by John Kindred
– Publisher —
September 5, 2014 at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS. —
The 5th annual Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival at Cricket Ampitheater in Bonner Spring, Kan., started off with little fanfare. And it quickly shifted to miserable, cold and wet conditions that fans endured as they waited out the storm.
This year’s lineup featured headliners Godsmack on the Rockstart Energy stage, along with Seether, Skillet and Pop Evil. Veteran rockers Buckcherry headlined the Festival Stage and were joined by Escape The Fate, Within Reason, Sons of Revelry and a local band (missed them so don’t know their name).
What appeared to be a nice setup for a cool evening of musical mayhem, quickly turned in a wet, teeth-chattering ordeal. The rain started lightly, with a few drops quickly turning into a steady wave of clothes-soaking rain during Escape the Fate’s set. The band brought plenty of energy and talent and blasted back the wind and rain with its brand of metal. Escape the Fate delivered old-school shred guitar with the modern heavy sounds kids today are quite familiar with. Fans either braved the onslaught in front of the stage or huddled under tents and canopies that surrounded the Festival Stage.
Buckcherry followed and kept the energy up and the crowd enthralled as the band hammered its set of classic rock tunes, as well new tracks from its latest EP aptly titled … FUCK.
Shifting to the main stage, the rain eased up and eventually ceased, the clouds rolled back to reveal the sun and its warmth, leading into Pop Evil taking the stage. Obviously, the main stage featured better sound production, and this was apparent as the band tore into an abbreviated set.
Pop Evil had the fans rocking the amphitheater as they sang along to all the known hits. The band proved that it knows how to put on a show and rocked out for the duration of its set.
Next up was Skillet, the Christian band hailing from Tennessee. With its most recent CD, Rise, which was released in 2013, Skillet set the tone for the headliners to follow. Of all the bands that had performed so far, Skillet definitely raised the bar. Led by the duo, John and Korey Cooper, the band was so amped on energy that the fans were entangled with the positive musical vibe that flowed out from the stage and filled the venue. Guitarist Seth Morrison provided plenty of solid shredding solos, and drummer Jen Ledger also was magical as she hammered out the heavy rhythms of the band on the drum kit, while dazzling the audience with her voice.
Seether was up next and was another surprise act of the evening as the band rolled through its steady collection of radio hits and dialed up a couple tracks from its new CD, Isolate and Medicate. These guys also put on a strong performance and benefited from the sun going down, as the lights provided a psychedelic show from behind and above the band. Headliners Godsmack wrapped it all up.
Overall, the Uproar 2014 experience was better than expected. The crowd was quite diverse, ranging from young kids to some hard-rocking seniors. The rain almost drove me away, but I’m glad I stayed.
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE
Godsmack – 9:25 PM
Seether – 8:05 PM
Skillet – 7:00 PM
Pop Evil – 6:15 PM
These Raven Skies – 5:45 PM
FESTIVAL STAGE
Buckcherry – 4:40 PM
Escape The Fate – 3:50 PM
Within Reason – 3:15 PM
Sons of Revelry – 2:05 PM
Battle Band Winner – 1:35 PM
This year’s sponsors include: Rockstar Energy Drink; Blackstream Records; Ernie Ball; Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.; COLDCOCK Herbal Whiskey; Rockford Corporation; MATADOR Beef Jerky; Fxck Cancer; Pura Vida Tequila; and UNKNOWN Industries.
Uproar KC Concert Photo Gallery
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Visit Uproar’s official website online: www.RockstarUPROAR.com
The current Rockstar Energy UPROAR Festival tour itinerary is as follows. Please note that the band lineup varies by date.
Date — Market — Venue
Saturday 9/6 — Sioux City, IA — Tyson Event Center
Sunday 9/7 — Oklahoma City, OK — Zoo Amphitheatre
Tuesday 9/9 — Broomfield, CO — 1STBANK Center
Thursday 9/11 Post Falls, ID Greyhound Park
Friday 9/12 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre (KISW’s Pain In The Grass)
Tuesday 9/16 — Irvine, CA — Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Wednesday 9/17 — Las Vegas, NV — The Joint
Thursday 9/18 — Phoenix, AZ — Comerica Theatre
Saturday 9/20 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater (Revolt on the Rio Grande)
Sunday 9/21 — Tucson, AZ — Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
