This year we traveled to Rockingham North Carolina for the Carolina Rebellion Festival. We arrived to find a dessert like environment filled with crazy concert goers of all shapes and sizes who braved the intense heat of the day to come out and see their favorite bands perform, and discover new ones that they may someday have a spot on their favorite playlist. The fans were very supportive of each and every band that took each of the festivals three stages, which really made the whole environment seem great. This years lineup included rock heavyweights KORN, Shinedown, Evanescence, Five Finger Death Punch, Staind, and P.O.D. along with many others.
I was very happily surprised by some of the smaller bands on this years lineup. First was South Carolina rock band, Weaving The Fate. Front man Brian Conner just has one of those great rock voices, and the beats and tones of the music flow so seamlessly that it makes it hard not to get into this band. They opened as the first of the bands to take the main stage and showed why they were deserving of doing so. Another performance I was very pleased with was RED, who played on the festivals third and smallest stage. The band from Nashville Tennessee delivered one of the most powerful and energetic performances of the day. They are one of those bands that show a ton of emotion on stage and makes it impossible for you not to start jumping, fist pumping, and crowd surfing.
Of the headlining bands that played at this years festival, I think KORN and Halestorm, and Evanescence had to be my favorite/the best performances of the entire day. Halestorm is lead by front woman Lzzy Hale. When you talk about powerful female vocalists, she is one that should not be left off the list. The band delivered an incredible performance and showcased many of the bands talents, including the entire band doing a group drum solo, incredibly powerful vocals, and a very intense stage presence from each member of the group.
Evanescence’s performance was such a treat to take in. This coming from someone who has never seen them live before, it was amazing to hear how great the band, and especially the vocals of singer Amy Lee sounded. The energy of the set was at a high level and the acoustics were nothing short of amazing.
KORN on the other hand I have seen several times, and I have enjoyed them each and every time. The performance at Carolina Rebellion was a little different from what I have seen in the past. The band really shook up their set from the normal play list. The set was filled with “oldie but goodies” and included songs that you wouldn’t usually to hear included in a typical KORN set. To cap off an already well done set, front man Jonathan Davis announced that for the bands final song of the night he would like to bring out “a special guest, and old friend.” To the delight and surprise of the crowd, out came former KORN member Brian “Head” Welch with a guitar raised high above his head. As Welch slung the guitar strap over his body the band started a heart pounding rendition of “Blind.” This marked the first time that Welch had performed with his old band since leaving the group in 2004. Funny enough, when speaking with Welch before KORN’s set, when asked if he would be performing with the band he replied “ You know it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the guys. I think I may just watch.” After the song ended Davis and Welch embraced one another in a brotherly hug before leaving the stage, an amazing end to an already amazing day of music.
If you have never been, have been before, or are just a fan of music, Carolina Rebellion is one of todays must attend festivals. Good times, good people, GOOD MUSIC!
PHOTOS FROM CAROLINA REBELLION CAN BE SEEN HERE!
