Wow, it’s over. Aftershock has officially come to a close once again, and somehow, the entire weekend flew by. Between running from stage to stage, catching our favorite bands, meeting new people, and taking in everything the festival had to offer, we barely had time to stop and smell the roses. While we gather our brain matter off the floor, we reflect on all the incredible bands we saw, all the interesting people we met, and the unforgettable memories we made. Here we’ll share our top five performances of the weekend.
By far the most theatric, over the top performance of the weekend, My Chemical Romance regaled us with lore for a world unknown to new fans but beloved by those who’ve been there since the beginning. Before the show, the screens showed slogans and rules for a made-up soviet-era country. To begin the show the whole band came out with sharp black military uniforms, pushing the already decapitated dictator of their country. Then, it being the 20th Anniversary of the Black Parade album, played that entire album from beginning to end. In between each song we got another piece of the story, including a high-stakes dice game that somehow involved socks, and decided their new dictator would be the guitarist Ray Toro. Their entire set was a blast, pyro included.
Highly anticipated by the crowd, Paleface Swiss is a metal band from Switzerland. “The neutrality Switzerland is known for globally does not apply to PALEFACE SWISS. They came to destroy” says their bio. They proved it when they brought insane energy and power to the stage. The lead singer exhumed stage presence, and threw in some flying spin kicks for flair. But the performance matched the energy, with impressive screeching vocals and gritty basslines. Spontaneous mosh pits and a massive wall of death told us that the crowd was very much into it as well.
A relatively soft voice for such a rough festival, ivri drew an excited young crowd that quickly proved they were ready to get rowdy. At her request, the audience broke into a circle pit, sending a surprising amount of energy through the crowd as she floated effortlessly over it all with her airy vocals and upbeat pop-rock sound. Despite the chaos, there was a real sense of community in the pit. Kids were looking out for each other and making sure anyone who stumbled was back on their feet. It was a refreshing reminder that even in the middle of one of Aftershock’s more intense moments, the crowd can still come together and take care of one another.
An (almost) hometown play that we’ve been looking forward to, Hail the Sun enjoyed their biggest Sacramento crowd yet. Donovan, lead vocals, was electric. And he was backed up by intense guitar and drum work for their lineup of earworm anthems that had the entire crowd singing back at them. Every song has a message that resonated with the crowd. Whether about personal struggles, relationships, or societal woes, they make you feel those issues deeply. Donovan being such a showman, he took a turn on the drums while still singing, took his shirt off to much fanfare, and rode the barricade to lean against the crowd’s outstretched arms.
Gauging from band t-shirts throughout the weekend, there was one name on everyone’s mind. An Aftershock staple by this point, Tool failed to disappoint yet again. Lead singer Maynard was set back on stage such that less than half the crowd could even see him. No cameras were even on, they just let their music speak for itself, except for the stunning background graphics that hypnotize the audience. Powerful thudding drums and basslines, masterful guitar work, and a resonating voice all pulled together for an ethereal experience that no-one will forget.
The dust has settled. Everyone has gone home. We all had different experiences at Aftershock, so many different bands, so many choices for food, so many experiences. No two people had the same experience. And we have now shared the highlights from our experience this year. And we had a blast! Let us know what your Aftershock experience was like this time. What was your Top 5 of the weekend?