Despite Rain, Korn Brings Action at Welcome to Rockville (Day One)
Welcome To Rockville, Metropolitan Park, Jacksonville, FL, USA, May 3rd – 5th
by John Sorrentino
This year, Welcome to Rockville came back to Jacksonville for its ninth iteration. On day one, there was a solid crowd of probably 35,000 people, who were there to see headliners Korn, Evanescence, and Chevelle. In addition to the bands playing, there were a lot of vendors for craft beer and wine (sponsored respectively by Cigar City Brewing from Tampa, FL, and Cadecus Wine, owned by Tool and A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan), as well as for cigarillos, charities, and art installations. A good assortment of food trucks from around the state was also assembled, which ensured everyone had something that fit their taste.
The first band I was able to catch was Light the Torch. This is the new band for former Killswitch Engage singer Howard Jones, and they sound a lot like that era of KSE. It was an electric set that really got the day started right, which went on despite the start of a rain shower that dampened the crowd, no pun intended. The highlight of their set was playing their biggest hit Calm Before the Storm in the middle of a downpour. They will be a band to keep an eye on in the future.
After Light the Torch, I made it a point to catch Columbus, Ohio natives Beartooth, who have had a good amount of success over the past few years and developed a cult following in the punk and metal scenes. Lead singer and band founder Caleb Shomo, formerly of Attack Attack, was able to use his years of experience to control the crowd and whip it into a frenzy while playing both old favorites and brand-new material. They had the first major pits of the day, which were the highlight of the set in my opinion, especially during their 2016 hit song Aggressive.
Shortly after, I made it to the main stage to catch guitar god Tom Morello playing a solo show. Morello is the legendary former guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, but is also touring on his debut solo album from last year, The Atlas Underground. While playing some of his newer songs to promote his work, he knew that the majority of the crowd would be much more interested in his songs with those two bands, and showed that off while playing a medley of each band. This was capped off with a spine-chilling moment of him playing the Audioslave classic Like a Stone, with vocals from the late Chris Cornell playing over him.
Once Morello finished his set with a rousing rendition of Rage Against the Machine classic Killing In The Name, it was back over to the main stage to catch metal titans Killswitch Engage. Unfortunately, they were only able to get through a few songs before a thunderstorm forced them to go off early. However, they brought a lot of energy and heat to their set before that, even while playing in the rain. The band has a lot of rough recent history with the fest after they had to bow out last year due to medical issues with original frontman Jesse Leach, but for the short length of their set, they were a welcome sight back on stage.
The weather delay that happened during KSE forced the remaining bands to be pushed back later in the night, as well as a few shortened sets, but fortunately, the show was able to go on after an hour and a half break. The first band to come on after the delay was Irish legends Flogging Molly, who brought a rousing party and circular “pits” of people doing the traditional Irish jig dancing to their music. One of the first songs they played was Drunken Lullabies, which roused the crowd back up to the energy level they had before the delay, and from then on, the party was back on for the rest of the night. Despite coming on in a really tough spot, they had one of the best performances of the day, which showed what ultimate entertainers they truly are.
Back over at the second stage, the first band after the break was The Crystal Method, an EDM duo featuring live vocals. They brought a rave environment to Rockville, with fun visuals as well as drums and singing, which are rarely seen with modern EDM artists. While they played a good amount of their own stuff, the highlight of their set was when they played tribute to late Prodigy leader Keith Flint, whose untimely death led to The Crystal Method performing at Rockville as a fill in for them.
Once TCM was done, the third band from the top of the bill came on, the legendary alt-rock trio Chevelle. During a 45-minute set, they covered a lot of their old material, as well as a new song that has yet to be released. They were fun and brought a lot of energy for a three-man band, which led to a fun crowd experience. The best moment of the set was when they played a rousing rendition of Face to the Floor, which was truly electrifying and a good moment after the events earlier in the day.
Immediately after, the co-headliners were up to close the second stage, Evanescence. Lead singer Amy Lee is the only original member, but having her on stage made for a very solid show, as her impeccable vocals are even better live than on any album. Rocking a dress inspired by the Nintendo Switch (which Amy actually addressed), Amy brought the crowd to life with a lot of their older hits and was able to switch tempos with ease, including bringing out a piano for multiple songs. They ended their set with their immortal song Bring Me To Life, which really brought the energy and left the crowd wanting more.
After quite a few bands, and the weather decided to make a surprise appearance, it was finally time for the headliner to come on: nu-metal originators Korn. Despite a few behind-the-scenes issues with almost every member of the band in recent years, nothing was slowing down singer Jonathan Davis and company from the opening beat on. Unfortunately, they had a slightly shortened set, but still brought out mosh pits and pure energy for an hour, turning the pavement at Rockville into a full-on metal party. One of the best moments from their main set was when Davis brought out his set of bagpipes for the band’s performance of Shoots and Ladders, which gave a really unique sound to the band. They had an interesting idea to their set, but it actually worked out well: they went into their encore after only thirty minutes, while still playing a full hour. This lengthy encore had the highlight of their set: a couple of huge mosh pits opened up during their performance of their classic Blind. That song was my first ever pit years ago, so to be able to go back in and enter it with more experience was a real treat.
All in all, day one was a good day. Despite the weather, all scheduled bands were still able to go on, and they brought the energy required for a full metal party. Welcome to Rockville has officially started, and with it, the 2019 festival season from Danny Wimmer Presents.
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