ROCK ALLEGIANCE 2015

Monsters, zombies and undead, oh my! That’s right, monsters, zombies and undead in October can only mean one thing, right? No, we’re not talking Halloween, we’re talking about the Rock Allegiance Festival, sponsored by Monster Energy, which was held on October 10, 2015 in Chester, PA under blue skies on a 65 degree, crisp autumn day. The event took place at PPL Park, a state of the art Major League Soccer stadium which is home to the Philadelphia Union. The venue seats 18,500 fans, but nearly twice that many were in attendance to witness the sold-out heavy metal event.

The festival grounds were laid out perfectly. Two main stages stood side by side at the southern end of the stadium, while one tent stage was setup just outside the western side of the stadium. If you had a brochure with the set times, you could watch some awesome live music with little, to no downtime. From the festival layout, to set times, the festival ran like a well-oiled, metal machine. The amenities set up by festival organizers were conveniently located around the tent stage. Merchandise stands were set up for your heavy metal shopping needs and food trucks from the Philadelphia area were lined up and dishing out everything from Mexican tacos to Brazilian cheesesteaks. Craft beer vendors representing Evolution Craft, Fordham & Dominion, New Beligium, Star Hill Troegs and Victory were available and pouring everything from pumpkin beer to IPA’s. An autograph area was set up for fans to meet and greet their favorite bands, rental lockers were onsite to stow away your newly acquired swag and fuckcancer.org was on hand to spread word about cancer awareness and prevention.

This event sold out far in advance and rightfully so as the lineup consisted of heavy hitters, both sold and new. Hitting the tent stage were Zombie Kidz, Unlocking the Truth, From Ashes to New, Charm City Devils, Superheaven, Butcher Babies, Saint Asonia, and Hollywood Undead.

The main stage players were Devour the Day, Red Sun Rising, The Glorious Sons, Nothing More, Atreyu, Pop Evil, In This Moment, Bring Me the Horizon, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Korn and Rob Zombie. Once Rob Zombie closed the show, an after party hosted by Steel Panther, was held at tent stage.

So who kicked ass and melted faces at this event? The simple answer is every band that stepped foot onstage. That’s right, all bands were high energy and seemingly gave their heavy metal souls to the crowd as they head banged throughout their sets.

Throughout the day, the capacity crowd roared with appreciation as each band played electric set, after electric set. The crowd fed off the bands and the bands fed off the crowd, each cannibalizing the other as they brought PPL Stadium to a feverish pitch. Just when you thought the energy level couldn’t get any higher, it somehow did.

As weary and tired as I was, I wished that the festival was two days and if it were, I’d wish it were three. The Rock Allegiance festival will return next year and is sure to bring the same excitement and energy as this year, so do yourself a favor and get your tickets early. It’s sure to melt your face.

by Scott Smith, RockRevolt Photo Journalist

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Bring Me The Horizon

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Bring Me The Horizon

Devour The Day

Butcher Babies

From Ashes to New

Five Finger Death Punch

Atreyu

Godsmack

Hollywood Undead

In This Moment

Korn

Nothing More

Papa Roach

Pop Evil

Red Sun Rising

Rob Zombie

The Glorious Sons