If the Welcome To Rockville 2024 festival is to be remembered for anything – other than effectively boasting the largest attendance of any US music festival thus far – it will be for doing so despite weather conditions comparable to a 4-day sauna session.
But in what could be dubbed an act of mercy from nature itself, the final day of this grand event would see a jarring change in fortunes insofar as the weather was concerned, with temperatures settling down to the low 70s and an overcast sky giving the masses below a needed reprieve from the glare of the burning sun.
Concurrent to this much-needed change in fortunes would be a roster of bands befitting the conclusion of this grand occasion, running the gamut of modern stylings and presenting a balanced blend of melody and raw intensity.
In the early moments of the 4th chapter of this sonic novella upon 5 different stages, the tone would be set on a forceful and virtuosic note with the solo band of shred extraordinaire and long-term Alice Cooper touring guitarist Nita Strauss. Just fresh off her recent marriage to drummer and manager Josh Villalta, who would deliver a towering performance from behind the kit, she looked nothing short of spellbinding while leaving an impression in the ears and skulls of an impressive crowd draw on her Welcome To Rockville performance debut.
Kicking off her abridged set with a duo of solo-drenched instrumental entries in "Summer Storm" and "Mariana Trench" respectively, her wild riffing and signature head-banging routine with a slightly shorter mane would subsequently be joined by touring vocalist Kasey Karlsen, tasked with the daunting prospect of emulating the studio performances of such noted names as Alissa White-Gluz and David Draiman. Suffice it to say, she pulled it off with an impressive vocal registry display of dueling clean wails and brutal growls that made entries off Strauss' latest album The Call Of The Void like "The Wolf You Feed" and "Dead Inside" shine all the brighter, though Nita's tech-charged solos would remain the primary fixture of a blazing opening set.
The feminine contingent would continue to rock the masses mercilessly with the subsequent arrival of the hard-rocking quartet and recent sensation Plush, sporting a less complex but equally formidable approach to revving things up in the early hours of this final day of festivities. Between the hard-hitting, bottom-heavy riff work put forth by guitarist/vocalist Moriah Formica and lead guitarist Bella Perron, the beautiful yet forceful presence of the former's voice, and the stead grooves laid down by bassist Ashley Suppa and drummer Faith Powell, the synchronicity of sound that was established bore an uncanny resemblance to the studio versions of six original entries included on their abridged set.
The energy that came along with their animated stage performance did nothing to rob from the heaviness of each anthem, with familiar staples like "Athena" and "Hate" trading blows with newer entries from their Find The Beautiful EP "Run" and "Left Behind". The crowd response was consistently enthusiastic, though as usual, it hit its apex when this outfit's signature rendition of Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box" hit the open air.
Early 2000s nostalgia would take the reins courtesy of Dallas, Texas nu-metal icons Drowning Pool, hitting the festival amid their Snafu Le Tour 2024 tour. To most casual listeners, expectations might have seemed a bit low given this outfit's shifting commercial fortunes since their breakout 2001 showing at Ozzfest and the subsequent success of their smash debut album Sinner, due in no small part to the ever-shifting array of lead vocalists to come and go since the tragic passing of Dave Williams. But with late 2000s shouter Ryan McCombs recently back at the microphone and a string of impressive shows already under their belt this year, this quartet brought the fury with the best of them, their ringer rendition of opening foray and first album title song "Sinner" blowing away all doubt of this band's staying power.
McCombs took the entire set in stride as he ditched his baseball cap and proceeded to move about and to engage the audience in masterful form, bringing the whole thing to the head by rushing out into the audience during their closing entry and smash hit "Bodies", the ending moment as he re-entered the stage to the rest of the band's crescendo and giving the following send off "The music starts with you and ends with you. Every day, every show, you make this happen. Thank you!" being one for the ages.
Continuing the trend of bands that broke out at the turn of the millennium, San Diego-born nu-metal icons P.O.D. were the next to fill the open air with sound and fury. Having the distinction of being the only band there to be introduced by Sirius XM and Liquid Metal Ambassador Jose Mangin, who called them "hermanos" and remarked upon their decades-long friendship, they came out of the gate swinging and won the hour with a pummeling performance of "Drop", the first single off their latest album Veritas; a song featuring none other than Lamb Of God's own Randy Blythe in its studio version, though Sonny Sandoval would be going it alone on this performance.
Indeed, while the rest of the band seemed content to mind their instruments while keeping their movements minimal, Sandoval's animated presence alone provided the necessary adrenaline on stage to match the completely crazy reaction coming from the first few rows of the crowd. Classic anthems like "Boom" and "Southtown" would justify the off-the-hook atmosphere that had been established, though true to its iconic status, this outfit's signature radio and MTV hit "Alive" would end their 6-song set on a truly colossal note.
The proverbial clock would be turned back further to the rocking days of late 80s nostalgia courtesy of ex-Skid Row helmsman turned solo artist Sebastian Bach, and the passage of time had done nothing to blunt his abilities at the microphone. "I'm very thankful for the last 35 years of music…some of you weren't even born 35 years ago" he would tell the crowd just after his poignant and expressive rendition of "18 And Life".
"We only have 35 minutes to play for you, so I'm not gonna fuck around. Let me take you back to 1991", Bach added further when launching into a blistering performance of "Monkey Business", augmented with a brief jam of Rush's "Tom Sawyer". His band's lineup had a makeover from his recent outing at the Summer Breeze Brazil 2024 festival, with only the same bassist in tow but sporting a mane that was half shorter from the one that was just barely off the ground, but the same fire and intensity that had been brought back then was equally present as they blazed through Skid Row classics like "Slave To The Grind", "I Remember You" and "Youth Gone Wild". Topping off the occasion, Sebastian would bring his mother on stage decked out in textbook cowgirl attire to wish her a happy Mother's Day to the cheers of the crowd below.
Semi-local metalcore powerhouse from Ocala, Florida, and frequent festival fixture Wage War would bring the roar back to a modern flavor, sporting a longer share of time and a more elaborate stage set than much of those that preceded them. In a similar fashion and with a comparable roster of songs to their formidable showing at 2023's Inkcarceration festival, they pummeled the crowd with their signature blend of punch riffs and melodic luster, spearheaded by Briton Bond's guttural shouts and guitarist Cody Quistand's soaring melodic wail.
Every free-standing member of the fold stomped and jumped about with reckless abandon as they cycled through banger entries like "Low", "Godspeed" and "Circle The Drain", and even marked the occasion by trotting out a new anthem in "Tombstone" off their upcoming album Stigma, which was greeted with a comparably frenetic response from the audience. The added employment of pyrotechnics and smoke cannons underscored the explosive nature of this 10-song excursion, and the overcast skies would provide the dimness to make every visual aspect stand out all the more.
Canadian-born hard-rocking post-grunge veterans Theory Of A Deadman, often known by their abbreviated monikers Theory of T.O.A.D., would bring more of an old-school bluesy swagger into the festivities. The attitude, accessibility, and overall melodic charm of each song were greeted with a bouncy, enthused response from all in attendance; led along by the husky swagger of guitarist/vocalist Tyler Connolly's smoky yarling baritone, which was most instantly recognized for its uncanny resemblance to classic rock icons like Bad Company's own David Howe and The Cult's Ian Astbury.
They would open with a high-riding rendition of "Dinosaur", the title entry off their latest album to thunderous cheers, cycling through a set of similarly styled mid-paced rockers like "Bitch Came Back", "Lowlife" and a climactic final blowout featuring their signature hit "Bad Girlfriend". No crowd-surfing would be observed, though the brand of rock they were packing didn't call for it, but the level of elation coming from the crowd suggested similar levels of intensity.
The rock pendulum would swing back comfortably into the metalcore contingent with British-born trailblazers Architects hitting the stage. With the sun having poked through the clouds to provide a level of illumination closer to what had transpired in the day's prior, lead vocalist Sam Carter joked "We are from the United Kingdom and we haven't seen the sun like it is here in 5 years!" The corresponding stage setup that would be the focal point of what would go down consisted of a massive riser across the whole stage with stairs on each side, adorned with two massive LED screens, one in the front of the riser from the edge of the floor, with another bigger one behind it.
The band would fully exploit this elaborate set as they frolicked about and laid down 9 punchy and melodic anthems from their arsenal, with touring guitarist Ryan Burnett and bassist Alex Dean frequently shifting between their primary instruments and two keyboard stations sitting at each side of the riser. It was a fine piece of visual art to amplify a showing of largely by-the-numbers metalcore with entries like "Black Lungs", "Royal Beggers" and the performance closer "Animals" being the highlights.
With the light in the sky beginning to fade and the masses revved up by what had already come to pass, industrial metal pioneers and groove/thrash titans Fear Factory sought to claim the festival for the metal contingent. Featuring their recently acquired replacement to longtime front-man Burton C. Bell, namely Dead Channel vocalist Milo Silvestro, the youngster brought a youthful exuberance to this outfit's high-octane brand of brutality, palpable in the energy that he exuded on stage, exemplified by his leaping from the small platform at center stage on several occasions, putting several feet of air between him and the ground.
The mechanized assault that ensued over their 10-song set was nothing short of merciless; Cazares' rapid-fire riffing cut through a sea of industrial ambience like The Terminator through a street punk's chest cavity. Butcher Babies bassist Ricky Bonazza would be filling in for Tony Campos and they'd be rocking the smallest of the 5 stages, but this veteran fold would still garner a humongous crowd as they cycled through sonic assaults like "Powershifter", "Slave Labor" and the iconic "Replica".
The metalcore side of the coin would strike back with California-born and 2000s scene favorites Atreyu, and they'd bring an even more distinctive melodic flavor to the equation than their similarly styled predecessors. It was straight to the business of getting the crowd moving and singing along for this 10-song set, with Brandon Saller leading the audience along as he shouted and sang his way through one infectious banger after the next. Stage presence was at a maximum from all quarters, as bassist/long-beard toting Marc McKnight and guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel were in constant motion and helping to work the crowd while drummer Kyle Rosa exaggerated his movements to a comparable degree from behind the kit.
The stage show was no less impressive, as a sea of stage lights danced about the air and the ever-moving members of the band. Fun-filled performances of "Becoming The Bull", "Right Side Of The Bed" and "Gone" rounded out the high points of a consistently off-the-hook showing, leaving little doubt that a good chorus hook can truly make or break a show.
The visual factor would hit its peak for the day, with the onslaught that would be brought by Cincinnati-born turned Hollywood-based hard rock mainstays Black Veil Brides. Still riding high off the success of their latest studio album The Phantom Tomorrow and a string of recently and very well-received singles hinting at a looming successor LP, they'd up the ante from previous festival appearances with a massive stage setup, replete with elaborate lighting and pyrotechnics.
Smoke filled the stage amid the dancing light show as guitars Jinxx and Jake Pitts proceeded to explore every crevice of the stage, while bassist Lonny Eagleton provided support vocals and even flirted with becoming a secondary frontman as Andy Biersack filled the air and the ears of every attendee with his highly charismatic voice and presence. It was the exception to catch any individual among the multitudes who didn't know every single lyric and was dutifully singing along, and several kids were seen riding the shoulders of their parents and having an absolute blast. There were no slouches to be found amid their grueling 11-song set, though one couldn't help but note an even higher level of enthusiasm greeting the performances of "Wake Up", "The Legacy" and the closing beast of an anthem "In The End".
With the night sky now a consistent black with clouds obscuring the starlight, the headliner to break the darkness with a sea of sound would be Canadian pop-punk titans Sum 41. But mere minutes before they hit the stage, fans had a rare and unique opportunity: a glimpse of a SpaceX rocket launch from nearby Cape Canaveral as it lit up the sky while ascending behind the Vortex Stage.
Sporting a more eclectic and technically savvy take on the punk genre than many of their 90s forerunners that would include some noteworthy older rock and metal influences, Sum 41 were primed for this distinction and wasted no word in serving up a fitting climax to this final day of music in Daytona Beach, Florida. The overflowing river of souls below would become a sea of raised fists/horns and moving bodies, with voices often being raised so loud during key melodic hooks that it often obscured the performance on stage.
Vocalist Deryck Whibley would embody all of the attributes of a committed frontman, frequently hyping up the audience as he freely moved about the stage, flanked by expert guitar work courtesy of Dave Baksh and Tom Thacker, who were about as mobile throughout the set. 10 original cuts would blast their way into the air, with the specific performances of "Motivation", "Underclass Hero" and the original breakout hit from the early 2000s "Fat Lip" ruling the proverbial roost. But the true spirit of their performance could be summed up in the adrenaline-steeped rendition of Queen's "We Will Rock You" that occurred a little past the halfway point of the performance, underscoring what this outfit and the entire festival was all about.
When all was said and done, the Welcome To Rockville 2024 festival was another massive success at every turn – an effectively broke attendance records with over 200,000 fans hitting the Daytona Expressway grounds – with this final day's lone distinction being that it was the only one were the thousands upon thousands of rock-starved attendees didn't have to battle heat exhaustion to express their love for the bands they witnessed.
One might chalk it up to the rock gods granting a day of peace following three days of total war that found them finally claiming the final citadel in some grand struggle, and none, nay, not even this humble reporter would be one to take these more favorable conditions for granted.
It remains to be seen how 2025's Welcome To Rockville will manage to top the numbers and experiences that were dished out this time around, but as sure as all involved were able to soldier through the challenges that came with this round – and the staff working the event did their all to assist in keeping things safe and fun – we have no doubt whatsoever that a way to achieve that is sure to be found, as it has happened year after year since the festival inception.
