The World’s Loudest Month rolled into the Rock City Campgrounds on May 6, 7, and 8. The weather was as blazing as the music as the stages lit up over and over and over again with what can only be described as a smorgasbord of artists. We can assure you, there was something for everyone! Seriously, everyone.
Taking a cue from years’ past, there were tour stages set up: two smaller and two Monster Energy Main Stages, from one end of the campground to the other. You really had to run like hell if you wanted to see two acts around the same time!! Add in the eating area, crowds at VIP areas, and various other enterprises scattered between them, and you could easily be playing human pinball between the stages. It seemed very well organized, and we didn’t see any incidents or dangers, but it wouldn’t surprise me if someone got a toe or two trampled.
Friday, May 6, kicked off the event with a bang, as stellar acts like Sick Puppies, Black Stone Cherry, and Pop Evil rocked the crowd through the day. I don’t know about any of you, but anytime I am at an event where those bands can play alongside other crowd pleasers like Avatar and Aranda, I know I am in for a treat. Aranda was my sleeper favorite of the day; I did not anticipate how much I was going to get into their set!! But, as always, there’s one at every event that blows you back a bit, and for me, it was them. For sure.
Right after I grabbed a bite to eat from one of the vendors, I found myself shuffled back out with the crowd for Sixx:AM. Man, oh man, Nikki Sixx can play a guitar like no one I’d ever seen. And his voice? Afer all of the years, it’s like nothing phases that guy!! From his obvious powerful stage presence, his sex appeal that never seems to fade, and his command over the crowd, it was clear that he had everyone eating out of his hand. Add in DJ Ashba, James Michael, and Dustin Steinke, and Sixx:AM was my evening favorite for Friday. That’s not to say that Hellyeah, Candlebox, Filterm and Lynyrd Skynrd didn’t rock the place to its core; they did, and everyone was begging for more, more, more by the close of the show Friday.
Saturday morning started, and no time was lost. The crowd was immense, and the heat was intense, as people packed the place wall to wall. Wilson, Texas Hippie Coalition, and Ghost completely blew me away, personally. For being on the smaller stages, those acts did not disappoint, and it was clear by the sheer amount of beverages consumed and water bottles being tossed that the crowd didn’t give a shit that it was hotter than blazes. They were there for a good time, and a good time they had. I was shocked to see Lamb of God playing on the other small stage; the crowd was enormous for them and Parkway Drive!! Hopefully next year, if they come back, they can be moved to the larger stage areas; I can’t imagine what clean up looked like after those two were done!
Bullet for my Valentine was my sleeper favorite for Saturday. Man, oh man, I was not fully prepared for their set, and I was not alone in this. The crowd rocked me as much as I rocked with them, and as sweat dripped from seemingly every one of my pores, I was not ready for them to leave the stage. A Day to Remember, Five Finger Death Punch, and Megadeth for sure came out 110% and flattened everyone in the crowd. I slipped away for a quick drink and bite to eat, so I missed a bit, but I was all in for my Saturday night favorites: Shinedown. As I rocked my way through their set list, I was totally taken aback by their rendition of “Purple Rain”. With the passing of Prince, we know that many artists have taken their stab at honoring him with their own versions of his hits. But, by far, Shinedown’s version of that song now ranks up there as one of my favorites. Even the crowd mellowed out a bit to watch them perform this, and it was a rare, quieter moment for a band who always reminds us to “Cut the Cord” and go apeshit at their shows. Once again, I found myself not ready for it to be over by the time they left the stage, but I knew that Sunday brought the promises of more great music and fun crowd experiences, and for the most part, I was not disappointed.
Sunday brought a little bit of everything to the stages, including a clearly autotuned performance by The ’68 and a technical difficulties-plagued performance by Unlocking the Truth. I felt bad; the set was great, but it seemed like something was always trying to take away their amazing performance quality. They’re a solid group. Cypress Hill rapped the crowd around their fingers (get it!?), and Yelawolf’s bass shook us the entire performance, and I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not. But man, it was extremely loud.
In a “Oh, I hope they have insurance for this” moment, Bring Me The Horizon dared everyone to crowd surf up to the stage during their set, which I was sure security hared. That was a large crowd, and it seemed like everyone was trying to take Oli Sykes, Bring Me The Horizon’s frontman, up on his challenge. If he’d had said he triple dog dared them, I was sure the place would erupt! I loved their set though, and it is clear they love playing and getting the crowd whipped up into music-induced frenzies. Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie both played their sets for over an hour a piece, which gave me a chance to really sit back and appreciate how far both men have come. Clearly, time is on their side and they show no signs of slowing down, but man, even I was ready to beat feet and take a seat after a while! How they still do it after all these years is incredible and a true testament to their devotion to their audience, craft, and music. I snagged a drink and found my way back into the crowd, right outside the mosh pit (a safe distance, if I do say so myself) for Disturbed. I am SO glad these guys are off hiatus and are killin’ it again. I can’t believe they were gone for four solid years, but man, they don’t sound like it! Their setup was CRAZY, and the fire on the stage wasn’t the only heat that they brought. Again, I have a favorite for every day, and Disturbed was, hands down, mine for Sunday. Amazing. I can’t wait to see them on their summer tour that’s coming up soon.
In all, Carolina Rebellion was an amazing event with crazy awesome music, killer vendors, and awesome experiences. There was something for everyone, and it was clear that the crowd can’t wait for next year. I know I can’t!!
