November 10th-14th, 2021
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
A Danny Wimmer Presents Production
With the sheer amount of bands that played, it was impossible for one person to see every performance over the 4 days. That being said, throughout the week we’ll be highlighting the stage shows that we did see.
It goes without saying that the past few years were rough for a lot of people. Life as we know it changed almost overnight. Live music had come to an abrupt halt, and the resuming of festivals and tours this summer was a welcome relief after an entire year without constant live music. Welcome to Rockville was not immune to the Pandemic effects. A few line-up changes, several date delays, and some additions to Welcome to Rockville were expected.
Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and Deftones dropped for the line-up for reasons related to the ongoing Covid19 Pandemic. Shawn “Clown” Crahan, Slipknot’s percussionist and founder, was absent from the band’s set after tearing a bicep muscle during the band’s performance last week at Knotfest Los Angeles.
This would also be the first year for the festival at the Daytona Speedway. The massive compound provided enough space for 4 separate stages, including the oversized main stage.
After a night of music in the campground on Wednesday, fans wiped the crusties from their eyes and marched into the Daytona Speedway with high expectations for a weekend full of music from their favorite bands, many of which haven’t set foot on a stage for nearly two years.
Before anyone’s coffee had even kicked in on Thursday, the highly anticipated SPIRITBOX, 2021s breakout band, set the tone of the festival. During the band’s blistering set, vocalist Courtney LaPlante took a brief moment to address the crowd in regards to the elephant in the room.
“Also, I’m not trying to be your fucking mom but, just remember, I think we’ve all been thinking about this a lot. What do you do if somebody falls down in the pit?”
Without hesitation, the crowd screamed back ‘PICK THEM UP’.
“You pick them back up. Right?”
The weekend would come in ebbs and flows. LaPlante perfectly summed up the tone of the U.S.A.’s largest festival after nearly 18 months on no live music.
“Sometimes you wanna be mad in the mosh pit, sometimes you wanna cry. Respectfully.”
After some technical difficulties, Bad Omens were greeted by several thousand screaming fans. While the fans were obviously grateful to be back at a festival, Bad Omens’ vocalist Noah Sebastian took the appreciation a step further during the band’s set on Friday.
“Watch the show like its your last, and we will play shows like its our last because now we know what that’s like.”
