Carolina Rebellion

Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC

May 4 & 5, 2013

The 2013 Carolina Rebellion promised to be the best in the festival’s three year existance. With Headliners Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, and nearly thirty other bands spanning virtually every hard rock and metal subgenre, there was something for every rock fan. Unfortunately, the weather would derail the concert before the weekend was over.

Saturday was a great day for a music festival. Overcast and temps in the upper 60s, fans were primed for a show. Bands alternated all day between the two main stages, the Carolina Stage and the Rebellion Stage, and a third smaller stage, the Jagermeister Stage. As with many festivals, some of the best performances could be found on the smaller stage. Atlanta’s MonstrO brought their sludgy psychedic riffs to a hungry crowd early in the day. Disturbed’s David Draiman also premiered his new side project Device on the Jager stage. Draiman actually seemed pleased to be playing on the smaller stage closer to the fans than on the headlining stage to which he is accustomed. Always the performer, Draiman still gave the crowd of hundreds a stadium performance. A highlight for fans was Lzzy Hale joining Device on stage for their rendition of the 1988 Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford hit “Close My Eyes Forever.”

Unlike many shows, fans came out en masse early. In this Moment vocalist Maria Brink’s macabre sexuality and theatrics rousted the audience into a frenzy early in the day. Halestorm’s energetic performance was also a fan favorite as crowds sang along to hits like “Freak Like Me.” During Papa Roach’s set, frontman Jacoby Shaddixx crowd surfed with the fans. Radio favorites Three Days Grace brought the pyrotechniques and the return of the rap/rock act Limp Bizkit was the headline act of the Rebellion Stage. As daylight began to wane, the Deftones took the stage and raised the intensity level of the crowd as the mosh pits began to take form. The evening concluded with Alice in Chains thrilling the crowd with material from all of their albums. Frontman William Duvall and guitarist Jerry Cantrell led the thousands in singing along to not only the classic AIC songs, but new songs as well. Fans left the venue satisfied with the day’s performances.

Sunday’s show would unfold in sharp contrast to Saturday. A steady drizzle all morning was causing water to accumulate on the stage and a slight wind was blowing it into the bands’ gear. The day began on a bad note with the first act, Nonpoint, failing to take the stage. Schedules were changed and updated on the Carolina Rebellion Facebook page, but no announcements were made, or even an announcement to check the Facebook page. This created confusion among the fans. With set times being moved up earlier, many people were rushing from one stage to another when a band they wanted to see would start playing an hour or more before the original scheduled time. A quick announcement or an update on the video screens could have avoided this confusion. Fans remained undeterred, however, despite rescheduling, falling temperatures, and intermittent rain. The grounds were covered in wood chips hundreds of feet out from the front of each stage which prevented standing water, but increasing waiting times between acts forced fans to occupy themselves with activities such as mud wrestling. Volbeat also cancelled their set, but Pop Evil, Hollywood Undead, Steel Panther, Sevendust, and Buckcherry played despite the rain. Pop Evil and Buckcherry endured the heaviest rain of the day, but delivered great sets nonetheless. Sevendust offered a particularly inspired performance, perhaps the best of the day. As Buckcherry finished their set about 6:40, fans gathered at the Carolina Stage waiting for Rise Against. The band’s gear was covered and removed from the stage as stagehands worked tirelessly with squeegees and leaf blowers to dry the stage. After about thirty minutes in the photo pit, all photographers were instructed to wait backstage in the media tent until further notice. Rumors ran rampant among fans, security, media, and event staff as to which bands were going to play. Alcohol sales were also suspended by this time. Band managers and event coordinators regularly checked the condition of the stages. Rain continued to fall, but was never heavy and there was no lightning. Finally, around 8:15 officials took the stage and announced that due to unpredictable and inclement weather the rest of the concert was cancelled. Patrons were told to hold on to their tickets as announcements would be made within days.

Carolina Rebellion issued a statement Tuesday, May 7th, further explaining that their choice to cancel the concert was made in regard to the safety of patrons, bands, and event staff. (read full statement here: carolinarebellion.com). The consolation offered is a free pass to the Sunday show in 2014 or a refund in the amount of 20% of the ticket value. The free pass is reasonable given bands’ touring schedules, it would be nearly impossible to book all three or even two of the headliners for a makeup show anytime soon. Of course, my perception of that offer is likely to change based on next year’s lineup. The cash back offer, however, is weak at best. Considering five of the fifteen bands were unable to play (that’s 33%, not 20%) and three of them were the headliners, 50% of the base price would have been a much more honest gesture. Fans are unlikely to fill out the necessary forms for ten dollars. The intent of AEG Live is obviously to get fans back inside the gates next year.

The major issue is why was an outdoor concert billed as “Rain or Shine” unable to address what was at worst steady drizzle? Rain was predicted the entire week prior to the show. They should have been prepared for it. The main stages were very high and covered on top, but open on the back and both sides, therefore offering little to no shelter. Prior to the cancellation, Carolina Rebellion appeared to be a very organized event. The area surrounding the Carolina Speedway is designed to handle large crowds. The event staff was courteous and professional, especially in handling crowd surfers coming over the barricades at the front of the stage. Prices were typically high for festivals, but concessions and facilities were abundant and wait times for both were mostly nonexistent. All this was overshadowed by the poor planning to address the most important issue of a music festival –having the bands play music. Fans continue to post complaints on their Facebook page. Time will tell if Carolina Rebellion is able to remedy their staging issues and if fans support the festival next year.

Carolina Rebellion Gallery

This review was originally posted on tamagazine.com