Closing Aftershock Fest is always such sweet sorrow. But we could not have chosen better friends and groups to spend the time with. For the fourth and final day, we’re highlighting some old friends of ours and a couple new ones that we know we’ll be seeing more of in the future.
Here are our top acts of the day…
Point North came out swinging early on in the day. With just vocals, a guitar, and drums, they wove extremely catchy upbeat melodies. Jon gave his all with inspiring sonorous vocals, punctuated by a couple emotionally charged throaty screams. For their recent hit Below The Belt, they surprised the crowd with guest vocals from Cody Carson, of Set it Off, who features on that track. Check out the single they just dropped last week, WORLD {vs} PEACE.
Oxymorrons stand on the pinnacle between the worlds of rap and rock and shine a bright light on both genres. Their music has catchy bars, infectious beats, and guitar riffs that make you move. Their dual vocalists switch effortlessly between rap flows and classic rock vocals.
Just three years ago we saw them perform at Aftershock as the very first band on the smallest stage. Today, they’ve performed on the main stage here to a crowd that obviously knew and loved their music. Check out our upcoming video interview with the boys of Oxymorrons.
Slothrust is a 3-piece group from Boston with a big sound for their size. Jazzy jamming guitar, a fun bouncing beat from bass and drums, and intimate soulful vocals. They also played their innovative and unique covers of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time and Ginuwine’s Pony, perhaps better than the originals.
Nothing More has entered a new era, not only in their music, but also in their performances. Jonny Hawkins, who normally would come out shirtless, covered in red and black paint, instead came out covered in gold and black paint. Their whole kit was dowsed in gold and black. And their music matched the aesthetic, with dark powerful guitar, and Jonny’s golden angelic vocals. They were joined on stage by David Draiman from Disturbed for their collaboration, Angel Song. Jonny told us, “We’ve been graced by a legend.” And then teased their upcoming tour with Disturbed.
The seasoned Aftershock veterans, Skillet, consistently know how to deliver an outstanding performance. They showcase some of the best theatrics of the weekend, also one of the most iconic music catalogues of the era. The throngs of fans crashed like the sea upon the stage to see them play their mega-hits, “Hero,” “Monster,” “Awake and Alive,” and even some brand-new music that they have coming out November 1st, an album called Revolution.
They love going the extra mile for these shows, using elevated platforms for the guitarist, a live cello playing for Awake and Alive, and John brought out a pair of arm attachments that shot smoke out into the crowd. Another thing that we see at every Skillet show is a heartfelt message for their fans. John remarked that “we come together at Aftershock, and for a few days, we live like we should be, just like this. We come together because music makes us feel better.”
With that, our weekend at Discovery Park is over, and we have the blisters and sunburns to prove it. But we will be back next year, just as excited to do it all over again. Thank you, Aftershock 2024!
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