Every metalhead’s / rocker’s / punker’s dream is to be where they feel like they belong. We are a special breed — a tribe, if you will. Not everyone likes us, but there sure as hell a whole lot of us. Danny Wimmer, with his majestic vision in its’ 13th year, brought back Welcome to Rockville at Daytona’s International Speedway for not four, but FIVE days of raw metal for your soul.
Day One began with heavy-hitters for the Welcome to Rockville pre-party.
The festivities kicked off on Wednesday May 14th at 7pm, with performances by Pop Evil, Nonpoint, Josey Scott [original voice of Saliva], Dead Apples, and Breed — the winner of the iHeart Radio Battle of the Bands. The pre-party was exclusively for campers and hotel package holders. Let’s not forget there were a limited number of Welcome to Rockville GA and VIP tickets, as well as bougey Daytona Owners Club pass for that rockstar experience with full access to comfort and air-conditioned lounges that offered fulls bars and catered cuisine options.
The official weekend began on Thursday, May 15th, with ample watering holes, eccentric merch vendors, mouthwatering food selections, loads of bars, and even sprinklers by the water stations to help keep the hardcore metalheads cooled down, Wimmer has truly prepared a thriving atmosphere for us — not to mention security personnel around the grounds to secure the vibe, including sheriffs.
Up on the stages were The Pretty Wild, Gates to Hell, Royal Lynn, Frozen Soul, Saving Abel, Evans Blue, Of Virtue, Shadow Of Intent, Until I Wake, Finger Eleven, Blue October, Theory of a Deadman, Candy, Harms Way, Full Of Hell, Fit For A King, The Acacia Strain, Crossfade, Exodus, Halestorm, Quicksand, Trivium, GWAR (celebrating their 40th anniversary), From Ashes to New, Three Days Grace, Asking Alexandria, Converge, Health, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Quicksand, Arch Enemy, Rob Zombie, Body Count, and Bullet For My Valentine. Day Two ended perfectly with headliner Shinedown.
Friday come forth with I Set My Friends on Fire, As You Were, Dexter Moonrocks, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Left To Suffer, Lit, Dorothy, Bleed From Within, One Step Closer, Everclear, Alesana, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Silent Planet, Butcher Babies, Every Clear, Bowling For Soup, Candlebox, New Found Glory, Boundaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Silverstein, It Dies Today, Miss May I, Erra, Jimmy Eat World, Bush, Sublime (with new vocalist Jakob Nowell), Good Charlotte, Invent Animate, Jinjer, Killswitch Engage, Incendiary, Kublai Khan TX, Knocked Loose, and headliner Green Day… who gave those teenagers-at-heart (us included) ultra nostalgia.
Although hot, Saturday was yet another unforgettable day of moshpits and mayhem. The heat was daunting… almost creating a hypnotic state as performances by Angelmaker, Chained Saint, Sleep Theory, Liliac, Escape the Fate, Of Mice and Men, among so many, many others got the day going. P.O.D. rocked it out with their songs “Boom”, “Youth Of A Nation”, and (my personal favorite) “Afraid To Die”. It was a moving set, for sure, although the crowd always gets hyped up for P.O.D.
It’s no wonder why they’ve played WTR so many times!
Hoobastank also delivered a fantastic high-energy performance woven with nostalgic vibes, as Dead Heat, Havok, Municipal Waste, Obituary, and Acid Bath all brought their A-game. Sleeping with Sirens gave a memorable performance; songs like “If You Can’t Hang” and “If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn” were crowd-favorites, with fans screaming the songs along with the band. Hollywood Undead then reached the hearts and minds the hundreds gathered, with all of us singing our favorite songs with some brave crowd-surfers gliding over our heads in the blazing sun.
Real Friends, NERV, The Plot In You, Nails, and so many more kept the festival in constant excitement! Dayseeker lit up the Inferno Stage, with the sun setting and crowds flying. You could see a sea of humans, some crowd-surfing and some waving their arms. This was Dayseeker‘s first time at Welcome To Rockville and headlining was well-deserved. Their set list was superb, playing songs like “Pale Moonlight”, “Dream State”, and “Crying While Dancing” — the last one literally had my heart pounding. This band was a super highlight of the fest; if you were not a fan before this show, oh, you were now — that is for certain.
It was impossible to see every band, but that is just another amazing part of this massive event — you get to pick and choose your faves. All Shall Perish’s set was insane (the crowd went wild)! Other greats were Beartooth, Pierce the Veil, I Prevail, Mastodon, White Chapel, Taking Back Sunday, Incubus, and Linkin Park showcasing new singer Emily Armstrong alongside Mike Shinoda and the rest of the OG crew. It ended the night with such amazingness! Watching them was a truly unforgettable experience.
Before we knew it, it was the final day.
Various food aromas filled the air, with scents of fried chicken to hibachi, while the crowd (many of whom had been there since Day One) withstood yet another day of intense Florida heat. Day Five saw to the stage Return To Dust, Dry Kill Logic, Chimaira, Sevendust, Motionless In White, Mudvayne, The Union Underground, Snot, Filter, and Daughtry (who, btw, rocked it out with a cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways”). Chris Daughtry also announced he will be completing the rest of the 3 Doors Down tour for Brad Arnold, who is currently battling advanced-stage kidney cancer.
As the fest kept us entranced with Chevelle, Insane Clown Posse, Testament, The Black Dahlia Murder, Seven Hours After Violet, Fit For An Autopsy, Gatecreeper, Chiodos, Hawthorne Heights, Memphis May Fire, BlesstheFall, Attack! Attack!, The Skylit Drive, and Bad Omens, who performed an amazing show with 19 songs on their setlist! This was my first time seeing this band live and it was a mind-numbing performance, including bangers like “Concrete Jungle”, “Nothing To Go”, and “Dethrone”.
As the sun fell around pinkish clouds, the temperature finally cooled off as Marilyn Manson raged into the night. Manson voiced appreciation for his fans and the crowd roared back with love, with his band crushing every moment. The dark starry night brought out the final headliner: everyone’s ultimate longtime favorite, Korn. The crowd might’ve been exhausted, yet the joy for every human being present was active in some way during this final set, whether in the pits, in the air crowd-surfings, or dancing alongside each other with strong good vibes. It was truly beautiful, as you could see patrons helping one another amidst the chaos!
Every year, this iconic festival becomes more amazing. The experience is magical and a testament of the magnificent production by Danny Wimmer Presents. The fans, the bands, the crew, and all the workers were taken well care of. If you ever get the chance to experience Welcome to Rockville, it is life-changing. Let’s GO, 2026!
In-article photography by @stvthrasher, @nathanzucker, @alexochoa, & @JMULKA; thumbnail photography by @JMULKA
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