Carolina Rebellion @ Rock City Campgrounds

3 years ago I said I wouldn't come back to this festival after how crowded it was, that I couldn't get near a stage.  However concerts have been so few and far between in the last 6 months, and it was a Xmas present, so I thought I'd see if this year was any better....and is was - by far.

Ideally, and in my youth, I'd have been at the opening of the festival checking out new bands and making the most of the day.  But now....I'm old.  And as much as I wanted to see The Bronx, they were on at 1.30pm and the next band I wanted to see (and what tipped me over the edge to buy the ticket) was Billy Idol at 5.50pm.  So I didn't leave the house until 5.

I arrived early enough but was parked at the back of the Drag Strip and took me nearly half an hour to get into the venue (while listening to Dancing With Myself and Flesh For Fantasy.  I walked in and right up to about 25 yards from the stage - where is everyone?  It's Billy Idol!  Maybe everyone was recovering from the last 2 days here and would be around later.  But Billy (still playing with Steve Stevens) was awesome.  He still has a great presence and energy while performing.  Rebel Yell to finish the set had the crowd in a frenzy.  For his encore he came out for an acoustic White Wedding, before the band came back of stage to drive the song home.

I went and found a shady spot to have dinner and then thought I'd head over and see Incubus.  Was never a fan, but was really surprised how familiar a song or two was.  A mid set Nice To Know You kickstarted the crowd - and me - I remember that song.  And while I didn't know Wish You Were Here I really loved the way they incorporated Pink Floyd's song of the same name into the outro.  Overall I was impressed with the set, even though I had no expectations.

A quick move over to one of the smaller stages to see Baroness.  This was a band I literally knew nothing about.  A bit heavier than the rest of the bands I saw today and a good performance, but not necessarily my thing (at my age I'm very picky about any new music I listen too).  Having said that, a hardcore group of fans were really into this set.

I left a little early to get a decent spot for Queens of the Stone Age and was surprised by how easy it was to get close to the stage (20 yards or so) and not be mobbed by a ton of people.  QOTSA came out in blistering form playing 3 songs in a row that I knew to begin with, the last of which was a rockin' No One Knows.  A solid performance that ended with the wild Song For The Dead.  A finish that just left you rocked and wanting more.  Let's hope they come back to Charlotte soon.

Maybe Muse is not for the younger kids (maybe it was too late on a school night), but again I had a relatively good spot and great sight line to see Muse.  Also ran in to some neighbors after many a text.  Matt Bellamy seemed angry tonight, not at anything in particular, but his style was aggressive, adding to the performance.  I am not someone who listens to Muse but what I like about Muse is that they are an arena band, but they have such a small amount to equipment on stage.  How do they produce that sound?  And as a 3 piece physically located close on stage, their presence fills a large area while playing.  The LED display to each song, enhanced the show.  And while I don't know many of their songs (actually only 1) the little outros they played after each song were great (Back In Black, Know Your Enemy, My Own Summer & Heartbreaker).  A 3 song encore ended with the epic Knights of Cydonia (the one I know), and a cloud of confetti the crowd of thousands left knowing they'd seen a great rock band.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 437th concert.

This is my 2nd concert at Rock City Campgrounds.

This is my 2nd concert in Concord.

This is my 80th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 243rd concert in the USA.
Billy Idol is the 503rd band I've seen.
Incubus are the 504th band I've seen.
Baroness are the 505th band I've seen.
This is my 2nd Queens of the Stone Age concert.
This is my 2nd Muse concert.