Review: Rockfest

Photos by Allison Long/The Star

The obligatory beach balls omnipresent at all outdoor rock concerts seemed bitterly ironic at Saturday's Rockfest.  Steady rain transformed last year's edition of Rockfest into an infamously horrific "Mudfest."  The grounds of Penn Valley Park remained dry Saturday, but the approximately 55,000 people who attended might remember the event as "Frigidfest"

An overcast sky, unseasonably low temperatures and a chilly wind kept revelers shivering during the 12-hour event.   A second consecutive year of inclement weather didn't prevent festival organizers from running the festival with admirable efficiency.  Staggered set times on two stages allowed fans to catch the majority of performances by all 15 bands.  Evalyn Awake, one of two Kansas City-area bands featured Saturday, even kicked off the festival a couple minutes ahead of schedule.  

Zakk Wylde 

The supplemental video screens that allowed fans far from the main stage to track the action complemented the headlining performance of Disturbed.  With its emphasis on stunning theatrical effects, Disturbed is like an apocalyptic version of Kiss.  Disturbed's pyrotechnics, the adult film stars that were introduced between acts, the lascivious exchange of Mardi Gras beads and the steady stream of profanity issued by performers and emcees might be seen as symbols of bloated excess.  A significant portion of the crowd at the so-called "biggest one-day music festival in America" were clearly dedicated to celebrating the occasion.

"I see 55,000 people ready to go to jail tonight," Corey Taylor of Stone Sour observed.  

Yet outside of a handful of isolated incidents instigated by short-tempered troublemakers, the event was peaceful.  The Jimi Hendrix-style version of the national anthemperformed by Zakk Wylde instigated patriotic fervor as the main stage opened.  

Austin Winkler of Hinder

Based on the reaction of fans, Hinder was the day's most successful act.  Party-oriented songs like "All American Nightmare" and "Get Stoned" were ideally suited for the Rockfest mindset.  Papa Roach, a band that seems to have studied Gary Glitter's stadium anthem "Rock and Roll" very carefully, fared well with a similar approach.  Battered by blustery winds and dismissed by party-minded revelers, the more complex music of Sevendust and 10 Years didn't translate nearly as well.

Crossfade attracted a second-stage audience so large and tightly-packed that crowd surfers' rides to the stage sometimes lasted well over a minute.  Kansas City's Red Line Chemistry also held its own.  Brett Ditgen's vocal work compared favorably to the efforts of acclaimed singers Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge and Lajon Witherspoon of Sevenust.

Red Line Chemistry received a reception worthy of hometown heroes, but Saturday's heartiest cheers weren't evoked by music.  Spontaneous applause greeted a brief appearance by the sun.  For 15 glorious minutes late Saturday afternoon, the massive crowd basked in its warmth.  

Comments

[BigPatty77]

Anyone know why Black Label Society only played 30 minutes?

[Steve J]

It's a radio show....they come and go quick.

[Lauren K]

no related to this post - but your link to Aversion.com is no longer working. well the link works but the site is down/no more. =)

[BigPatty77]

In the past the 2nd stage headliner has played an hour or more.

[Green]

55,000 attend and only a couple comments on here, whats with that?

[gsp]

literacy rate

[Billy Hill]

illeracy rate?? huh???
wht u talkn bout???
i was theres &I reeds & rites jus fine???
so whut u meen?
ahhhh fk et ima jus gunna kik yer azz