Fictional Festival Series: Hard Rock/Metal Festival 1

In this new entry of the Fictional Festival Series, I am introducing a new festival:  a hard rock/metal festival.  For more information about the series in general, please see my introduction post about this series.

This festival is similar to that of a Danny Wimmer Presents festival (the company that does festivals such as Epicenter, Aftershock, Sonic Temple, and others).  I set this festival up similar to Epicenter, where there are 3 days, 4 stages, and 68 acts total (22 on Friday, 23 on Saturday and Sunday).  While the focus is predominately hard rock and metal, there are also 3 rap/hip hop artists on each day, some alternative artists, punk artists, classic rock artists, and more that are similar.  On each day, there is a main headliner that will have a 2-hour set while nobody else is performing, two acts who get a 1-hour set while nobody is performing, one act that gets a 1-hour set while another act is performing for 45 minutes of it, five acts who get 45-minute sets, and the remainder get 30-minute sets.  There are two stages that are the main stages and two stages that are the side stages; while the artists are listed in how big the artists are, there will be bigger artists who are performing on side stages later in the day.

In the interest of space, I did not include the schedule of when each act would perform, but have specified which act gets each the slot outlined above.  I also included some commentary for my selections here.  Enjoy!

  

Friday

Slipknot, Halestorm, and Slash will perform the last 3 sets on the main stage.  The Prodigy would perform the additional hour long set.  The acts performing 45-minute sets are Chevelle, Black Label Society, Jimmy Eat World, Motionless in White, and Amine.  The Main Stage acts are Slipknot, Halestorm, Slash, The Prodigy, Chevelle, Black Label Society, Bad Brains, The Breeders, Bad Wolves, Living Colour, and Reignwolf.

 

Notes:

1. Slipknot is one of the biggest metal bands right now and could realistically be the biggest headliner at any metal festival.  By booking them, you can pretty much guarantee that a massive fanbase that will follow them to these shows.
2. Having Halestorm and Slash as 2 and 3 is kind of like having them as 2A and 2B.  Obviously Slash is a legend, but Halestorm is performing after because they have more known songs than Slash as a solo artist.  Halestorm is a massive name in hard rock on their own.
3. I like the choice of The Prodigy as the 4^th biggest name.  When they were initially booked for Epicenter in 2019, they were the 3^rd name there, but I like them 4^th.  While they aren’t as big as they were in the 90’s when they would headline massive shows, they still do have a big following.  I like them a little more as a stronger 4^th name.  It would be insane to have them lower and have them perform less than an hour.  The big question is how this will look without deceased vocalist Keith Flint, who committed suicide in 2019.
4. This day’s lineup is the deepest of the three days.  While it might not be as top heavy for acts 2 and 3 as the other two days, The Prodigy being the 4^th name listed there is wild, as is going as far as having Living Colour as the 15^th name.  This was not exactly by design other than to spread out the genres on each day.  Realistically it might be beneficial to spread these out a bit more.
5. I think Chevelle is another big name to have where they are.  They consistently have a big following and are likely to sway people into attending to see them.  As for the other artists in the 6-9 range, they aren’t as big as the others mentioned, but all have followings.  Black Label Society has had a consistent following and Jimmy Eat World, Motionless in White, and Amine will draw crowds.
6. At these sorts of festivals, there are typically a few alternative bands or bands that get alternative airplay.  I mentioned that The Prodigy, Chevelle, and Jimmy Eat World were booked, but I also included the Breeders and Living Colour.  Bad Brains are a hardcore punk band and Reignwolf and Dinosaur Pile-Up also are similar stylistically to alternative.
7. The biggest risk on this day is likely Bad Wolves.  Since former vocalist Tommy Vext has departed from the band and has said it was based on political views, I’m not sure how that will impact the band’s popularity or success.  That said, I think it’s worth a shot given how deep this day is.
8. Some of these kinds of festivals don’t have a ton of metal bands and are more geared towards hard rock music.  While I think this is best for a hard rock/metal festival given the popularity of hard rock in comparison, I think it is important to have some notable metal bands.  Napalm Death is a legendary metal band who has a following that will see them.
9. I included 3 hip hop/rap artists on Friday:  Amine, Danny Brown, and Inspectah Deck.  While Amine is probably the most popular of the three, I think Danny Brown is a hidden gem since he has a cult-like following.
10. Some of the earlier acts have followings as well, which is so valuable.  Reignwolf and Cleopatrick are rising in popularity, Dinosaur Pile-Up has a following, Candiria has fans that like them, Sirens & Sailors have their fans, and Emmure found commercial success at different points.

 

Saturday

Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, and Run the Jewels will perform the last 3 sets on the main stage.  Roger Daltrey would perform the additional hour long set.  The acts performing 45-minute sets are Mushroomhead, Royal Blood, Blondie, Circa Survive, and The Wonder Years.  The Main Stage acts are Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, Run the Jewels, Roger Daltrey, Royal Blood, Blondie, Slightly Stoopid, The Struts, Talib Kweli, Fozzy, and Adelitas Way.

 

Notes:

1. Avenged Sevenfold is a band that is so big and can easily headline a hard rock/metal festival.  Booking them to headline one of the days is a massive grab.
2. Lamb of God is the type of band that could be justified to be headlining a day, so having them here along with the other headlining acts might be a bit of a stretch.  Run the Jewels has a massive following and could be justified for being the second biggest name that day, but third biggest is probably more reasonable.  While Daltrey isn’t particularly known for his solo work, people with flock towards him to see a legend.
3. Acts 5-9 on this day aren’t as big as the first 4, but they will work.  Royal Blood is a band that has a big fanbase and a following (despite it being not as large as theirs in the U.K.), Blondie has their supporters, Circa Survive has a devoted following, enough people will be interested in The Wonder Years, and Mushroomhead will absolutely draw a crowd.  The only question is having Slipknot at Mushroomhead in the same festival, but I think their rivalry has tempered enough for them to perform different days.
4. I think having Slightly Stoopid and The Struts is a big grab.  Both have devoted fanbases that they built through touring and live shows, which is essential when these bands aren’t particularly late in the day.
5. Against Me! and Talib Kweli have controversies surrounding them for different reasons and are both strongly political, which might turn some people off of them.  That said, the former has a stronger following and there are enough people that like the latter in the world of hip hop to make this potentially worthwhile.  That said, Kweli was recently banned from multiple social media accounts (this selection to include him was made prior to that), so it’s worth keeping an eye on if his reputation or popularity takes a hit for that.
6. This day has some metal bands that are enticing.  In addition to including bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, and Mushroomhead, My Dying Bride is an important band in the development of death-doom and After the Burial is a progressive metal/metalcore band with a strong following.  I think both are amazing choices.  While it makes sense to have some metal bands on the main stages, I had them more on side stages because at most of these festivals there is a V.I.P. section somewhere near the main stages but none that are prominent on the side stages; this means easier in providing more room for crowd surfing and mosh pits.
7. I also think Fozzy and Adelitas Way are good selections for this.  The latter isn’t in their prime right now, but they still get some radio play on hard rock radio.  Fozzy has some popularity and is also a band that is fronted by pro wrestler Chris Jericho, which will likely draw attention, and has also found rock radio success.
8. Most of the smaller bands are metal bands on here (Stray from the Path, Wretched, Dr. Acula, and Tears of Blood), which is something that just kind of worked out that way.  There is also Buck-O-Nine, a bit of a wacky ska punk band which could be fun on the same day as Slightly Stoopid, and Killy, a rapper who is big in Canada but hasn’t had quite the same following in the U.S.
9. This day really has a wacky combination of acts, but I think it will work.  The combination of Mushroomhead, Slightly Stoopid, The Struts, Against Me!, Talib Kweli, My Dying Bride, Fozzy, Stray from the Path, Buck-O-Nine, and Killy will probably be a bunch to handle, but I think several of these artists will be enough to at least entice people to see them.

 

Sunday

System of a Down, Volbeat, and Bring Me the Horizon will perform the last 3 sets on the main stage.  Anthrax would perform the additional hour long set.  The acts performing 45-minute sets are Dead Kennedys, Tom Morello, Tech N9ne, Amon Amarth, and Reliant K.  The Main Stage acts are System of a Down, Volbeat, Bring Me the Horizon, Anthrax, Dead Kennedys, Tech N9ne, Bad Company, Highly Suspect, Rival Sons, The Darkness, Twiztid, and The Hu.

 

Notes:

1. Look, any opportunity you have to book System of a Down is one you must take if you have the money to.  They are one of the biggest bands in the world and don’t tour/perform a ton, so getting them is huge.
2. I think Volbeat and Bring Me the Horizon are both good selections here.  Realistically, I would want them somewhere between 2 and 3, so I think having Volbeat as 2A and BMTH as 2B will work.  While neither of them have the album sales in the U.S. that might suggest they are big enough for this, they both have massive followings.
3. Dead Kennedys have such a big following that it would be reasonable to make them the 4^th biggest band of the day, but Anthrax is a legendary band with a strong following as well and it makes so much sense to put them in that slot.  Dead Kennedys is probably the most popular of the bands that would have a 45-minute set.
4. Slots 6-9 are a weird combination of artists here, but I think they would work.  Tom Morello will draw a massive crowd due to his guitar skill and (more likely) since he is in Rage Against the Machine.  Amon Amarth is one of the bigger melodic death metal bands right now and are insane, so you can count on people seeing them.  Relient K is a band that has a following among Christian listeners, but also has a secular fanbase amongst emo and pop punk fans; while not in their prime, I think they’re popular enough to include here.  Tech N9ne has a following among both hip hop fans and rock fans, so I think he’s just the rapper to include here.
5. I had a little bit of a situation that many festivals have to deal with where an act has to be replaced for some reason.  Originally, I had DMX here instead of Tech N9ne, another artist who found success among rock fans while being well-regarded in rap.  That said, since DMX passed away (R.I.P.), I thought Tech N9ne would be a solid choice to fill the slot.  That said, the truth is that anytime an artist passes away prior to a festival, it isn’t a case of replacing them since there is no replacing them, but more of filling the slot; that was what it felt in that case.
6. I think Bad Company a brilliant choice for where they are.  Classic rock bands can definitely draw crowds, especially when they have some hits.  I also think that The Darkness is in a similar boat; although they reached their initial popularity in the 2000’s, they have a similar kind of style and sound to artists of the 80’s (kind of like how The Struts do, who were booked for Saturday).  There will be people who will attend earlier to see both.
7. Sometimes at these kinds of festivals, the way to go with bands that aren’t headliners are to book some alternative or hard rock bands that have found some success, and either are passed their prime or not entering their prime.  I think Highly Suspect and Rival Sons are two that might not be in their prime quite yet.  The HU is another that is early on in their career; they might be able to be later, but I really don’t know just how popular they are and if Covid impacted them.
8. Of course, it isn’t a festival without having some puzzling decisions.  While Twiztid might seem like a selection that appears more like a choice of a bargain bin version of Insane Clown Posse, I’d rather Twiztid if this is treated as a first festival considering there is a sect of Juggalos that are incredibly violent.  The HU is another band that will raise some eyebrows considering their eclectic folk metal music.  Immortal Technique hasn’t released music recently, but is a respected rapper; what makes him a strange choice there is that he typically doesn’t perform his most famous song, “Dance with the Devil” at live shows.  Pair that with Possessed, a metal band who is well-regarded but has found no commercial success, and Story of the Year, a post-hardcore band with a short prime but still has a fan base, and that’s what I call a festival.
9. I think the last 5 acts are interesting but good choices.  In particular, Jinjer is a rapidly rising in metal circles, Cherry Glazerr is on the rise, Brutus is slowly making a name for themselves, Author & Punisher has fans in part due to his strange style of music, and Courage My Love might have some fans attend early to see them.  An interesting coincidence one here:  each of the last four acts are fronted by at least one female.  That was sheer coincidence, though I do think it is good to have female artists or groups with females in them at hard rock and metal festivals since these genres have historically been associated with men instead.

 

Overall

1. Look, this festival is unlikely to happen.  Booking Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, and System of a Down is absurd enough on its own.  Lamb of God, Slash, Halestorm, The Prodigy, Roger Daltrey, Chevelle, Run the Jewels, Volbeat, Anthrax, Dead Kennedys, and Bring Me the Horizon added to that?  Fat chance of getting everyone.
2. I do think it is a lineup that is deep and incorporates several genres.  My one regret with this lineup is that I wish I had incorporated more metal acts into it; I feel like this lineup has more of a hard rock focus.  While hard rock/metal festivals do tend to have more of a hard rock focus, I do like giving metal bands a bigger spotlight as well.

 

What do you think about this lineup?  Any artists that really catch your eye?  Let me know in the comments!