Aftershock 2016 Festival Recap & Photo Gallery

Aftershock 2016 Festival Recap

The 2016 Monster Energy Aftershock Festival drew a sold-out crowd of 50,000 in attendance last weekend (October 22nd & 23rd) With over 30 bands playing the 2 day festival, Sacramento, California was definitely having the biggest party in the entire state.

Day 1 of the festival was headlined by Tool – giving a rare performance as the band is currently recording new material. With a top of the line production, the band played through their 80 minute breathtaking performance. Songs including, “Opiate”, “Sweat”, & “Stinkfist”, Tool showed the crowd that they haven’t lost any step in their work. Many would have to wonder when a new album will be release, but only time will determine that.

Co-headliners Slayer dominated the discovery stage, thrashing through their 30+ year discography that included “War Ensemble” & “Mandatory Suicide”. Singer Tom Araya screaming from the depths of hell, commanding a crowd through a whirlwind of circle pits and crowd surfing.

Other acts including Primus, Meshuggah, Anthrax, & Baroness performed on the first day.

Day 2 was headlined by Avenged Sevenfold, the band who just released their new album, “The Stage” headlined the Monster Energy stage. Singer, M. Shadows delivered a truly rockstar performance. Easily one of the stand out bands in the “New Wave of American Heavy Metal”, A7X held it down with their performance.

Over on the discovery stage, nu-metal’s most influential band, Korn dominated through their hour plus set. Their set including fan favorites “Blind”, “Here to Stay”, & “Rotting in Vain” still shows the 22 year veterans that age is truly nothing but a number.

Max & Igor Cavalera’s “Return To Roots”, celebrating 20 years of Sepultura’s “Roots” brought a tribute by performing the album live at the event.

Suicide Silence, fresh off their “Straight Outta Hell” tour delivered a hellacious performance to a capacity crowd, including “Unanswered”, “Fuck Everything” & “Sacred Words”.

Doing back to back shows with 2 different bands, Maynard James Keenan performed with his other band, Puscifer performed on the main stage filled with lucha libre wrestling & performances from his band. Other acts including Disturbed, Ghost, Chevelle, & Parkway Drive performed throughout the day.

Check out the extensive and exclusive photo gallery featuring a few bands from the 2-day festival.