2014 Rockstar Mayhem Recap

So where do we begin with this festival we call Rockstar Energy Mayhem?

We can start with a 12pm arrival time.  That seems like the best place.  Already a lineup of about 100+ was formed outside the gates with an hour left to go before opening time.  Eager young fans along with parentals (or guardians) flocked the gates for some of the opening acts they were familiar with.  Also some die hard fans looking to get a front row spot for their favourite act.  Being that we were waiting for additional people to our party (and also looking into press passes), we did not end up inside the venue till closer to 1:45pm.  Seems like a long time to be waiting outside but I was out of luck obtaining a pass through the normal channels of this festival.  Thankfully, I have some friends on the inside who were generous enough to hand over a pass to me.  Then the fun begins...

Missing the performances of both Erimha and Islander, I caught the final few tracks of Upon A Burning Body and made myself a little sweet spot to shoot for Darkest Hour.  Just in case anyone was wondering, my press pass didn't come in till later in the day so I slapped on my 70-300mm zoom lens and caught some spectacular shots whilst moving through the crowds (and avoiding the circle pits).  After a great set from Texas Hippie Coalition and a funny ass speech from front man Richard "Big Dad Ritch" Anderson about smoking grass, Darkest Hour (seen above) kicked off their set with a new track "Wasteland" and set things off right!  Mushroomhead followed shortly after and really turned things up a notch with their unique stage show and outfits (see below).

Keeping the day going, we moved over to the Victory Stage for the first time that day to catch Ill Nino (seen below).  The first and only time catching these guys was in London, ON in 2005 so this was a long time coming.  You want to know the shitty thing about their set?  It wasn't the band at all...it was the sound!  Seriously, I like to think I've been to enough shows to gauge sound levels.  I am not sure what the sound guy was doing but it definitely forced me to walk away from their set after only two songs!  The levels were pushed WAY too loud and when your ringing in your ear turns to a buzz/vibration it's time to walk away.  Hopefully I'll be able to catch them another time with some better sound.

We managed to catch the last song of Veil of Maya, but I wasn't in a position to take any shots without risking my lenses getting damaged (it was a rough crowd).  Being that we wanted to ensure a good spot for Body Count, we hung out near the Sumerian Stage and attempted to watch other bands on the Coldcock Stage from a distance.  Cabin fever sets in and I have the urge to grab a few snaps of Miss May I as they were tearing up their set!

This is when I got the call from my buddy letting me know he has my press pass.  Scooting through the crowd, I managed to get to the front gate of the stage where my pass was waiting for me.  I left the guys from my crew in their front row spot, explained to them the situation, and bounced to the Coldock Stage just in time for one hell of a set from Suicide Silence.  Seriously, these guys were energetic, passionate and had something to prove to this crowd of potential naysayers (being they have a new singer now).

They were probably one of the favourite bands to photograph because of reasons above.  They just wanted people to get into the music and head bang along with them.  This set the stage quite nicely for the HUGE crowd waiting for BODY COUNT!  They were a very sought out band for most photographers and even had multiple musicians hanging around for a chance to check them out.  One of the best moments happened to be when Ice-T brought his dog to the stage.  Somehow, they dog got off the leash and started making it's way into the crowd.  This prompted my buddy Shaun to jump into action and try and grab the dog before it went missing.  Ice-T's wife Coco Austin was right behind him going after the dog.  Long story short, they got him back on the leash and back on stage.  No harm no foul.  And what a set to follow.

"My name is Ice 'Mutha Fuckin' T Bitch!"

That pretty much rounded out the day for moi.  The remainder of the performances from Trivium, Asking Alexandria, Korn, and Avenged Sevenfold were indeed main stage worthy.  My friends and I were located in the 400 section (aka a little further back) of the venue since the lawn seats were automatically upgraded.  I guess this was a lack of sales for the back seats of the venue.  Either way, worked out well for us as we got closer to the stage.  So the basic rule of thumb is three songs for photos.  I spent the evening jumping between the photo pit and my seat in the 400s to have another beer and rock out with my buddies.  Even I have moments of being a total fan and headbanging!

(Trivium)

(Trivium)

(Asking Alexandria)

(Asking Alexandria)

(Korn)

(Korn)

(Avenged Sevenfold)

(Avenged Sevenfold)

So all in all, the festival was a great success and everyone I attended the concert with had an experience to take home with them.  Art and Jason got front row for Body Count's ENTIRE set, Luis and Victor managed to get onto the floor when Korn hit the stage, Geoff was planted at the side of the stage for Suicide Silence, and I ended up getting my press pass.  Looking forward to the 2015 edition!