Welcome To Rockville
April 30 & May 1, 2016
Jacksonville, FL
Welcome to Rockville has always been the start of rock festival season, sharing the same weekend as Fort Rock, 5hrs southwest in Fort Myers, FL. Florida fans have a chance to see their favorite bands over the long weekend.
One could not have asked for better weather, with perfect blue skies dotted with puffy white clouds to allow breaks from the sun. Welcome to Rockville is located next to the Jacksonville Jaguars football stadium in Metropolitan Park.
Day 1 featured top rock acts like Bring Me the Horizon, Sixx:A.M., Disturbed, Shinedown, along with 20 more bands.
Lacey Sturm, whose new album, Life Screams, commanded the stage with her powerful lyrics and electric set. It was great to see her back on the road. Bands like Red Sun Rising and Miss May I woke up the crowds at the main stages, which like last year, were side-by-side to allow fans to camp out all day to see their favorite bands.
Super group, Sixx:A.M. brought their stadium sound for the first time to a USA festival, with their new album, Prayers for the Damned, which is climbing the charts. The album is filled with slicing guitar riffs and pounding bass and drums to go along with positive lyrics, bringing a refreshing sound to the rock genre. Bring me the Horizon, along with Asking Alexandria and Bullet for my Valentine brought their brand of UK Metal to Rockville. Headliners, Disturbed and Shinedown felt like a body punch followed by a head punch to close off the night. Shinedown’s immense energy could be felt throughout the crowd as they sang along to each song. Day 1 proved to be just a preview for Day 2.
Day 2 proved to be the largest crowd ever at Rockville and was a day filled with some of the hardest bands in Metal, mixed in with a little bit of hip-hop with Yelawolf and Cypress Hill.
Swedish band, Avatar, brought a mix of metal and harmonics that had the fans banging their heads. Avatar was not the only Swedish band to play – Ghost performed on the side stage. While not as heavy as Avatar, they are making their impact on Metal.
Bryan Scott made his first appearance as the lead singer of Sick Puppies and the new member proved to be the perfect match for Sick Puppies as they looked tighter than ever.
Lamb of God’s set proved to be one of the best sets of the day and laid waste to main stage. Singer, Randy Blythe was a raw bundle of nerves and energy as he stalked the stage as if looking for prey.
The night ended with A Day to Remember, Five Finger Death Punch and Rob Zombie. Those 3 bands alone could sell out an arena and proved why Sunday was a sea of bodies moving as one. Rob Zombie just released a mouthful of a title – The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser. The album is Zombie’s best releases of the year and his show is an acid trip performed live.
While Welcome to Rockville is just as the name suggests, Rock, it also has expanded its festival grounds to provide GourmetManFood; not your average fest food. Also offering top notch liquor – Jack Daniels, Jägermeister Experience, and Tequila World featuring the El Jimador’s Finest Tequilas.
With so much to offer, as a concert goer, this has been refreshing to see and can see this only growing with each year.
Review by: Peter Lizano
3 Doors Down
A Day To Remember
Avatar
Bring me the Horizon
Bullet For My Valentine
Cypress Hill
Disturbed
Five Finger Death Punch
From Ashes To New
Hellyeah
Lacey Sturm
Lamb of God
Megadeth
Miss May I
P.O.D.
Pennywise
Red Sun Rising
Rob Zombie
Sevendust
Shinedown
Sick Puppies
Sixx A.M.
Trivium
Yelawolf
