Since 2011, the rock gods have kicked off the annual festival season in Jacksonville, Florida, home to the wildly popular Welcome To Rockville.
Every year Danny Wimmer and company look to build upon the previous years success. Longer festivals, more vendors, options upon more options, and most importantly can they outdo the previous years lineup.
The 2019 edition of Welcome To Rockville checked all these boxes and a whole lot more. On paper the festival always looks amazing; however, what can’t be controlled is Mother Nature and her finicky temperament. Over the years, Rockvillians have survived the elements and forged their way through heat waves, sideways rain and even a tornado.
Massive kudos to this year’s event planners, security, and staff to make the
best of some less than favorable conditions. Mother Nature sandwiched poor weather conditions on Friday and Sunday around a gorgeous Saturday. Friday saw concertgoers evacuated from the venue to their cars for safety as storms passed through and Sunday’s door times were pushed back from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Special thanks to Jacksonville city officials for working with DWP to extend curfew times and minimize the number of bands that were affected by the weather delays.
Long standing festival vendor, ZIPPO, introduced the ZIPPO Sessions hosted by Sirius XM’s Jose Mangin. Fans that purchased a Zippo lighter were invited to a private acoustic set by a surprise band that was playing on a particular day.
The surprise guest list consisted of bands such as Beartooth, Fever 333, Badflower, Dirty Honey, Wilson, SHVPES, and Grandson. It was an intriguing dynamic that showcased a different look for some of the higher octane bands that would typically be found jumping about the stage delivering their message of loud in your face music to thousands of faithful fans.
Festival organizers have always done a great job introducing rock and metal fans to up-and-coming bands by creating a forum to introduce themselves in a live setting to a large audience. Metal fans prefer to make their decisions on newer bands not by what they here on the radio but by what the band brings in the realm of the live experience.
The weekend’s highlights included vintage Korn with Jonathan Davis braking out the bagpipes, Amy Lee’s stellar vocals, multiple severe weather delays, an in your face set by powerhouse Meshuggah, Zakk Wylde being well Zakk Wylde, a ZIPPO Session that included Fever 333 performing their first acoustic set ever, and Tool performing not one but two new songs.
Fans also enjoyed vendors such as Monster Energy that offered a free beverage. Fuck Cancer raffled off a pair of autographed guitars and The Boilermaker offered a chance to taste Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey and Enter Night Pilsner.
Regardless of the pesky weather conditions, Rockvillians, young and old, enjoyed another Rockville experience. What is to come in 2020? It’s never to early to start planning. Thanks Welcome To Rockville!!
Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) is one of the largest independent producers of destination rock music festivals in America and produces events including Louder Than Life, Monster Energy Aftershock, Welcome to Rockville, Bourbon & Beyond, Sonic Temple, Epicenter and more.
