Rock’N Derby 2016: Day 2 –– A Day To Remember cause Paranoia, Halestorm ignites the Fire, & Bear

May 28, 2016

6 min read

Day 2 of the Inaugural Rock'n Derby Festival at Schaghticoke Fairgrounds in the small town of Schaghticoke, NY ignited the fire of pop-punk and rock'n roll fans in attendance most wearing A Day To Remember or Halestorm attire, excited for their headlining performances later in the day. If the music wasn’t enough for you then you could go eat some delicious finger foods, (Pizza, Lemonade, Wings, Fries, etc..) or watch a professional wrestling match or go see demolition derby races featuring Neil Westfall from A Day To Remember. Miss May I launched day 2 on the Derby Stage with an explosive energy filled performance from the fans to band everyone was energized and ready for another full day of rock'n roll music! Many of the bands on today's lineup are bands you would find on Vans Warped Tour or Mayhem Festival with the exception of a few making for a much younger fan base in attendance this day of the 3 day festival. Starting off the Rock'n Stage was Swedish Metal band Avatar, who absolutely got fans blood pumping, got them off their feet and screaming their heavy haunted metal themed music right back at them while putting on what appeared to be a dark haunting circus act. Avatar definitely are one of the more unique bands playing the festival with a sound that defy's some of the metal boundaries with haunting circus themed music behind vocalist Johannes deep twisted haunting vocal range making for a very unique sound to go rather well with their appearance.

The Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage got the day started off with a band thats from New Jersey called Illusionist who caused lots of noise in the stage that filled the large barn that it was in. This stage was then taken over by the almighty Cilver an up and coming female fronted band from New York, NY. Cilver was a band to see in this smaller indoor stage as their front woman Uliana Cilver absolutely slays on vocals and her interactiveness with the fans on the barricade is incredible reaching out to them, flipping them off at times and laughing, sticking out her tongue all while putting on a very energetic uplifting performance while they gear up for their debut album Not the End of the World. Beartooth closing out the Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage, which we’re surprised there was still a Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage left after Beartooth was done with it. The Red Bull Records Signee's destroyed ear drums and bodies flowed to the front for fan-favorites like “Beaten In Lips,” “I Have A Problem” and “The Lines.” As well as performing their newest hit and title track to their new album "Aggressive" which fans seemed to already know all the lyrics to despite it only being out for a few weeks. The dust filling the air in the indoor stage as the entire crowd moshed along with Beartooth, The band feeding off the crowds high energy jumping around and using every single inch of space on stage to move around. While Frontman Caleb Shomo really knows how to get a crowd going and demands their attention and keeps it grasped upon the stage throughout their entire set. Other acts who played the indoor Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage earlier in the day included Heavy Metal Hitters For Today, & Stray From The Path.

On the Rock'n Stage, Old school rock acts like Extreme, Anthrax, and Sebastian Bach and a local band called Experiment 34 performed as well today. Skid Row's frontman Sebastian Bach playing his solo performance with his very unique vocal range slayed the rock'n stage with old school fan favorites of Skid Row fans like "18 and Life," "I Remember You," and "Youth Gone Wild." Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins also had some fun while playing well known rock tunes in his cover band, Chevy Metal. All That Remains also delivered a impactful set towards the beginning of the day beginning their set with one of their latest hits "What If I Was Nothing." The forcefulness of frontman Phil Labonte's vocals pull the fans in along with the energy of their guitarist during a live show. All That Remains is a band that gives everything they got live and are one of the very few that sound better live then they do on their actual albums which many bands cannot do. Over by the Derby Stage was the Demolition Derby which has cars on fire, bumpers flying, cars becoming demolished, and cars smashing into one another and car tires letting loose. Not one dull moment at Rock'n Derby 2016.

Over on the Derby Stage, Memphis May Fire destroyed the stage at 3pm sharp. Playing an 8 song setlist but grasping the attention of all the fans in attendance during that short time they were allotted to play; Playing through hits like "Beneath The Skin," "No Ordinary Love," & "Vices." Memphis May Fire put on a killer set with high energy levels and mosh pits stirring up the dust off the ground and into the air. Matty Mullins voice is one fans thrive to see with him deep dirty screams and his soft clean falsetto's along with the riffs of MMF guitarists, bassist, and the tempo from the drums which makes up Memphis May Fire's unique sound in the Warped Tour scene. We Came As Romans commanding the stage next with their unrelenting impactful set with a beautiful blend of heavy screams from Dave Stephens and clean high notes from Kyle Pavone which makes their energetic sound. Going into the forceful pop-punk band State Champs directly after We Came As Romans and from the second Derek Discanio (vocalist of State Champs) stepped foot on the stage and released the first lyric from their song "Breaking Ground" the crowd turned into a sea of fans surfing their way to the front as beach balls bounced upon them. Playing in their home state of New York it was guaranteed to get crazy for their set, however State Champs have been on top of their genre for quite some time now and only rising higher to the top every time we have seen them from small club tour openers to sold out tours, State Champs is a band to keep on your radar as they have been slaying since the release of their latest album, Around The World And Back. Taking the stage next was masked rap-rock group Hollywood Undead giving a performance that we will not soon forget as they commanded the attention and energy of everyone in attendance and definitely left with hundreds of new fans. Female Fronted Band Halestorm conquering the stage next with Lzzy Hale's fierce vocals, rock'n guitar riffs from Joe Hottinger, Lzzy Hale & Joe Hottinger's bass strums as well as AreJay Hale's serious drumming talents and eye catching performance using every inch of his drum riser to move and jump around even with a injured foot. Halestorm is a show you never want to miss as they have nothing but hits to play as they continue to conquer the radio airwaves with their hits like "Apocalyptic," "Love Bites (So Do I)," "Sick Individual," and slower hits like "I Am the Fire," & "Rock Show." Halestorm's members all have something unique that they bring to the stage that captivates the crowd and grasps their attention throughout the entire set. Not to mention that Lzzy Hale’s vocals have truly become iconic over the past several years and the band’s newest album Into The Wild Life will certainly cement Halestorm a place in rock history. A Day To Remember headlined and threw a mosh party with entering the stage to a burst of colorful confetti and beach balls as the crowd got rowdy for a fan-favorite song "The Downfall Of Us All" which took over the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds covering it in confetti and seas of people crowd surfing even on top of one another. Frontman Jeremy McKinnon really knows how to work a crowd and engaged with fans even the photographer along the front got attention from him whilst he serenaded the fans. A Day To Remember's entire set was energy driven, however their newest single "Paranoia" launched the biggest circle pit of the entire weekend and it made the crowd erupt into insanity from the first chords of Kevin Skaff's guitar intro to the last lyric and final pounding of Alex Shelnutt's SJC Drum kit. Each member of ADTR has something unique to bring to the band and every single member interacted in someway with the bands like above mentioned and Neil Westfall strumming his guitar while making eye contact with a fan or Joshua Woodard flexing to the fans at the end of a song. A Day To Remember was definitely a great decision to end day 2 on the Derby Stage. Never miss an A Day To Remember show even if you don't know their music you will definitely leave a fan cause their sound is incredible and their live show is more then words can explain and breathtaking. Now for the fans to head back to the camp grounds, homes and hotels to rest up for a few hours before tomorrow's heavy hitting rock bands take over the Fairgrounds.