Written By: Jessica Morano

Photos By: Joey Pye

This year’s Welcome to Rockville Festival was bigger and better than ever before. Two days, four stages and performances that should have come with a Parental Advisory sticker attached. People from all over came to the sold out show. Many arrived early and stayed until the very end. Gates opened Saturday at 11am with World Gone taking the Ernie Ball stage at 11:15. Digital Summer opened up the West stage and both gave solid performances and did a great job preparing the growing crowd for the rock music that was to come.

Bands such as Rev Theory, Middle Class Rut and Silvertung gave energizing performances as well as Adelita’s Way, Chiodos, Evergreen Terrace and We As Human. Bands Smile Empty Soul and Alterbridge kept the energy going in the afternoon. Vinnie Paul’s band, Hell Yeah put on a solid performance on the West stage. Later Chevelle, Memphis May Fire and Fozzy took turns rockin’ hard. Crowd surfing and mosh pits were a plenty during their sets.

Volbeat took the stage in the early evening and certainly did not disappoint. Fan Chris Stanton described them as “Metallica meets Elvis Presley with a sprinkle of Johnny Cash.”  Their rockabilly sound stood out the most on Saturday as they played favorites “Sad Man Tongue” and “Dead But Rising”. We Came As Romans, A Day to Remember (who replaced Motorhead) and The Cult got the crowd ready for the headliner, Avenged Sevenfold. They played most of their hits such as “Afterlife” and “Bat Country” as well as many songs off their new album Hail to the King. Being in the hot sun all day did not deter the fans one bit. They were just as pumped up in the evening as they were that morning. With Avenged Sevenfold’s set design and pyrotechnics it was very hard not to be excited. Singer M. Shadows acknowledged this and promised he wouldn’t forget Jacksonville. “There’s a reason you guys were voted Most Dedicated fans at the Golden Gods Awards,” he said. They closed out the evening with their song “Unholy Confessions” and a bunch of fireworks that left the crowd chanting for more.

In addition to seeing some pretty stellar performances, fans had a chance to visit the Crazy Dave’s Music Experience. This tent was also bigger than previous years. There fans could enter a variety of different contests, sit and relax on one of the comfy couches or try out some of the instruments on display. Crazy Dave’s also had band meet and greets throughout the day. A new and improved VIP area was added with better views of the stages. Fans with VIP passes still were able to enjoy their free Monster Energy drinks.

Sunday opened up with bands Within Reason and Ghost of Wars. The Pretty Reckless performance delighted the crowd with songs “Make Me Wanna Die”, “Heaven Knows” and “I’m Going to Hell”. Crowd favorite Twelve Foot Ninja also gave an amazing performance.  Hard core band Butcher Babies’ performance was not for the weak of heart. They were one of the many reasons why this festival was not suitable for children! Seether performed their hit songs “Fake It” and “Country Song”. The crowd went crazy when they ended their set with “Remedy”.

As the sun started to set that afternoon, Aaron Lewis and Staind mellowed things a bit. They performed songs such as “Not Again” and “It’s Been Awhile”. They also played a new song “For You”. Then Motionless In White brought the energy back up with their entertaining performance. Their make up and stage presence alone made for a great show. The crowd also went nuts when Five Finger Death Punch took the stage. The mosh pit seemed to be the craziest during their set. Songs “Burn It Down” and “The Bleeding” were the crowd’s favorites. They also performed their popular cover of “Bad Company”.

Rob Zombie kept the energy going on the East stage performing classics “Living Dead Girl” and “Never Gonna Stop”.  His mic stands were topped with some gargoyles that looked like they came right out of his horror movies. The eerie lighting and the band’s make up added to this effect. Fans held up a big sign that simply said “Zombie” to show their support. Rob Zombie also seemed to enjoy himself. He interacted with the crowd more than any of the other singers.  The headliner for Sunday’s show was Korn. This was their

second headlining Rockville. They performed their hits “Falling Away From Me” and “Freak on a Leash”. The crowd definitely did not want the night to end.

X1029 promised that this year’s Rockville was going to blow everyone away and they weren’t lying. The festival was a huge success with a variety of different bands and a lot different things to do. It will be hard to beat the lineup they had this year. If the upcoming shows are anything like the show this weekend, Jacksonville’s Welcome to Rockville is sure to become the biggest rock festival in the South East.time headlining Rockville. They performed their hits “Falling Away From Me” and “Freak on a Leash”. The crowd definitely did not want the night to end.

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