Clear skies were a relieving sight to wake up to after a rainy first day of Welcome to Rockville. The temperature was already boiling hot by the time the gates opened at 1:00 PM, but there was a notably bigger crowd ready to rock out even for the early bands on day 2’s lineup.
Crobot was first of the day to play and their gig set the bar high. They highlighted their 30 minutes with groovy rock riffs and an interactive stage presence, which even included a cover of the “Ghostbusters” theme song.
“Wakey, Wakey, Rockville!” exclaimed vocalist Henry Cox, one-quarter of the British quartet called Boston Manor. The band is out on tour with A Day To Remember and brought a similar, high energy to get the early crowd going on the River Stage while Dead Girls Academy took over the Main Stage.
Badflower broke into the festival scene back in 2017, but with the February release of their debut studio album ‘OK, I’M SICK’ and two chart-topping singles now under their belts, a massive crowd had gathered at the Metropolitan Stage to show their support. Even vocalist Josh Katz was floored as he turned to the band and said, “Hey guys, I’m just finding out we’re famous in Florida!”
The highlight of Badflower’s set was easily their passionate and powerful performance of the new album’s lead single, “Ghost.” The lyrics are raw and emotionally charged and the entire audience gave the equivalent of a standing ovation (since they were already standing…). Katz was visibly blown away as he placed his hand on his chest and expressed a heartfelt thanks.
Movements performed at the same time The Damned Things hit the main stage. Many were looking forward to seeing the supergroup, which consists of Scott Ian (Anthrax), Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die), Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy), and Dan Adriano (Alkaline Trio), but unfortunately one key member was missing. Buckley apologized for Scott Ian’s absence, explaining that the Friday storms had made his flight unable to land. The rest of the band still played, performing a handful of songs from their second album which just dropped on April 26th.
Mark Tremonti has come to be known as one of the modern day guitar gods, and his talent was on full display during Tremonti’s set. Their appearance on Welcome to Rockville was a one-off show that will likely be the band’s last for a while as Mark Tremonti will return to touring with Alter Bridge.
One of the few tough choices of the weekend came shortly after 4:00 PM when fans had to pick between Black Label Society and Wage War’s conflicting sets. While the guitar shredding Zakk Wylde is always a win, one of the heaviest crowds of the day actually showed up for Wage War’s set on the River Stage.
Christian rock band Skillet is another band with years on the road behind them, and their experience shows. The band opened with “Invincible” and they had no trouble getting the audience bouncing. Frontman and bassist John Cooper adequately kept the crowd hyped up, especially when he fired off two arm CD cannons of CO2 during “Sick Of It.” Additionally, the band incorporated an all-new song titled “Legendary” into their set. The song will be the lead single from their forthcoming album ‘Victorious,’ to be released in August this year.
Zeal & Ardor followed up Skillet’s set just before In This Moment hit the main stage with an all-new stage setup. Three large black cathedral-esque houses spanned across the stage behind the band. Each member donned all black robes for their opening song “Fly Like An Eagle,” an all-new cover of the original by Steve Miller Band. In This Moment has come to be known for their theatrical performances, which are just as much about the visuals as the music. With numerous costume changes and dancers (referred to as “Blood Girls”), there’s always much to watch and of course, the ever-stunning Maria Brink has no trouble enchanting a crowd.
The River Stage got rowdy when the crowd screamed chants for, “Yela-wolf! Yela-wolf!” When Yelawolf finally did come out on stage, he immediately sprayed beer everywhere, tossing the half-emptied can into the crowd. It didn’t take long before he was demanding the sound be turned up, and when the audio guys obliged, the bass pounded hard enough to feel your insides vibrating. The set turned out to be the loudest of the weekend with no competition in question.
Florida is home to Shinedown, and May 4th was extra special to the band as they were celebrating the one year anniversary of their latest album ‘Attention Attention’s release. They opened heavy with “Sound of Madness” and scattered loads of pyro throughout their set. Charismatic frontman Brent Smith had everyone shaking hands and making friends with their neighbors by only the third song in and explained, “A wise man once said, ‘‘Without music, life would be a mistake.” Brent elaborated, “It doesn’t matter where you came from or where you’re going. Everyone is 1000% welcome in the rock and roll community.” They shared the spirit of rock and roll, playing numerous hits from their discography including, “Diamond Eyes,” their well-known cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” and closing with a short fireworks display during “Devil”.
The hardest metalheads weren’t heading home before witnessing one of the world’s original and finest metal bands, Judas Priest. The band celebrated their 40th anniversary a few years ago but haven’t stopped churning out new music yet. Their latest album ‘Firepower’ was released just last year and the band is still touring in support of it. Vocalist Rob Halford trumped over the stage with power and confidence, dressed in extravagant purple robes and wielding a skull cane that matched his top hat. Judas Priest banged through song after song from their 17 album discography, wrapping their set up with “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Breaking the Law,” and “Living After Midnight.”
Rob Zombie’s stage get-up was suitably creepy and elaborate for their 9:50 PM headlining set, featuring demonic angel microphone stands and fringe lined attired that meshed almost seamlessly with his long, dreaded hair. Piggy D came out as his alter ego, “The Count” while John 5 defied the Florida heat in a long coat embroidered with his #5 logo on it. The band has no shortage of familiar singles, plugging through “Everybody’s Fucking in a UFO,” “Living Dead Girl,” and concluding the second day of Welcome to Rockville with “Dragula.”
