screeched its way into the Toyota Pavilion located in Scranton, PA. Kicking of the day was the band Bleeding Ink who despite only playing a 20 minute set seemed to really give there all as fans were still slowly making their way through several security/ticket stops. I The Breather was up next followed by White Chapel and As I Lay Dying. Closing out the second stage was NY thrash legends Anthrax. Though I feel the band would have been more suited for the main stage they did do a great job packing their 40 minute set with such classics as “Caught in a Mosh and “Madhouse” before ending with the always popular “I Am the Law”.

After an afternoon of battling heat and the occasional crowd surfer in the venues parking lot the festival moved its way over to the main stage. The UK band Asking Alexandria opened up the evening with a brief 7 song set. Definitely the youngest band on the main stage and probably the least know by those in attendance were sadly given a luke warm reception. Despite the minimal crowd response the band forged on until their 30 minute set came to a close. Heavy metal icon Lemmy and his band Motorhead would be up next and instantly kicked the volume to the max. Performing such classic songs as “Damage Case”, “Killed by Death” and “Ace of Spades” the crowd sprung to life with pumping fists and banging heads. Slayer were up next and treated the crowd to a pyro packed set which was highlighted by such legendary Slayer tracks as “War Ensemble”, “South of Heaven”, “Angel of Death” and of course “Reign in Blood”. Immediately after pulverizing the crowd Slayer would leave the stage and a dark red curtain would be lowered. Following a brief intermission Slipknots intro “742617000027” began cranking over the pa. With a flash bang that could be heard for miles the masked clad band launched into an energy filled set that would entertain even the most casual of Slipknot fans. Highlights of the set included “Wait and Bleed”, “Vermillion”, “The Heretic Anthem” and, “Psychosocial”. Front man Cory Taylor wasted little time in between songs talking with the crowd as there certainly was an agenda and time frame for the evening.

I was super excited to be able to catch one of the stops on this year’s tour. With such a great line-up surely a good time was going to be had. However, catching the second to last show before of the tour did not yield such results. Yes I got to hear a number of my favorite songs by some great bands but with the exception of Slipknot and maybe one or two other acts the performances were a tad underwhelming and seemed rushed. I am sure by this stage in a tour bands are tired and ready to go home but, fans at the end of a tour pay just as much as those at the start of a tour and deserve a top notch performance. Despite a great looking bill and some really cool promotions related to the tour I think the show in Scranton, PA was a bit of a dud. Thankfully Slipknot closing out the end of a long, hot day and some promising performances from the Jagermeister stage left me with a glimmer of hope for next year’s run.

Slipknot Set List:
Intro- 742617000027
1.) (Sic)
2.) Eyeless
3.) Sulfur
4.) Wait and Bleed
5.) Disasterpiece
7.) Gently
8.) Vermillion
9.) The Heretic Anthem
10.) Psychosocial
11.) Duality
12.) Spit It Out
13.) People=Shit
14.) Surfacing
Outro- ‘Til We Die

Slayer Set List:
Intro- Darkness of Christ
1.) Disciple
2.) War Ensemble
3.) Die by the Sword
4.) Hate Worldwide
5.) Mandatory Suicide
6.) Alter of Sacrifice
7.) Jesus Saves
8.) Season in the Abyss
9.) Hell Awaits
10.) Dead Skin Mask
11.) Angel of Death
12.) South of Heaven
13.) Raining Blood

Motorhead Set List:
1.) Bomber
2.) Damage Case
3.) I Know How to Die
4.) Stay Clean
5.) Over the Top
6.) The Chase is Better Than the Catch
7.) The One to Sing the Blues
Drum Solo
8.) Going to Brazil
9.) Killed by Death
10.) Ace of Spades

Asking Alexandria Set List:
1.) Welcome
2.) Closure
3.) Breathless
4.) A Lesson Never learned
5.) To the Stage
6.) Dear Insanity
7.) Morte et Dabo

Concert Review “Rockstar Uproar Festival” Syracuse, NY

“Rockstar Uproar Festival”
Shinedown, Godsmack, Staind, Adelitas Way, Fozzy, In This Moment, Duece, Candlelight Red, Mindset Evolution, Cruz
Date: Saturday, August 25th 2012
Venue: New York State Fair Grand Stand, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival came to the Great New York State Fair on Saturday August 25th and despite a few band cancelations the festival was quite enjoyable. The day’s festivities kicked off on dueling side stages sponsored by Jagermeister and Ernie Ball. Due to the venue layout all three of the festival stages were side by side making it very easy to watch all of the performances. Besides not missing one note of music the rotating stages allowed for a very mini lag time between groups. This not only kept the energy of the crowd up but gave the show a great flow and feel. Despite the absence of P.O.D and the recent cancelation of Papa Roach each of the bands on the smaller stages did a great job filling in the time and the afternoon was capped off by energetic performances from In This Moments and Fozzy which features WWE Superstar Chris Jericho on vocals.

Prior to the start of the main stage performances fans we made to clear the venue which did cause quite a bit of confusion and chaos as fans were shuffled through various small openings leading under the grandstand viewing area. After a 40 minute wait fans were finally allowed to re-enter and take their seats for the rest of the evenings events. Up and coming hard rock band Adelitas Way opened the night and gave the fans a brief but energy packed set which came to a close with lead singer Rick DeJesus jumping in to the crowd for some quality time where he remained signing autographs and posing for photos for some time after the rest of the band left the stage. Staind would follow with a surprisingly energetic set which featured hits like “It’s Been Awhile”, “Mudshovel” and “Outside”. Despite singer Aaron Lewis preparing to take some time away from the band to promote his upcoming country album band moral seemed high and it really showed in the group’s performance. Hard rock heavy weights Godsmack would be next playing a greatest hits set consisting of songs from each of the bands albums. Highlights of the set were “Keep Away”, “Bad Religion” and of course the dueling drum solo’s between Shannon Larken and Sully Erna. Having seen the band several times now it would have been great to see something different from the band as this set was almost identical to the set performed by the band on this past springs “Mass Chaos Tour”. Shinedown closed out the night with a pyro packed performance featuring songs off the band latest album “Amaryllis”. Though the bands stage show featured a number of cool effects and a guest appearance by In This Moment front woman Maria Brink I felt the performance by the band was a bit boring. Singer Brent Smith very rarely left his podium and spent little to no time interacting with the crowd. At times the sound of the band seemed very produced and digital which I felt hurt the performance more than helped it. I am all for bands embracing technology however you have to know when enough is enough.

Though the “Rockstar Uproar Festival” is a bit smaller and doesn’t have as many big names artists as Rockstar’s other traveling tour “Mayhem Festival”. The smaller set ups gave each performance a more intimate feel. Having attended both festivals the “Uproar Festival” featured a wider variety of musical styles, better stage set up and a far better sound production. If Uproar is coming to your town be sure to grab a ticket and get to the show early to check out some really great talent.

Shinedown Set List:
1.) Sound of Madness
2.) Diamond Eyes
3.) Enemies
4.) If You Only Knew
5.) Devour feat. Maria Brink
7.) I’ll Follow You
8.) Unity
9.) .45
10.) Simple Man
11.) Second Chance
12.) Fly From the Inside

Godsmack Set List:
1.) Enemy
2.) Keep Away
3.) Cryin’ Like a Bitch
4.) Straight Out of Line
5.) Awake
6.) Bad Religion
7.) Speak
8.) Voodoo
9.) Drum Solo
10.) Whatever
11.) I Stand Alone

Staind Set List:
1.) Eyes Wide Open
2.) Right Here
3.) Now
4.) For You
5.) Paper Wings
6.) It’s Been Awhile
7.) Not Again
8.) Outside
9.) Mudshovel
10.) Something to Remind You

Adelitas Way Set List:
1.) The Collapse
2.) Hurt
3.) Alive
4.) Cage the Beast
5.) Criticize
6.) Sick
7.) Invincible