ROCKINGHAM – “Let there be rock.”
The classic AC/DC tune blared over the speakers at noon as the gates opened at Rockingham Dragway for the inaugural Epicenter Festival.
The crowd funneled through the entrance throughout the day with hard rock and heavy metal fans donned in band T-shirts of several bands set to perform including Tool, Korn and Ded.
Many also wore shirts from Carolina Rebellion, a similar festival organized by Danny Wimmer Presents, which was held once in Rockingham before moving to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Prior to the first performance, festival goers stopped by merchandise tents to purchase Epicenter memorabilia.
The Music Experience tent featured guitars from Gibson, Fender, Jackson, Yamaha and Paul Reed Smith, with several reps on site. PRS offered to have guitars signed with purchase.
Hanging inside were models synonymous with rock: Stratocasters and Telecasters, Flying Vs and Les Pauls.
There was also a giveaway for one of several hand-painted Epicenter Ltd. guitars.
A few tents down, FYE had The Fan Experience, with CDs and vinyl records for sale.
A plethora of food trucks and other vendors filled the air with myriad smells and several event workers walked around with carts selling beer and water.
Fans found respite from the sun (the few times it poked through the clouds) and rain under a huge Jack Daniels Tent.
The Hellzapoppin Circus Side Show kept the crowd entertained at the Rockingham Village Stage with several odd acts have including the tattooed and fork-tongued Lizard Man, illusionist Willow Lauren and Derek “the Yoyo Guy” Cockrum.
Black Coffee opened up with a hard-driving set of rock on the Pine Stage, followed by the heavier Ded at the Sirius XM Octane Stage.
The two stages were next to each other so fans didn’t have far to go for the first few sets.
Epicenter is a three-day event with more than 60 bands scheduled to perform.
Foo Fighters will close the festival Sunday night.
