Aftershock: We Just Want MORE

Article By Emily Anne Montoya • Photos by Kimberly Annette

DAY 1

A normally empty dusty park in Sacramento, California was transformed into a rocker’s dream last weekend: 22 hours over two sweaty days packed with blood-racing, bass-pounding, kickass rock and roll. Three black-on-black stages outlined Discovery Park for the Aftershock festival, sponsored by Monster Energy Drinks.

Having some fun at Aftershock.

Fans stood in what looked like miles of lines early Saturday morning to purchase and pick up their treasured tickets. Snaking our way into the press line, the swanky crew for LA’s Rock Rag (left) scoped out our work playground. Vendors were packed together, hugging the perimeter: record booths, booze sellers, rock-and-roll swag emporiums, pizza hawkers, autograph-signing stations, and best of all, a booth shouting its love for vaginas. Gotta love it. It was an eclectic bundle of money-hungry stations.

But that’s not what really mattered. When soon the sound-check basses shook the ground, vibrating the very clothes you stood in, smiles peeled on mouths as the passionate musicians turned on their amps and kicked off this hell of a weekend.

Over 30,000 rockers showed up at the sold-out fest to hear the distorted electric guitars paired with the constant intense drum beats at the heart of rock and roll. Three stages roared constantly with music, with bands playing from 30 minutes to an hour each.

Singer Johnny Hawkins of Nothing More

Texas band Nothing More got us going in the early hours. Lead singer Johnny Hawkins resembles Jim Morrison with his slim build and curly dark hair. Nothing More’s stage presence is something everyone should experience. Hawkins sings from the depths of his heart and beats the hell out of his own drums, in time with drummer Paul O’Brien. Bassist Daniel Oliver and guitarist Mark Vollelunga breakout in drums as well throughout their songs. At one point in their show, an electric guitar was strapped onto a drum set as Hawkins, Oliver and Vollelunga all played the guitar—two with drumsticks and one with their fingers. Nothing More was incredible. They left you wanting more.

LA metal band In This Moment, played in the moment close to 1 pm. Nurse outfits doused in blood were just one of the many costume changes they indulged in. Changing into a circus ringleader costume with a dramatic flair, lead singer Maria Brink attracted all eyes. Our rock-and-roll Lady Gaga had a raspy voice that complemented the band’s drum and guitar riffs.  The crowd lost it as In This Moment performed “Adrenalize” and “Whore,” (both off their latest album, Blood) where Brink wore a dunce cap with “WHORE” painted vertically down the front. She was preyed upon by two female masked dancers in blood-sprayed lingerie, holding four-foot-long needles.  It was truly a spectacle to behold.

Following them at close to 1:30 pm were rockers Steel Panther, decked out in their skintight spandex animal print pants, hot pink polka-dotted guitars and long flowing 80s locks. Why mess around with hidden sexual innuendos when you can put it right out there? Mocking each other Spinal-Tap style with big smiles, Steel Panther pounded out their hits like “Asian Hooker,” “Eyes of a Panther” and “Party All Day (Fuck All

Night).” Lexxi Foxx on bass guitar fixed his perfect eyeliner and his long blonde mane at his personal vanity setup onstage. The Supersonic Sex Machine that was Steel Panther made Sacramentans feel real good! Come back anytime. Sorry, I mean Cum Back Anytime…

Stevie D. Buckcherry

Saturday continued to rage hard as Otherwise, Eye Empire, P.O.D. (aka Payable On Death) and Butcher Babies threw down their rock.

Buckcherry put on an incredible performance. When they finished up their set with one of their biggest hits, “Crazy Bitch,” the phrase “This is my song” could be heard throughout the crowd, followed by dancing, moshing and drinking. The usual.

Heaven’s Basement flew in from England just to play at Aftershock, and I, for one. am sure glad they did. Rocking the hell out of the Ernie Ball stage, vocalist Aaron Buchanan was, indeed, a charmer by eye.

Papa Roach, one of Saturday’s headliners, came home to play a badass show. When Jacoby Shaddix sings, it is incredibly evident that music is his passion, that his fans are part of his family and that he doesn’t take his mega success for granted.

And then, at around 6:30 pm, it finally happened: Megadeth. Every physical body in Discovery Park seemed to make their way to the Megadeth stage. Eight monstrous speakers helped blast the bass and drums to the audience of moshers. The man who is Megadeth, Dave Mustain with his grown golden hair, shredded like he was born to rock. Not saying much throughout his set, he finally prompted the audience with: “Do we really need another war?”

Without waiting for an answer, he jumped into the fast-paced incredible song, “Holy Wars.” A video played, quickly showing glimpses of Jesus, Hitler, George Bush, and other leaders. Sacramento melted to this moving song.

Wrapping the hot-as-hell day up, Shinedown took stage around 7:30 pm. The sun was down and the energy was up, as the crowd roared for more. Dropping their curtain to fire explosions and six fire-dancing performers, their stage presence was amazing.

Jonathan Davis of KORN

Decked in leather pants and boots resembling a haunted circus ringleader, lead singer Brent Smith had the audience in his hand, commanding they get lost in the music.

Everyone in the park headed for the South stage around 8:40 pm, where in all its holy glory, Korn blessed us with their presence. Jonathan Davis belted his heart out into his microphone, which was held up by his metal stand of a woman. Screaming into the night as Sacramento felt the bass rattle their bones, Saturday headliners Korn made a lasting impression and memories the Aftershock attendees will never lose track of. Welcoming their former drummer, David Silveria, to the stage, Korn sang “Freak on a Leash.” Davis’ long dreads swung all over the stage as he plunged headfirst into his performance, taking all of us with him. We sank deeper and deeper into the moment until the show ended at 10pm.

DAY 2

Sunday morning rolled around and brought a nice cool breeze as the sun rose. Once again the fans waited in long lines, excited to be a part of this eleven-hour experience.

Alessandro Paveri – Gemini Syndrome

Gemini Syndrome, their set arrayed with the symbols which bedeck their latest album, Lux, kicked it off on the South stage around 1pm. Lead singer Aaron Nordstrom boasted bronze goggles as he walked the stage, screaming to the crowd, hitting a range of notes only a professional could conquer. As he introduced the Syndrome to the roaring audience, the sun sweltered down and the bass turned up. Gemini Syndrome definitely captured new some fans from their incredible set.

Falling in Reverse was next, around 1:30 pm. Decked out in all black: black skintight pants, what resembled a black short-sleeved dress with neon green hightop Chucks, 29-year-old lead singer Ronnie Radke swung his microphone in punk circles, tossing it 20 feet in front of him and yanking the cord back to him. This was a show in itself. Belting out “Fashionably Late,” the title track from their latest album, the audience grew from a few hundred to thousands of fans screaming their favorite lyrics back to Radke. “For goodness sake, where is my self-control?” blared through Discovery Park as I watched the orgy of music lovers get down to Falling in Reverse.

A few European bands followed. Asking Alexandria, a metalcore band from York, North Yorkshire (England) belted the growling metal influences. The crowd ate up their performance. Shortly after Asking Alexandria, Finnish rock band HIM took the stage. Ville Valo walked to the center of the South stage in black skinnies, a black T-shirt and a slouchy black beanie. He just looked so wholesome and happy as his eyes peered out at Sacramento’s metal fans. A grin that couldn’t be tamed swept across his adorable face through the entire damn performance. Letting his fans know he cares, Valo humbly said, “Thank you for having us here, it’s extremely kind of you.” He is a mysterious and handsome Finnish devil.

Lzzy Hale Halestorm

Back to American bands, with Halestorm and their Pennsylvania roots, they stirred up a rad show with Lzzy Hale on vocals wearing only stilettos, a miniskirt and bra. Her growling vocals soothed the savage metal fans. Hale rocked, especially with their song “I Get Off.”

The sun was setting soon after, as Pop Evil and Danish band Volbeat made sure the Sacramento metal heads didn’t lower their energy levels.

“Let’s show these motherfuckers how we really set it off!” And with that, Florida’s A Day to Remember blasted out some metalcore with dashes of pop punk mixed in. I really enjoyed it. As the stage lights blinded everyone, the entire crowd was headbanging in sync. Lead singer Jeremy McKinnon sung softer soothing vocals with strong drums and guitar, then dove back into death metal drums, shaking the skin you were in. Three metalheads dove into the audience as they surfed the bodies. Pot clouds loomed as six white beach balls bounced through the sound waves in the audience of fans.

Watching the extreme metal band All That Remains, it hit me. Rock shows were something different. There were no cellphones being held up during the show, as is ubiquitous everywhere else. Fans were living this show, interacting and in the moment.

Five Finger Death Punch
Ivan Moody & Chris Kael

The sky grew dark, as 7:40pm rolled around. The wind raised the hairs on your neck, as Five Finger Death Punch poured themselves onto stage.  Lead singer Ivan Moody sang into a metal skeleton vertebrae microphone stand as he stood in front of six gargoyles. With his perfect raspy, deep haunting voice, Moody demanded the light crew dim the spot on his face saying, “turn off this rock star shit.” With talent bleeding from his soul, Moody isn’t your typical rock and roller. Telling the crowd to stop roaring, “Can you give me a second? Stop, stop, stop.” As the audience grew silent, Moody told a story. “The last time we played in Iraq for our troops,” Moody starts, “a soldier came up to me and gave me these dogtags I am wearing around my neck.” The crowd roared, but he stopped them, “Give me a fucking second, let me finish.” But the crowd didn’t stop, their chant of the band’s name turned into a growling, thick “USA, USA, USA.”

“They were not his dogtags,” Moody continued, “they were his friend’s. And when they found his body, his iPod was stuck on Five Finger Death Punch.” Dedicating his next song of “Bad Company” to the troops who are currently serving, the audience burst out in applause. Noticing some young kids sitting atop of their parents’ shoulders, Moody invited the children and their parents to the stage and rocked out with them.

Avenge Sevenfold

Wrapping up the blackened night was the long-awaited performance of Sunday’s headliners, Avenged Sevenfold. When the tarp fell from the top of the stage, tall flames lit up the night welcoming Sacramento fans. A giant metal statue of a skeleton sitting on a throne filled the back of the stage. Staircases lined either side, and when the loud popping of the flames ignited, you felt the heat hit your face.

The band members wore sunglasses and plaid shirts, some sporting Mohawks, while lead singer M. Shadows rocked a leather jacket and jeans, hitting every note impeccably. “This Means War” raged through the Park with its heavy metal riffs accompanied by the sweet empowering drums. Bringing Aftershock to an end, the moment was bittersweet. Partially deaf, giddy like a 21 year old at their first bar, I left the dusty park with a stronger love for rock and roll and metal, just craving more.

The Rock Rag staff would really like to thank the entire staff and crew and management of the Aftershock Festival. Everything ran like clockwork, and the staff was top-notch, everyone from security to the vendors to the media tent. We cannot thank you enough for that, and tell you how very much we appreciate your professionalism. It was a great Festival to work, and to attend.

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