For the third year, Carolina Rebellion, a North Carolina rock festival, returned to Charlotte May 4-5 at the Motor Speedway in Concord.
But some might say Carolina Rebellion could not compare to the notoriety and organization of other festivals in North Carolina, such as MerleFest, and across the nation, such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza.
From the beginning of the day, fans were worried about whether the show would pull through, considering the first artist on the lineup, Nonpoint, cancelled. Fans, waiting anxiously, ducked under tents and platforms to stay warm and dry. At noon an announcement was made at the Jagermeister stage: “We’re gonna rock it like the hippies at Woodstock!”
American Fangs, a Houston-based rock band, decided to perform regardless of the unpredictable and likely rainy, possibly unsafe conditions.
As the day wore on, so did fans’ patience. Miserable weather, combined with bossy personnel who forced people out from under tents, did not help the already hostile environment. But some people prepared for the event and wore slickers, heavy waterproof boots and other raingear. Nevertheless, many audience members were lightly clothed, wet and cold.
Two years ago, when the festival debuted at Metro Expo in Charlotte, a combination of extreme heat, dryness and huge crowds created different issues, such as an inefficient distribution of water.
This year, both the staff and the artists acknowledged the fans and offered praise for their commitment, but the lack of communication regarding details on schedule changes and safety information became a huge setback. In an email sent on May 7, the Carolina Rebellion team offered a partial reimbursement or a free ticket for next year’s festival to all attendees. They apologized profusely for the inclement weather and confusion.
Despite the early shutdown on Sunday, the schedule stayed on track with the exception of some cancellations and delays in between performances so the staff could dry the stages with leaf blowers. The uncooperative weather did not deter some artists, including American Fangs, Pop Evil, Sevendut, All That Remains, Hollywood Undead and Buckcherry, from putting on a full show.
In the afternoon, the lead singer of Buckcherry, Josh Todd, had to continuously run offstage to dry off his microphone. Pop Evil, among other returning artists like Halestorm, thanked their fans for their support and commitment to the festival. Pop Evil performed at the 2011 Carolina Rebellion on the Jagermeister stage and was upgraded to one of the main stages this year.
Although many fans left the festival disappointed, it would be untrue to say the whole festival was a disappointment. Many of the performances on Sunday helped reinforce the need for a festival of this kind and emphasized why Carolina Rebellion is so memorable.