Tool Blows Minds on Day Three of Welcome to Rockville
Welcome To Rockville, Metropolitan Park, Jacksonville, FL, USA, May 3rd – 5th
by John Sorrentino
The third and final day of Welcome to Rockville happened on Cinco de Mayo, and despite an early thunderstorm that delayed the opening of the gates until 3:30, the excitement of the crowd did not dampen. 40,000 people packed into Metropolitan Park, wanting to see a wide variety of bands, but most people were there to see Tool play their first new music in 13 years, which had been announced by the band earlier in the week. Vendors for all kinds of businesses, charities, and food and beer trucks were set up, with the longest lines being for Cadecus Vineyards, which are owned by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. However, most of the vendors were local, and tastes were satisfied for everyone in a variety of fields.
The first band that I caught when I came in was The Struts. A relatively new alt-rock band out of England, I was excited to see them both from their music and their connections. The Struts are from Birmingham, the home of Def Leppard, and have gained the respect of the rock legends. Recently, in an interview before he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Leppard singer Joe Elliot said that he wants The Struts to be the next big arena rock band. If you saw their performance, it was easy to see why. Despite coming on pretty soon after the rain, they were full of energy and were very reminiscent of a 70s rock band, with the glam mixed with a solid rock sound. While they started strong, they ended even better with a rousing rendition of One Night Only played on the piano, and a final singalong with Could Have Been Me.
After The Struts, it was time for the first main stage band of the day for me, The Interrupters. Based out of California, they were the only ska-rock band on the bill, and in a lot of ways sounded like the pioneers of the genre, Sublime. However, they have a female lead singer, which puts their own twist on it. All in all, they put on a very fun 40-minute show with a lot of energy, that definitely brought the party to Jacksonville. One thing I really enjoyed from them was their band introductions, which were filled by a lot of high-quality roasts, and then led into them ending their set with their biggest hit, She’s Kerosene.
The third band of the day for me required me to go over to an area where I had not been all weekend, the third stage. This used to be where the old Jacksonville Amphitheatre was, and required people to climb a steep hill to enter. However, it was worth it to see the heaviest band of the whole festival: Meshuggah. While they aren’t usually my taste, I could definitely appreciate the insane energy from the band, which then radiated into the crowd and caused the biggest mosh pits of the weekend. One really good moment from them was when they performed their biggest hit, Bleed, which was filled with some cool theatrics not usually seen in the heavy metal scene.
Back over to the second stage, it was time for the first of the headliners to appear, none other than nu-metal legends Papa Roach. Interestingly enough, Roach decided to start the set with Last Resort, which is what most people would probably expect them to close with. However, that caused the crowd to jump into the show immediately, which the band fed off of for a rousing set. Overall, it was a very uplifting show as well, but the energy of frontman Jacoby Shaddix led to him having one of the best solo performances of the day. A couple songs into the show, Shaddix was hugged by a fan, which brought him into the crowd. However, he decided to stay there instead of immediately going back on stage, which brought the energy level to 11. This was the first of many great moments from him. Before the band played another one of their biggest hits, Scars, Shaddix gave a very inspirational speech about never giving up, and then afterward led a f*** cancer chant into Born for Greatness. However, the crowd really ended with a riot when they ended the set covering The Prodigy in honor of the late great Keith Flint and played Firestarter.
Right after Papa Roach ended, it was time for the next band on the main stage: Bring Me The Horizon. BMTH has had a very interesting path to success, starting out as a metalcore band and then transitioning to have a lot more pop and EDM elements in their songs, showcased by their latest album, amo. They were by far the youngest headliners of the weekend, but it was easy to see why, as they brought the hammer with their hour-long set. Featuring theatrics, dancers, smoke, and some really cool visuals, they had an electric performance and were all over the stage. One of the few video cameos of the weekend was made during their set as well, as videos of Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth walking in a field of flowers were played during his role in their new hit Wonderful Life, which also included a ton of pyrotechnics on stage. To end off a set with all this craziness on stage, BMTH got the crowd jumping during Throne, which provided a truly memorable final moment for the band.
Next up was the co-headliner and second stage closer for the weekend, alt-rock legends Incubus. While the band had their main heyday in the 1990s and 2000s, they still have a good following today, which was shown by the huge crowds that came out to Gator Bowl Boulevard to see them play. In a set laden with hits, singer Brandon Boyd was able to both provide energy and a laid-back vibe, which made for a relaxing but fun night. Ending their set with Drive, their biggest hit, Boyd was able to get the crowd to sing along the full chorus and provide solid roars with the audience.
Finally, after a whole day of waiting, it was time for the moment most fans were here for Tool. Legends of prog-rock and pioneers of art-rock, the band was excited to unleash their first new songs in over a decade, which were accompanied by a whole new set as well. Maynard James Keenan even “dressed up” for the occasion, changing from the riot gear he had worn live for the past couple years into a black t-shirt, khaki pants, sunglasses, and a rainbow mohawk. One thing that makes Tool unique is their sound. Known for their trippy visuals and lyrics, they use unique sounds and weird tempos to make their songs, showing off technical expertise on every instrument. While their screens and heptagram on the back of the stage started off decently-sized, they grew bigger as the set went on, and were finally maxed out when they dropped their first new song, Descending. Later on, even lasers made an appearance to complete the trippiness of the event, and another new song was played, Invincible. Finally, after a solid 70 minutes, they ended with Stinkfist, which is one of their biggest hits and has been their closer for at least twenty years. However, it took a long time for the crowd to disperse, as they wanted even more from the band, despite them having the longest set of the weekend.
All in all, the third and final day of Rockville was full of fun and excitement, despite the weather delays. Having Tool close out the fest made the weekend complete, and the locals will be looking forward to 2020’s rendition of the festival.
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