It’s hard to believe that Carolina Rebellion just wrapped up it’s eighth consecutive year of unremitting head banging and continual moshing in Concord, N.C. After nearly a decade on the World’s Loudest Month circuit, there’s few surprises that come with the rock infused three day weekend. Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu said it best:
Carolina Rebellion, it’s about our third time playing it and out of all the festivals in the States, every time we play Carolina Rebellion it’s the most energetic and craziest crowd. It’s something in this area that [causes] people just get all rowdy.
He isn’t wrong. From the first day to the last, the energy is unrelenting. And this year’s rather heavy lineup only added fuel to the fire. Friday kicked off with the likes of Stick To Your Guns, Red Sun Rising, Pop Evil and Parkway Drive, who was celebrating the release of their sixth studio album with a mid-afternoon time slot on the festival’s main stage. The Aussies are known for their raucous and thrilling live shows. For tours in the States, the band doesn’t often get to showcase the production that they typically show off over seas. However Carolina Rebellion is one of the few exceptions. While there’s no pyro, Parkway Drive feels bigger and better on the towering stage and the five-piece’s new record Reverence hits even harder.
Like Parkway Drive, Shinedown also celebrated the release of an album on the first day of the festival. The band dropped Attention Attention on May 4 and fortunately for Carolina Rebellion, they were the first to hear many of the new songs live. Both of the record’s singles “DEVIL” and “THE HUMAN RADIO” broke into Shinedown’s stacked setlist and fit seamlessly with fan favorites from both The Sound of Madness and Threat To Survival.
As usual, frontman Brent Smith displayed his true showmanship with the way he conversed with the audience between songs promising a memorable experience. In 2016, when Shinedown played Rebellion last, they were a highlight of the weekend and only one thing changed this weekend - the band’s cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” went over much better than it did when they followed the original version.
With Saturday came a heightened level of production. In This Moment returned for a second consecutive year. Despite playing in the middle of the afternoon on the hottest day of the weekend, the band attracted one of the largest crowds of the weekend. There’s something about the unique theatrical show that’s irresistible. Filled with costume changes, backup dancers and award-winning makeup, In This Moment stole the show and festival-goers attention early.
If you ask any musician the difference between playing the average show on tour versus a festival, most will point to the crowd size, shorter set, and playing during the day. And while that’s all true, festivals add another level of excitement. For example, when Breaking Benjamin plays inside on tour, they are known for having a toned down lighting set up.
However when it comes to festivals, especially Carolina Rebellion, the band ramps it up a notch. This year performing their new album Ember, Breaking Benjamin came loaded with pyrotechnics and smoke cannons that they unloaded from the get-go. Needless to say, they created a unique experience for each of their die-hard fans in North Carolina. The more pyro, the merrier.
While the bands involved in the festival certainly give festival-goers their money’s worth, the costumes that roll through the turnstiles add to the festival’s uniqueness. While Bonnaroo and Coachella boast a sparkly and bedazzled appearance, Carolina Rebellion flaunts gas-masks, faultless band-inspired and Star Wars costumes.
While the crowd is diverse in its dress and age makeup, the respect for each other is at an all-time high. Each rebel is there for the same reason: to keep rock and roll alive. Along with the security guards, dedicated to keeping photographers safe while bodies crowd-surf over the barricades, everyone’s committed to enjoying a drama-free weekend of supposedly “rebellious” music.
