WELCOME TO ROCKVILLE 2025

Welcome to Rockville 2025, located in the infield of the famous Daytona International Speedway, home of the Daytona 500 and many other huge events throughout the year. The stages have been built, sound has been checked, and it’s GO TIME.

THE FERRIS WHEEL VIEW – OPENING SCENE

From atop the Ferris wheel, my favorite reconnaissance outpost, I watched as record crowds began pouring into the field—fans… anticipating, hoping, living. This is their world, a safe space where they can listen to “their” band. It’s their freedom to have cosplay on steroids, to be creative with their outfit choices, to dress like corn cobs, or wear hardly anything. Face-painted, tattooed people or just their new band merch—wearing and doing things that make them feel HAPPY.

Here, they are individuals, surrounded by family. TODAY is the day they hope to reconnect with concert buddies, their friends, and to reminisce with songs from the past, rage with rebelliousness, or simply enjoy the music—to enjoy “their performer” with a sense of child-like wonder.

MUSIC + COMMUNITY + DISCOVERY

Large-scale music events expose not only the bands to new fans, but fans to new bands—the ability to pick and choose acts you may have never connected with, and talk to people from around the world—all because of their love for music.

LOGISTICS, SECURITY & SUPPORT

The size of the event could have been a negative, but by utilizing the racetrack that surrounds the festival, it allowed for seamless connectivity for all the teams to mobilize and respond quickly and effectively (EMT/Rescue, police, production, food services, and even ICE “Immigration Police”). There was a very large security force of uniformed and undercover operatives saturating the festival, even though, in contrast, this was one of the kindest, most empathic, and socially aligned festivals I have ever seen.

They were here to protect and observe, and all departments worked together like a finely tuned instrument. The days flowed, and the music played—everything else were just details.

THE DAY BEGINS

As the day begins, the empty colorful grandstands seem to gaze down, almost as if to say—LET’S GO, Ricky Bobby, LET’S GO!!!

I started the day basically doing reconnaissance from my highest vantage point—the Ferris wheel. This festival is not to be underestimated. “North America’s Largest Rock Festival – 4 days, 5 stages, 150 plus bands.” Remember, it’s a race, not a sprint—hydrate and take it easy. Lots to see and lots to do—but you don’t want to burn out before the finish line. It’s a long race.

THE HEAT – A TRUE TEST

Throughout the weekend, heroes were everywhere, and for once those flashing red lights meant help was on the way. The heat was brutal and mentioned by every band on the stage. So hot that practically every band commented on it from stage, punctuated with Gavin from Bush taking a momentary pause in his highly physical set—profusely thanking the crowd: “How many days are you doing this? You’re fucking awesome… you guys are incredible, you all look fucking good and you’ll be tan…”

Once the music started and the thermometer started rising, fans started falling. By mid-afternoon/early evening on the second day, the festival started allowing “all” fans to re-enter (encouraging them to recuperate and rest in their vehicles) and dropped water prices to only $2 site-wide to try to fight the heat.

By the next morning, additional shade shelters had been constructed, cooling buses were parked on the racetrack, and access to multiple cooling spots opened throughout the venue. Bartenders filled water guns with ice water, ice stations—yes, you heard me, ICE—were available for free. The fire department doused the fans over and over again with a firehose from the pit in front of the stage.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

The bands played on, and on. The crowds seemed relatively sparse on the afternoons of days three and four—possibly because they arrived later in the day, possibly because they were huddled under shade or in a cooling center, or maybe a combination of both.

Fewer people made this huge venue feel like a wonderland. It felt like a very large block party surrounded by a racetrack with a really really good sound system—and snacks.

MOVEMENT OF THE MASSES

The crowds returned, in record numbers. They moved like salmon, flowing rhythmically, maneuvering to find their position at each stage. It worked well unless you needed to go the other way—ask me how I know.

I challenge that festivals of this magnitude are alive—a fully functional, living, breathing entity with a soul—lots and lots of souls. Throughout the festival I overheard tales of loss, triumph, laughter, and tears.

STARS ON STAGE & IN THE CROWD

I watched artists like Chad Gray, members of GWAR, Insane Clown Posse in their makeup or in full cosplay mode, SWAT teams fully mechanized (looking sexy, by the way). This festival is alive, filled with thousands and thousands of souls, and I am thankful to be a part of it.

I personally met with P.O.D., GWAR, Jose Mangin, Until I Wake, Exodus, Blue October, Gloomchild, Five Shot Minimum, Dirt Kill Logic, Snot, Big Body Javier, and other WWE wrestlers—and almost bumped into Daughtry. There were so many connections on and off the fields. I was so surprised and happy that my feet carried me to multiple stages and my back and stamina sustained me throughout the long weekend to see all the powerful performances.

ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME MOMENTS

There were once-in-a-lifetime moments: like Shinedown sharing the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, ICE-T, lead singer of Body Count, talking casually with the K-9 Security team, Dorothy leading a prayer vigil from stage then playing her song “Rest in Peace,” ICP—wow what a show (they have a new fan), Daughtry basically saying “fuck you” to anyone who doesn’t let you be yourself, a staged decapitation of Elon Musk, ICE-T’s daughter literally dropping the mic when her daddy’s set timed out, and reliving every word of “1985” by Bowling for Soup.

STAGE DESIGN & PRODUCTION

The elaborateness of the stage design and detailing was incredible—from Green Day’s huge fist to Linkin Park’s lighting rig (which they started installing mid-day), to pyrotechnics and the out-of-this-world imagery on the video screens.

SAFETY & EXECUTION

Safety was a very high priority and it was evident from the security checks to get in, to the immigration police attempting to thwart any shenanigans, to their lightning-fast response to that brutal and unexpected heat.

“Welcome to Rockville” made a huge stadium a safe place and helped create core memories—not only for me but everyone.

A WELL-OILED MACHINE

The festival used the theming of race cars throughout the venue in marketing, banners, etc., and the festival ran like a fine-tuned machine. It ran hot—red hot. There was so much more, so many moments. You just have to be there—to experience it and take away your core memories from this festival.

THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING BIGGER

This is only the beginning. There is so much more—new music to uncover, new friendships to cultivate, and more festivals across the country and around the world. There were so many “virgins”—first-time concertgoers—and I am so thankful that this was their exposure to the circus.

It’s a phenomenon of epic proportions that had the most beautiful weather—except for the heat—but we persevered. For some, it was five days of music utopia, of belonging.

FAREWELL FOR NOW

See you in the fields. Peace, love, health, and safe travels to all the fans and all the bands—and thank you for your sacrifices,

Dawn of the Underground