Monster Energy Presents Welcome to Rockville 2018

Jacksonville, FL

Words: Scott Keller

Photography: Canonblue Lalley

Welcome to Rockville 2018
The Fan Experience
JACKSONVILLE, FL- For its eighth year running, Welcome to Rockville once again delivered a top notch experience for everything rock and metal, and continues to be a prime destination for festival goers from across southeast and beyond. 
    2018's lineup couldn't get much bigger. Headlining acts included heavy metal frontrunners Avenged Sevenfold, everybody's favorite rockers Foo Fighters, and the iconic Ozzy Osbourne leading a bill of more than fifty bands. Fans flocked to the grounds of Metropolitan Park and Everbank Field by the thousands to be greeted by a festival that was bigger, better and more streamlined than ever before. 
    This year's event rocked some serious changes from previous years: most notably the extension into three days from two, changes to the stage layout, and the addition of campgrounds. My party was thrilled by the camping, and opted to pitch a tent for the weekend. The clean, secure grounds were within walking distance of the festival entrance. Staying basically on-site, surrounded by our fellow concertgoers in a fun environment made for a more complete, immersive weekend and allowed us to skip the inevitable traffic that goes along with these events, and all for a rate that ended up being considerably less than a four day hotel room. If you're the outdoorsy type, I would highly recommend looking into it.
    Whereas previous years featured more stages in two days, this year had only three stages with the acts more evenly spread across the three days. The Monster main stage was situated in the parking lot of Everbank Field, with the second Metropolitan stage just across the overpass in the park, and the smaller River Stage was near the water at the cozy far end of the park near some shade trees. Timeslots were staggered so that bouncing between the stages to catch our favorite acts and grab refreshments along the way was an easier task than ever before. Gone were the days of strategically choosing who to see and who to miss while making multiple long hikes throughout the day.
    The ease of access to the festival allowed us more time to do what we really went there to do: enjoy some music and check out the scenery. We fueled up on some complimentary energy drinks and caught a nice view of the main stage from the elevated Monster Energy drink platform as others took in the aerial view from atop Rockville's ever present ferris wheel. The VIP and lounge areas were cozy and shaded, some offering viewing screens so patrons wouldn't miss the action on stage. Whether you managed to get close to the stage or not, the music was loud and not to be missed.
Festival highlights:

 

    The weekend was full of consistently killer performances, and any rock fan could get the feeling that this was what it was all about: established headliners, rock legends, and up and coming acts all sharing a weekend together with tens of thousands of die hard fans.
     The late addition of Stone Temple Pilots to the lineup was welcome and particularly exciting. Coast Observer last caught up with them for a Biloxi date with late singer Chester Bennington, and this performance marked the first time most everyone in attendance saw the band with their new frontman Jeff Gutt. It was definitely enjoyable, definitely STP, and it seemed to this writer and the fans around me that they have a good thing going on for 2018 and beyond. 
    Avatar delivered a striking, theatrical performance with their twisted, groovy, intricate blend of metal. The band has been growing in popularity with American audiences in recent years, and stated that they made the trip over from Sweden specifically for Rockville. Their set early in the day on the Monster stage was a definite treat and got everyone's blood pumping for the rest of the day's festivities. I predict that their name will be appearing in larger fonts on festival and tour flyers in the coming years, so if you aren't already on that train, get on it now.
    Ozzy Osbourne's headlining set was an absolute treat. Although he states he isn't actually retiring, the Prince of Darkness is embarking on his last tour, making his appearance at Rockville that much more momentous. Even fifty years into his career, there were many first timers to witness the spectacle as he and his band fronted by recently reunited guitar hero Zakk Wylde blasted through decades of rock and metal classics, even mixing in some Black Sabbath as Zakk jammed with the audience on the grounds.
 

   We caught up briefly with Texas Hippie Coalition after their Friday set and chatted about groovy bass lines, Led Zeppelin, and how the mid day heat on stage doesn't faze a bunch of guys from Texas. Welcome to Rockville marked the band's first main stage appearance at a major festival, and they seemed right at home up there as they delivered their rowdy southern metal jams such as "Turn It Up" and "Pissed Off and Mad About It" to the highly receptive headbangers in attendance, all with a dose of friendly southern charm. It seems they are moving up in the rock world. The band's latest album, Dark Side of Black, dropped in 2016 and their sixth album is to come. While there are no south Mississippi or New Orleans area dates on their current tour schedule, it is only a matter of time before they come back around our home region, so keep an eye out.
    Among the various wonderful shops, art displays and information booths near the middle of the grounds, the nonprofit To Write Love On Her Arms were spreading their positive message and carrying out their mission to help those who are struggling with depression, addiction, self injury and suicide. Event rep Chad Moses filled me in a bit on the organization's ongoing ties to the concert world.
"We are 12 years old now. Since the very beginning, music has been at the heart of what we do. We want to go where people show up... we want to go where people feel most alive. Music is a magical thing. It reminds us that there are things in life worth singing about, things in life worth screaming about and dancing about, and certainly we're sharing with each other... everyone deserves to have an audience." 
I couldn't agree more. Visit twloha.com for more information or to get involved.
    
    The festival ended with a magical two hour set from Foo Fighters. As someone who has seen too many concerts to count, including Foo Fighters previously, they delivered an absolutely killer show full of life and energy that ranks as one of the best I have seen, including a few unexpected medleys and guest appearances from Billy Idol and, seemingly out of nowhere, John Travolta. It was two hours that reinforced not only Foo Fighters' long coming status as rock icons, but also Rockville's ability to consistently stay among the best of the best in American music festivals.
Fan input:
  

 We always encourage our South Mississippi readers to make the well-worth-it drive to Jacksonville for the epic weekend that is Rockville, and a few of them shared their experiences with us on this year's event. 
Coast native Shane Baughmann witnessed what must have been quite a spectacle during Baroness' set as a couple got married, crowd surfed and threw a bouquet as the band played their wedding song. Kimmy Landry, Observer photographer Canonblue Lalley, Nick Smith and Troy Stovall were all returning attendees and were also fond of the festival's new layout and the ease of catching more bands with less travel, and also ranked Ozzy, Andrew W.K., Thrice and Clutch as some of their standout performances of the weekend.
    "My folks and I stayed at the campsite which was phenomenal," added Alexis Votto from Texas. "The food and bar were great, security patrolled and took excellent care of the patrons and we were given ample space to set up a good site. The distance from the park was a huge help too."
    
Keep an eye out for news about next year's Welcome to Rockville and join in for an unforgettable weekend of live music. We hope to see you there.

    Did you attend? Let us know your favorite moments at @coastobserver and @coastobserverlive
Scott Keller