Welcome to Rockville: Meet the headliners for Daytona Beach heavy-metal fest
DAYTONA BEACH – You wanted the best; you got the best.
Yes, members of the KISS Army will be able to pledge their allegiance at least one last time when the band takes the stage as opening night headliner of the Welcome to Rockville music fest May 19-22 at Daytona International Speedway.
The Daytona Beach stop is part of the band’s “End of the Road Tour,” a farewell trek that started three years ago, but has been extended multiple times because of the seemingly endless complications of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
Welcome to Rockville: What to know before you go to Daytona Beach rock music festival
Originally slated to end in July 2021, the tour now is expected to conclude by year's end, according to the latest updates offered by the band’s current lineup of foundering members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, now joined by drummer Eric Singer and lead guitarist Tommy Thayer. The final tour date posted on the band's website is Oct. 7 at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California.
That means the band’s Welcome to Rockville set will be among its final, flame-tinged rock ‘n’ roll spectacles. Arguably, that’s a milestone.
Until the inevitable reunion.
Replacing the Foos
Of course, many fans headed to Rockville are bummed about the absence of the Foo Fighters, after bandleader Dave Grohl pulled the plug on all scheduled shows in the wake of the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Foos' decision: Foo Fighters cancel tour, including Daytona's Welcome to Rockville, after Taylor Hawkins' death
In case you missed it, Nine Inch Nails has been enlisted to fill the Foos’ closing-night headlining slot. Although there has been some online grousing about that switch, Nine Inch Nails and frontman Trent Reznor remain a formidable concert presence.
For Nine Inch Nails, the Daytona Beach performance will be part of a limited number of U.S. tour dates this spring, a slate that includes late April stops in Raleigh, North Carolina, and at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta.
Since the band’s most recent tour in 2018, Nine Inch Nails dropped side-by-side, simultaneously released albums, "Ghosts V: Together" and "Ghosts VI: Locusts," at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
In addition, Reznor and his longtime collaborator Atticus Ross created soundtracks for productions including the HBO series “Watchmen,” the Disney-Pixar film “Soul” and the Netflix productions “Bird Box” and “Mank,” among others.
Korn headlines Friday night
After emerging as a vanguard of nu-metal with its landmark self-titled 1994 release, Korn has endured to sell 40 million albums and continue to stretch the boundaries of heavy metal. In its Friday-night Rockville headlining slot, expect the band to mix obligatory hits with material from its latest release, “Requiem.”
The new songs, including the single “Start the Healing,” were created amid the pandemic lockdowns that unexpectedly pulled the band off the road. Lead singer Jonathan Davis and the band used the luxury of time to record to analog tape, a process that they credit with adding new texture to the music.
Guns N’ Roses on Saturday
After also being sidelined during the pandemic, Guns N’ Roses is back on the road featuring a reunion of original members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan. The band’s Saturday headlining slot at Welcome to Rockville precedes upcoming summer tour dates in Europe and shows in South America this fall.
The reunited band released two singles last year, “Absurd” and “Hard Skool,” both outtakes from the 2008 “Chinese Democracy” album. Slash recently told music magazine NME that there could be new music coming from the band as soon as this summer. So there’s at least the potential for a preview at Welcome to Rockville.
Other lineup changes
In case you missed it, there are a few additional tweaks to the Rockville roster:
After canceling its 2022 tour dates, Parkway Drive also is no longer on the bill at Rockville. Likewise, Hatebreed, The Black Dahlia Murder and Solence also will be missing the festival.
A look at preparations in 2021: Welcome to Rockville ready for takeoff at Daytona International Speedway
On the plus side, Underoath, RED, John Harvie and Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown have been added to the lineup by the event’s Los Angeles-based promoter Danny Wimmer Presents.
When is my favorite band playing?
An updated full schedule with set times can be found on the event’s website, welcometorockville.com, as well as its social media pages and mobile app.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: KISS, Guns N' Roses and Nine Inch Nails headline Rockville lineup
