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- October 9, 2021
Kicking off day two of the Aftershock Festival, fans began to pour into Discovery Park at noon, in anticipations of the bands to come. The day was packed with up-and-comers, and seasoned professionals that rocked us to our cores and inspired fans to push onward throughout the day and late into the night. Here are some of the highlights of the day that came upon us like wildfire.
Crobot was dressed to the nines and provided a performance onstage with a series of props straight from the classical fantasy stories. A sword was plunged into a stone, and a massive dragon took center stage with eyes that preyed hungrily upon the members of the crowd and breathed out clouds of fog.
Des Rocs played next on the Jack Daniel’s stage. As soon as he made his appearance and opened his mouth to sing, the crowd came in close and began to grow. Danny worked the crowd and made them his own, amping up the energy and inspiring cheer. The audience sang to the words and danced to the infectious melodies that poured out… and from within, he released an old soul that had been pent up in isolation to the brink of insanity.
It’s been a f***ed up couple of years. I want you to take all that pain and let it out.
~ Des Rocs
The crowd continued to grow, sharing their excitement as the performance expanded into a series of wild guitar solos and improvisations of sound. Now that his full energy was unleashed, it wasn’t going to be stilled so easily.
The crowd stood packed together tightly on the KOLAS stage, where Pop Evil rocked with their fans, united together. Working the audience like practiced champions, the band led a strong and practiced performance as everyone who showed in their support sang along to every word.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Outcasts. Freaks… We are AVATAR…All the way here from a foreign country, here to corrupt your youth and lead them down a bad path.
~ AVATAR
Rehearsed perfectly, AVATAR took the Jack Daniel’s stage as the audience hollered in glee. Wild and free, the vocalist grinned wildly, twitching and taking on the role of the crazed character he played. Bringing a fantastical show of freaks and fantasy to Sacramento, the band performed with a heavy set of vocals and fans shared their support by coating themselves in face paint to match and color coordinate with the band.
The two piece band hailing from Canada, cleopatrick shared a performance of their brand new album, BUMMER. Fans went wild as their greatest hits were played on the guitar and drums. This rock duo, Luke and Ian, worked the crowd with an intimate twist. Melancholy lyrics poured in with a series of heavy beats curated the ultimate performance that released the pent up energy from within.
“We are taking the Coors Light stage. Let’s make it the Coors…heavy…stage… You feel me!”
Luke, the vocalist and guitarist of the rock duo, pushed the guitar pedals at his feet to their limits as the effects he created echoed in our ears. Keep these two on your radar, because they are only just getting started as they take up the whole stage with their infectious energy and pour in all the angst and growing pains of following their wildest dreams.
Skillet played songs new and old, all where dedicated fans pressed in close and raised their fists to sing along to every word. Filled with pyrotechnics and platforms, John overwhelmed the ears with his practiced bass guitar as Korey and the rhythm guitarist harmonized with the vocals. Jen Ledger took the drums and backup vocals.
I don’t care who you are who you believe in or who you vote for but music brings us all together. It’s good to be back.
~ Skillet
Dropkick Murphys offered their classic Celtic punk hits as fans packed the park to witness and sing along. They’ve returned strong and with a bigger crowd than the last Aftershock showing, too.
Seether joined the stage with a fired up energy that emanated throughout the crowd. The Delta breeze began to pour in as they performed. Melodic and practiced, their poetic lyrics conveyed the beautiful stories that pulled the crowd into listening to every word with anticipation and excitement.
And concluding the night, Metallica showcased the first night of two with an experience unlike any other. No matter how far away or close to the stage you were, each member of the audience was pulled in to experience the band who’ve inspired future music legends and changed the way we listen to rock music today. Melodic guitar riffs electrified the ears as the band played with an ease as if they were merely breathing. You can feel the heat of the pyrotechnics from the back of the crowd as the lead vocalist took up the whole stage. Back of the stage was filled with screens depicting world war memorials, old western cowboys from Clint Eastwood films, people trying to break free from coffins, and much more, that added to the experience all the more.
It’s good to be here…doing what we do. And it’s good to have you here.
~ Metallica
Day two of Aftershock was indeed packed, but there is still much more to come. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the Aftershock Festival.
