An impressive first...

Story and photos by Damien Brezinski

A seismic event occurred on Saturday, May 7th (at least in North Carolina) at the Metrolina Expo in Charlotte. No, it was not an earthquake, but quite a different force of nature; the 1st Annual Carolina Rebellion. An estimated 30,000 faithful filled the large expo center on this warm sunny day. Judging from the hundreds who camped outside the show (which sold out six weeks in advance) just to listen to the music, it is clear that this lineup would have sold out any venue in the Carolinas. And what a lineup it was!

Headliners Godsmack and Avenged Sevenfold closed out the 12 hour event, but from top to bottom, this was the strongest lineup organized in the Carolinas. "We wanted to make a strong showing" said Joe Litvag, director of AEG Live Events and producer of the event "this was our first showing in the Carolinas." Other than Godsmack and Avenged Sevenfold and sixteen other bands, Three Days Grace, Seether, Theory of a Deadman, Stone Sour, Bullet for my Valentine, Alter Bridge, Skillet, Hinder, Saving Abel, Halestorm, My Darkest Days, Cavo, Rev Theory, Black Stone Cherry, Pop Evil, Art of Dying and Drop D the sets went off like clockwork. Thanks to the twin main stages, The Carolina Stage and The Rebellion Stage and a smaller secondary stage sponsored by Jagermeister. When asked about the amazing fifty dollar price tag for 18 bands, Joe Litvag responded "it is important to give people value in this economy."

From the beginning, the bands involved went all out for this event. My Darkest Days opened the main stage with a blistering set, highlighted by their new single "Every Lie" and "Pornstar Dancing." "We treat every show like we were the headliners" said MDD lead guitarist Sal Costa "we have no other speed but all out." This was followed by impressive sets by Cavo and Saving Abel. Both Art of Dying and Pop Evil then lit up the smaller Jagermeister Stage. The secondary stage's small, club-like vibe allowed for more crowd interaction and energy. "We loved the Jager Stage!" exclaimed Pop Evil singer Leigh Kakaty "This was our first crack at a show in the Carolinas, and boy that crowd was stoked!" Equally blistering performances by Black Stone Cherry and Rev Theory made the Jager Stage well worth the trek to its backlot location.

...And then came another force of nature...Halestorm! Led by frontwoman Lzzy Hale, this outfit from Red Lion, Pennsylvania came out like a band on a mission. Tearing their way through a mind-blowing set which showcased their self-titled debut album and recent release, Reanimation - The Covers , this band slayed the capacity audience. Led by Lzzy's searing vocals and her brother Arejay's ferocious drumming, this was the most impressive from start to finish. "We felt like this was a breakthrough show for us" observed Lzzy after the set "we took that Carolina crowd energy that we were feeling and just went for it." My advice - beg, borrow or steal a ticket to see Halestorm in the club setting. This time next year they will be filling arenas!

The middle of the lineup clearly came to play. Hinder played a monster set and brought out the crazy in the now filled expo center. Lead singer, Austin Winkler, hopped into the audience to enjoy a little crowd surfing and audience interaction. "I had a blast!" said Austin after the set "Hope you got some great shots; this crowd was a special one today!" Skillet wowed the audience with a staging that lifted their string section literally in mid air. Alter Bridge played a note perfect set and Bullet For My Valentine played a crushing, thrash set that sent the mosh pit into a rage. Theory of a Deadman followed and brought their Canadian dry humor and killer songwriting and seemed the perfect foil for Bullet's hard edge. TOAD frontman Tyler Connolly agreed "our humor has really seemed to have come out over the past few months on tour. It is nice to see the crowd come along for the ride - they always seem to get it every time we come around here." Seether then followed with a pounding set of hits, highlighted by "Fake It" and a cover of "Heart Shaped Box." They seemed especially potent as a trio, having recently lost guitarist Troy McLawhorn in March; no loss of steam here. They then wowed the crowd with a blistering version of their hit "Broken"; Lzzy Hale took the stage to share vocal duties with Shaun Morgan - this was clearly the highlight of the festival!

The heaviest riffs were found at the top end of the lineup; first up was Stone Sour. Though well known for their acoustic hits, they took to the stage with a menacing growling energy and punishing riffs as a nod to their Slipknot. Corey Taylor, Slipknot frontman, took the opportunity to flip off the Slipknot purists, much to the delight of the crowd. As the sun went down, this band lit up the stage, both figuratively and literally. Three Days Grace came out and sent the crowd to the next level. Led by charismatic frontman Adam Gontier, this band's manic energy and heavy riffs sent the thirty thousand into a moshing frenzy, with energetic hits like "Riot" and "Break." Their cover of Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" seemed to take the crowd dangerously to the edge. Adam then proceeded to climb to the top of the massive stage set to swing from the video screens while his band jammed away - the crowd went wild!

The lights went down and smoke filled the stage. Out of the mist stepped the legendary Godsmack. In what can only be described as a musical punch to the chest, this band more than lived up to its well earned reputation. Pounding the crowd with monster riffs on songs like "Crying Like a Bitch" and "Love-Hate-Sex-Pain," they sent out a dark, menacing energy that the crowd fed off and gave right back. "I feel so pissed off today" growled Sully Erna as he stalked the stage and punished the crowd with ear piercing feedback. Guitarist Tony Rombola sent out note perfect solos and relied heavily on his wahwah pedal to recreate the many songs that have made this road hardened band so beloved. All members closed out the set with a feedback heavy, grinding version of "Straight Out of Line" that sent the crowd into yet another moshing frenzy. Headliners Avenged Sevenfold came out in their pyro heavy, graveyard themed stage to deliver a memorable close to this exhausted, sun baked crowd with hits like "Bat Country" and "The Beast and the Harlot". Lead singer M Shadows stalked the elaborate set with his shades and backward baseball cap and gave the AX7 faithful an energetic and strikingly visual set.

All in all, it was an amazing start to what appears to be an annual Carolina event. The crowds were generally friendly and polite. The overall vibe was extremely positive. The director of EMS at the venue confirmed that they treated about 125 people at the First Aid tents, mostly for heat exhaustion and dehydration, but that there were no major injuries. The bands were amazed by the Carolina hospitality and crowd energy. If there was any question that rock was moribund, you just needed to look out over that sea of 30,000 strong who filled that venue to prove that this genre of music was alive and well and has found a happy home in the Carolinas.

As for the future of the Carolina Rebellion? I emailed a clearly energized Joe Litvag about the rumors that this might turn into a three day weekend festival next year. While he acknowledged that this had been discussed, his final email paragraph stated "As far as next year goes, it's too soon to tell. We will consider all options in terms of number of days and location in the coming months. We won't rush into any of those types of decisions."