Uprisers! It has returned!
The full lineup for Upheaval Festival has finally been unleashed and I’m here to talk about it.
Returning to Belknap Park July 19-20 in beautiful Grand Rapids, Mich., will be the 2024 Upheaval Festival headlined by Godsmack and Bad Omens.
Let’s begin with Day 1, which will be headlined by Godsmack. I don’t care what the fans say about these guys, but I will stand alone with them. I’ve been a diehard fan of theirs since 1998 and I don’t plan to stop. Their live performance are always high energy and fun to watch.
In Upheaval fashion, they slowly release their line up each day, until the full line up is revealed. What I like to do, is read through hundreds of comments from fans. Day 1 has been dubbed by most as the “dad rock” day. I mean, they’re not wrong entirely. Friday will also see Killswitch Engage, Sevendust, Saliva, Citizen Soldier and more. So yeah, I can see where fans are coming from.
The ONE artist on Friday I promise you will not want to miss, is The Hu. No, not the Who, the Hu, hailing from Mongolia. These dudes are unlike anything you’ll ever see. I had the chance to catch them at Sonic Temple last year and man they kill it live. Do yourself a favor and make sure you see them.
You can also check out some of the smaller artists set to perform Friday like Sick Century and my friends band, Final Confession.
Also in Upheaval fashion, are the aftershow concerts held at the Intersection, which is another great venue in Grand Rapids. I’m going to dive a little deeper in this one than I normally would because of who is performing Friday night.
The Friday night after-show concert will feature As I Lay Dying. I won’t sit here and bash anybody or send ill will, but I will be honest and up front. If you don’t know, which I think most metal fans do know, lead singer, Tim Lambesis, went to prison for attempted murder on his then-wife. He hired a hitman, which ended up being an undercover cop, and was found guilty. Years later and after coming to his senses, he is released from prison and decides that he will rejoin his band. With that being said, can you still support them? I mean, yes and no. There is no denying that they have made some absolute bangers. Hell, I’ve seen them quite a few times in my younger years and was once considered a diehard fan. I remember seeing them at a summer festival in a parking lot and watch a really tall dude do a random roundhouse kick and hit someone in the head. I will say this, I 100% do not support him but I can’t help but still love their music.
Now let’s move onto Day 2, which will be headlined by Bad Omens. These dudes are blowing up and in a big way. I came across a Facebook post of mine from years ago bashing on the band. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but I wasn’t a fan of theirs when they first came around. Today, however, I love them. The dudes also just dropped a collab with Poppy called V.A.N. and man does it slap.
We’re also going to see Beartooth, Badflower, From Ashes to New, Drowning Pool and more. I just saw Beartooth on their headlining tour with Sleep Theory, who is also set to appear Saturday, and you’re in for an amazing performance. Some of the local, smaller acts set to perform are Ovtlier, Soundbound Beretta and my good friends in As We Divide. Please, check out some of these artists and give them a chance. I’ve had the privilege to know As We Divide for many years now, and those guys work so hard at what they do, I promise they will not disappoint.
The Day 2 aftershow will feature, POD! Yes, POD. The guys behind “Boom,” “Youth of A Nation” and “Southtown.” I have seen them once at Ozzfest or maybe some other summer touring festival and it was great. I cant wait to hear those old classics live again. Both aftershow headliners are set to hit the stage around 1130pm at The Intersection.
I’m very excited for this years lineup. It is a slight change of pace from last years. Again, I read through hundreds of comments from fans and I did see a lot of negative about this year compared to last year but to each their own. It’s a festival and you’re not going to have banger after banger each and every year. Now, if the festival organizers can change up the layout a little bit to be a little more fan friendly, which was my biggest complaint from last year, then I see this festival continue to grow for many years to come.
See you in July!
