It’s all metal and it goes on all day.
Bring it on.
For the 7th consecutive year, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival has come back to Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, IN. This year, it’s another great blend of some of the biggest acts in the metal world past and present. While bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Korn will headline the Main Stage, other acts like Body Count featuring Ice-T, Cannibal Corpse, Emmure, Ill Nino, and a slew of others will all be performing on the second stage, better known as the Festival Stages.
The Main Stage is all well and fun, but it’s the Festival Stages where things can really get out of control. They’re smaller, more intimate settings; they’re right next to each other; and there are no seats, replicating an experience that you might get at your typical metal club. So for this afternoon, it’s time to headbang to my heart’s delight, marvel at the circle pits, avoid crowd surfers and discarded shoes that are being thrown around, listen to some great metal, and show A Day To Remember that 2nd certainly does not suck.
I arrive at 12:30, but the gates don’t officially open until 1:00. Already, there’s a massive line full of eager metalheads – some of which look like they’ve already gotten the party started. At the top of the hour, cheers erupt from the front of the line. They file in and make their way into the festival area (the Main Stage was closed off until later in the afternoon), where they can visit various merchandise tents from all the bands, and even a few others that you see at every festival show. Some people buy their official tour shirts or head to the bar for a beer. Others head to one of the three festival stages (Sumerian Records, Coldcock American Herbal Whiskey, and Victory Records) to stake out the best spot to see some of their favorite bands.
Me? I head off to press to do a few interviews we were able to set up (coming soon to concART.net). As a result, I missed about the first hour of music.
Then, as I wrapped up my second one of the day, I find myself with a little time on my hands. Upon A Burning Body is about to go on, so I make my way out of press and (try to) navigate through the crowd to the stages. It’s a task that’s easier said than done, as some of the lines from the merchandise tents caused some inconvenient congestion for foot traffic. No one really pushes through. Everyone is respectful, though there are a few that fake having to vomit so they can try to get on the fast track through everyone (it doesn’t really work).
Maybe some Drano was needed to get through that, but eventually I make my way to the Sumerian Stage, where Upon A Burning Body has already started. Since I arrived late, and also because all three festival stages are side-by-side-by-side, I’m relegated towards the back of the crowd next to the Rockstar Energy Drink tent (where people could get free Rockstar if they please). There were a few attempts to move closer, none of which were successful. Especially after UABB called for a circle pit, but we’ll get to that.
I’ve seen these guys a few times now. Actually, I think the last time I saw them was here the last time they were on Mayhem. I’m a fan of what they bring to every show, so naturally when I see that I had a few moments before my next interview, I have to go check them out.
Now if you’ve never seen UABB before, they’re a deathcore band from Texas known for bringing chaos and, well, Mayhem to every place they go. From the back, it’s a little hard to see how into it everyone gets, but there are a few stray crowd surfers to be seen. Perhaps one of the biggest moments came when they called for a circle pit around the tent where the sound guy was. Surprisingly, fans kept it going throughout the entire song. They looked a little tired by the end, having run around in a circle the entire time while also trying to push people forward to keep it going, but impressively it was constant. There were even a few sing along moments with “Texas Blood Money.” The set ends with one last circle pit to “Sin City” before they bid us adieu. Overall, this is the proverbial adrenaline shot I need to get through the rest of the afternoon.
Much like I found out at the Warped Tour, having a set in the afternoon is ideal. Everyone is good and warmed up, some have had a few drinks and are feeling good, and they all look ready to go by the time Mushroomhead takes the Coldcock Stage.
Unfortunately, I have to make it back to press for my next interview. So it’s back to trying to navigate through the masses (and maybe also debating buying one of those tour shirts…). For the record, the congestion is only a minor inconvenience. We all eventually get to where we need to go.
Talking with Islander was cool, and once again I have time to spare. Miss May I is about to go on the Coldcock Stage, so let’s go check them out.
The last time I saw these guys, it was on the Warped Tour. The downside? It was at the end of the day when most kids are dehydrated and tired and the last thing they want to do is mosh around. Today is a new day (and a different tour), and we’re still at a point where we’re just getting started. So let’s see what happens this time around.
Again, I’m stuck in the back, and after learning the hard way why you should never try to get closer to the front like during The Devil Wears Prada last fall, I’ll just stay here. Maybe I can catch a few glimpses of the band.
Now, onto the performance itself. Mayhem is known for having a diverse selection of metal bands, and Miss May I falls under a category I hold near and dear to my heart: the metalcore genre. That’s right, this performance features all of the throaty and clean vocals, chugging guitars, breakdowns, and blast beats you can fit into a 30-minute set, and Miss May I certainly delivers that. Not all performances sound perfect, but they do a great job in making what they do look almost effortless. I don’t know if they’re used to playing to crowds like this, but they seem to have a pretty good grasp on everything. We even get another circle pit around this stage’s sound tent. It’s another enjoyable performance for a group of people that were way more energetic than the last one I saw them at. Besides, what’s a metal show without a little “Relentless Chaos?”
Once again, it’s back to press to finish up the last of my interviews. Actually, we were able to get the two remaining ones done early. On the downside, I won’t get to spend any more time in press today. The plus side? I can go see Body Count on the Sumerian Stage.
Almost universally amongst those in press, Body Count was the one band that everyone did want to see. Even me, a person who doesn’t typically listen to rap, is excited at the prospect of seeing Ice-T perform.
As I get back there (several songs into their set), almost everyone else feels the same way. The crowd for Body Count is among one of the largest I saw at any Festival Stage today. Some may not have been entirely energetic (some people look like they’re starting to tire out), but people definitely came to see these guys.
Of course, Ice-T recognizes this and urges everyone to move around in the only way that he can (can’t repeat it. Some language is on the NSFW side…). Hey, when a rap legend tells you to do something, you do it. For their set, “Uncle Ice” takes a few moments to give a few words of wisdom (namely what happens when you “talk s@#t”), as well as performing one of their most famous and controversial songs in their catalog, “Cop Killer.” Some may not agree with blending thrash and hip-hop, but I think the crowd here speaks for itself.
Almost immediately after they wrap up, the legendary Cannibal Corpse takes the Coldcock Stage. For those who have never seen them, they’re relentless, a little vulgar, as brutal as anything, and they’re the perfect way to close out the Festival Stages. I may not be a huge fan of their line of work, but there’s something kind of awesome about seeing frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher windmill headbang his way through almost every song. At one point, he challenges people in the crowd to a headbanging contest (spoiler alert: we all lost).
Visually, Cannibal Corpse isn’t anything like the extravagant, over-the-top show that we’ll see later tonight with Avenged Sevenfold, but what they lack in theatrics they more than make up for with expert musicianship and focusing on what’s really important here, which is keeping everything as metal as possible. It’s not pretty, it’s not mainstream, and it’s not even particularly nice (Fisher seems almost like a pro wrestling heel hurling insults at people, but we all still love him for it). Meanwhile, there’s plenty of crowdsurfing and a few mosh pits have broken out amongst those who stuck around, and the band wouldn’t have it any other way.
I would’ve loved to stay and see if they actually played my favorite song of their (“Hammer Smashed Face”), but the Main Stage is calling me, and since my seat is in the lawn, I might as well try to find the best spot to watch from.
Closing thoughts on the Festival Stages:
As a fan, I love the big crowds that the Main Stage brings, but honestly, there’s nothing more metal than cramming as many people as possible into one area and seeing everyone just go crazy. It’s like a night at the metal clubs if it were outdoors and the Metal Mulisha was doing jumps and trucks just outside. I may not have seen as much of the Festival Stages as I would’ve liked to, but what I did end up seeing was a diverse mix of great metal.
Now, what does the Main Stage have for me this time?