Aftershock will once again be at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA October 10-13, if you’re planning on coming from out of state, it’s still a very hot time of year here, so be prepared.
Let’s face it, if it’s one thing that we’ve come to know about Danny Wimmer and Co, is that Aftershock over the years has never ceased to put together some really peculiar lineups and this year is certainly no different, but definitely some fun bands wrapped in there for a great weekend where everyone can find something they like or even love.
Fairly often I look at these festival lineups and have to remind myself that these festivals aren’t for me, they are geared for the majority. That said, I am glad to see that they’re starting to structure it similar to many European festivals, so we’ll see how that works when it’s in motion with five stages going simultaneously.
DAY 1
This is a good start to the weekend, has some down time while also staying fairly consistent stage to stage to keep you entertained throughout the day in the heat.
THE GREAT: This day is obviously Slayer and Pantera back to back just like the old days, well sort of.
THE GOOD: Til Lindemann of Rammstein (I’m assuming this will be all Rammstein songs, but I could be wrong, either way will be interesting, then Ministry, Sevendust, Cypress Hill, Drain, Biohazard and Better Lovers
THE MEH: Filter, Hawthorne Heights, Adema, Halestorm, Orgy, Veil of Maya and Static-X
THE LET’S GET BEER AND FIGURE OUT WHO THIS BAND IS: There are a whole lot of unknowns (to me) on this day, which is good and bad because you never know what you’ll get, but reminds me of the early days of Ozzfest and Warped Tour, so I’m all in!
THE HELL NO: I’m staying as far away from The Insane Clown Posse as humanly possible, even though I am very mildly interested in being amused at the debouchery.
DAY 2
This day doesn’t do much for me from a fan stand point, I’ve seen most of the bigger bands many times over, but there are a handful of interesting ones.
THE GREAT: Dropkick Murphy’s are always a blast, followed by Architects, Mastodon, Hemorage (not to be missed), Scars on Broadway and don’t sleep on Local H
THE GOOD: Slipknot fell for me in this one because I’ve seen them over twenty times since Ozzfest 99, but obviously a fan favorite every year, followed by Evanescence, Highly Suspect, Rise Against, Juliette and the Licks, Marky Ramone, Code Orange, Bayside and Vended
THE MEH: Five Finger Death Punch is at the top of this list for me, they’ve just never done much for me, followed by D.R.U.G.S, and Taproot
THE LET’S GET BEER AND FIGURE OUT WHO THIS BAND IS: Everyone else, however I’m interested in Moonshine Bandits, The Warning and Dead Poet Society
DAY 3
This is a really good, fun Saturday, there is something for everyone throughout the day and night, however I don’t understand having Breaking Benjamin in between Maiden and Anthrax, but every year there seems to be a weird piece of lineup, and that’s definitely one for me that’s a slight miss, but I guess it gives me time to go and get a beer.
THE GREAT: Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Clutch, Rival Sons and Whitechapel (who I feel should be a bit higher in the lineup)
THE GOOD: Coal Chamber I’m genuinely interested in seeing, followed by Lorna Shore, Ill Nino, Nerv, Body Count, Saosin and Alien Weaponry
THE MEH: Staind, Breaking Benjamin and P.O.D. take the tops spots for me in the “Meh” section, followed by Tech N9ne, Bad Wolves, Aliens Ant Farm (this is a weird one for this day), CKY, Sleeping with Sirens and New Years Day
THE LET’S GET BEER AND FIGURE OUT WHO THIS BAND IS: Obviously everyone else, but I am highly curious about Fugitive, City Morgue and Show Me The Body.
DAY 4
This one feels like some misses for sure as far as what day they should be on, such as Shadows Fall and Fear Factory definitely feel like they should be with the Saturday lineup, but all in all, Sunday tends to be a slow start day with all the hungover’ness for everyone, so good to see Shadows Fall headlining and getting a wild crowd later in the day.
THE GREAT: Shadows Fall (their return is HIGHLY anticipated), followed by Nothing More (who’s stage energy is unbelievable), and Jinjer.
THE GOOD: Seether is one of those bands that flies under the radar but really puts on one hell of a show, followed by Fear Factory, Eagles of Death Metal, Flogging Molly, Set It Off, Black Map and Powerman 5000 (who might surprise you if you decide to check them out).
THE MEH: Motley Crue heads this one for me simply because of Vince Neil’s voice, but still hope he’s in better shape than the last time I saw them, followed by Disturbed (who just have never done it for me since the days of second stage Ozzfest), Falling In Reverse, Skillet, Badflower, From Ashes to New, Drowning Pool, HED PE, and Tom Morello (not a knock on his ability, just not interested)
THE LET’S GET BEER AND FIGURE OUT WHO THIS BAND IS: A lot of down time on Sunday, but very interested in seeing Caskets and PUP.
I will also add this in there, that I don’t know how you go from Narrow Head to Fear Factory, but I’m just the guy that’s been going to music festivals and photographing bands since the late 90’s.
If you’re in need of tickets or more information, you can head on over to www.aftershockfestival.com with GA and VIP passes starting as low as $10 down for those of you that want to pay over time!
In the words of the great Dimebag Darrel, “GETCHA PULL!”
