2019 marked the ninth year of Danny Wimmer Presents Welcome to Rockville in Jacksonville, Florida. This year saw a ton of shake ups in the World's Loudest Month festival circuit, but Welcome to Rockville stays consistent in being the hardest rock festival to hit Florida. With the dissolution of Fort Rock in South Florida, fans from all over the state traveled to Metropolitan Park for the three day weekend.
Friday had an impressively stacked lineup that unfortunately fell victim to a cluster of storms off the east coast. Torrential downpours and high winds caused an evacuation during the evening that had concert goers seeking shelter for an hour and a half. Despite the inconvenience, the staff at Rockville had the gates back open as soon as it was safe, and the music getting back on schedule.
Tom Morello may be one of the most influential artists of our generation in the rock scene. While most notably known for his time in Rage Against The Machine, his musical background includes touring with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, while also acting and taking a keen stance as a political activist. While Morello has been touring with Prophets of Rage, we got to experience a solo act performance at Welcome to Rockville. His half hour set included a massive medley of Rage songs including mega hits “Bulls on Parade” and “Guerilla Radio.” The medley ended, however, with “Cochise” and “Like A Stone,” memorializing his time with the late Chris Cornell in Audioslave. Morello invited fans onstage for another massive Rage hit. “Killing in the Name,” which had the energy at an all time high and the fans still in the crowd moshing and screaming along.
I think so matter how long a Killswitch Engage set is, the fans will always be begging for more by the time they walk off the stage. While their Rockville set was short and sweet, the five song set boasted heavy songs that spanned from the 2004 release The End of Heartache to 2016's Incarnate. Though no title or release date has been announced, KSE has been teasing their upcoming eight studio album that is set to release this year. While we have yet to hear any music from it, fans are anxiously awaiting any tidbits of info. The set closed out with “Always” off of Disarm the Descent.
Chevelle is no stranger to the World's Loudest Month circuit, having headlined just a few years back. Though no new releases have come from the band since, the set had fans rocking out all the same. Chevelle is one of the more somber bands that headlines these festivals, giving the fans a chance to cool down and enjoy the music while singing along. You may not find an intense moshpit during the set (they do happen in all fairness, but it's more of a camaraderie softer pit) but you will find fans bent over screaming the lyrics to “The Red” at the top of their lungs. If there's one thing Chevelle is great at, it's making music that resonates with their fans, and putting on a killer live performance to match. The lighting spectacle that pairs with the music is captivating and leaves you feeling like it was Chevelle's show the entire time.
(Chevelle, Killswitch Engage, Tom Morello, Beartooth)