It’s always a joy to return to Discovery Park in Sacramento, under the highway, for a brand-new year of watching the best of Rock and Roll. For the first day of Aftershock 2025, we were soaked in nostalgia and mud. An unexpected rain downpour in the morning before gates opened did not dissuade anyone from coming to see their favorite bands. We saw some bands that remind us of being young again, and some bands that made us feel young again with how much we moshed and thrashed. Let’s break down a few of the acts that we enjoyed.
For one of the earliest sets in this packed weekend, thrown‘s crowd was big and boisterous. One does not usually expect to see circle pits and crowd surfing at 1:00 on Thursday, but this group brought that energy. With growling screams and punchy hard guitar, their vocalist Marcus goaded on the crowd surfers, “you love to see it!”
The stage presence and energy of Atlanta Georgia’s Attila was something else entirely. Vocalist Chris “Fronz” was a wild animal, pacing across the stage, spitting, sticking out his tongue, making insane faces at the crowd. At one point, he received a bra from a fan and proudly swung it over his head before hanging it on a mic stand. To everyone there who hadn’t seen them perform before, he told them “Welcome to the f**king family, there are no f**king rules!” And he made it clear they were there to have good time, nothing else mattered. For their last song, Fronz commanded a massive wall of death that involved nearly the entire crowd.
Powerful punchy guitar and grinding screams made Chelsea Grin an adrenaline-fueled set to witness. They didn’t demand it, but multiple mosh pits sprung up organically from the crowd with a life of their own. Eventually they combined into one ginormous organism of flying elbows and knees. This band may be from Utah, but they felt right at home with this Aftershock crowd.
The resurgence of the great All-American Rejects is something worth catching if you have a remote chance to do so… since going viral for throwing intimate house shows just like in the early days of their career, they’ve kickstarted a movement unlike anything seen before.
Regarding their performance, fans drew in close and were packed all the way to the trees in excitement of witnessing the band. Graphics displayed showcased versions of their music videos in the 00s. It wasn’t hard to sing along to their music. Many in the audience knew every word.
I love this community because you people are nice, and you care about one another. I’m sure some of you have spit on each other, but hey man, s#*t happens!
Introducing blink-182 was Bruce Buffer, the UFC announcer, giving a comical fight entrance to each member of the band. And that energy was kept throughout the night. Between playing every hit known to man, Mark and Tom quipped and bantered with each other like an old married couple. Tom moaned into this mic, and remarked on his many “titties” he saw at the festival today. Mark called Sacramento “Testicle-mento.” All this made for a light and fun, nostalgia-filled end to the first night of Aftershock.
What a great way to start an already packed weekend of music. We can’t wait to see what Friday will bring. Stay tuned!
Leave a comment