DimK: We were already aware of the musical contents of this year's 'Uproar Festival' that would please the US taste of the younger metalheads featuring bands like AVENGED SEVENFOLD, HALESTORM and of course DISTURBED. Please do not get me wrong on that saying; I have no problem with the current musical trend in the US but I had to clarify my personal status on this festival in order to underline the fact that I was not a die-hard fan of most of the bands. On the other hand, this fact makes me an ideal observer since I was about to watch some bands that I was not involved to like a fan.

We arrived prior to the doors opening at the excellently organized venue and started thinking of a way to get in since we had planned a face to face interview with AIRBOURNE. Fortunately, the band's manager was mostly kind and friendly so, he guided us through the back of the second stage where we met two band members (you have to wait for the interview for the rest of the details) and had a pleasant conversation. Despite the fact that finding something to complain about the organization is an almost impossible task we did face a more than 30 minutes delay that resulted in missing the first band on the Jagermeister stage. But this was ok since the sun was beating hard and we least we had a shady place to wait…

DimK: Instead of HAIL THE VILLAIN the band that took over the Jagermeister stage was NEW MEDICINE. This four piece act from Minneapolis, MN showed up with such a positive and energetic attitude that most of the people present joined the on stage festivities by singing and clapping to the rhythm. Well, it was not the usual stage; in reality it was a movable stage like the back of big track but with a killer sound system. So, NEW MEDICINE started playing something like modern Hard Rock with up-tempo rhythms that to my ears sounded perfect for this occasion. I mean there were plenty of activities to do around, the weather was sunny, everyone looked happy and the music was simply the icing on the cake. I really love watching fresh bands showing such a party mood on stage; this is the way to promote the music and eventually earn a couple of fans who will spread the word around. Personally, I liked NEW MEDICINE and I managed to distinguish "Race You To The Bottom", the fast "The Takeover" and the riff driven "Laid". Many kudos to them for the nice performance and for giving away free CDs with their music; another excellent way to promote oneself.

DimK: After the very good start it was time to have something different from that Hard Rock introduction. HAIL THE VILLAIN were responsible for this change hitting the small stage with even more energy pumped up by their heavier sound that in brief I could describe as the more Metal version of PAPA ROACH. And this means minor nu Metal arrangements, screaming with clean vocals and plenty of groovy tempos. Yet again this was a wisely chosen opening band since they managed to make many of the metalheads to headbang and warm their voices by singing along from time to time. Comparing their sound with the studio one I have to acknowledge the HAIL THE VILLAIN from making the sound heavier and definitely more aggressive. The songs that manages to print their names in my memory were: the groovy "Evil Has Name", "Take Back The Fear" with the nice main riff and the catchy "Runaway". So, we had two very good opening bands that indeed opened the road for the mighty AIRBOURNE to storm the US crowd.

MariaV: I was in the Jagermeister tent enjoying some of the famous drink's toys when the first tunes of AIRBOURNE hit the calm US sky that sunny evening; the four Aussies took their positions on the Jagermeister mobile stage (yeap, it was a mobile stage setting in the back of a big truck) and believe me, that stage was too small to host the Australian invasion! Joel, Ryan, David and Justin wore their best smile and brought their wildest Rock'n' Roll mood, giving us a short set of their best hits: "Diamond In The Rough", "Blonde, Bad And Beautiful", "No Way But The Hard Way" and "Runnin' Wild" are some of the highlights that hot evening and the audience seemed to enjoy 'em for good. I've the opportunity a couple of months ago to catch these guys again, this time on the European ground of Belgium at the 'Graspop Metal Meeting' festival and my impressions didn't change a bit; AIRBOURNE is a full energy band, full of youth and willing to play some good 'n' ol' Rock 'n' Roll! Joel did some of his extreme things on stage for once again including his climbing onto a crew member's shoulders in the middle of the crowd, showing his solo abilities! Also, he busted some beer cans banging on his head and threw them to the fans, causing delirium of joy in the first lines of the presents. But man, 25 minutes are nothing for the AIRBOURNE show! We must watch them as headliners next time for God's sake!

MariaV: After the awesome Rock 'n' Roll thing that heated the atmosphere a little bit more making us to search out for the first gulps of beer, it was time for some real American heavy groove tunes by my favorite heavy Metal supergroup, HELLYEAH that closed the Jagermeister stage's acts, giving the baton to the Rockstar Main Stage on the other side of the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre at Tinley Park. Vinnie Paul and the boys were on great shape and the next 35 minutes that followed had diametrically the HELLYEAH trademark that we all love from the first album. The set opened with the self-titled track of the debut album and the crowd seemed to love these guys for sure! That was exactly the time that I told myself that some bands just have to be enjoyed in their country to feel the impact they have to their fans.

The groovy HELLYEAH thing continued with the classics "Matter Of Time" and the latest "Cowboy Way" that people seemed to enjoy it pretty much the same with the previous songs, when my favorite "You Wouldn't Know" came up next, creating a fantastic atmosphere with all the fans' singing and stuff like that. Chad Gray was in a real good mood calling us on singing and clapping all the time, while Tribbett and Maxwell wearing their cowboy black hats did a great job on the guitars. Some mosh-pits were created on the right and the left side in front of the stage and that was the time when I noticed for once again that the Americans didn't know how to act in those pits, since they hustle and push each other all the time, putting in grave danger each others' heads. What can we do though except to stay away from them? Thankfully, "Alcohaulin' Ass" came up next and calmed things for the most hot-heated fans, but unfortunately, it was also the last song for the excellent HELLYEAH appearance.The time clocked almost 30 minutes after 6 o'clock and the mighty HALESTORM had already begun their show on the Rockstar Main Stage…

HELLYEAH setlist:

1. "Hellyeah"
2. "Goddamn"
3. "Matter Of Time"
4. "Cowboy Way"
5. "You Wouldn't Know"
6. "Nausea"
7. "Stampede"
8. "Alcohaulin' Ass"

HALESTORM
MariaV: First of all, I have to say that I'm not a fan of HALESTORM's music; there isn't something wrong in this American hard rock quartet but it's not my cup of tea actually, just because it sounded much of a muchness for my ears. Anyway, HALESTORM was the opening act in the Rockstar Main Stage and I have to admit that they did it really well. Lzzy Hale with her brand new haircut was enough energetic on stage magnetizing all the glances of the male audience, while Joe Hottinger was a bow-minding master in his guitar thing. The super hit "It's Not You" was the chosen one to warm a little bit the atmosphere on the Main Stage of 'Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival' and the result was better that I expected. Lzzy's stage fright was won through pretty fast and HALESTORM fans showed that they love her a lot. After half an hour, the HALESTORM set belonged to the past and the audience awaited tensely Mr. Corey Taylor and his STONE SOUR that, in my opinion, is such an overestimated band.

HALESTORM setlist:

1. "It's Not You"
2. "What Were You Expecting"
3. "Dirty Work"
4. "Familiar Taste Of Poison"
5. "Circle"
6. "Nothing To Do With Love"
7. "I Get Off"

DimK: I cannot but to admit that I am not a fan of STONE SOUR. Not even close, because I feel that if there wasn't no SLIPKNOT background through Corey Taylor this band would not have the success and promotion currently possesses. It is kind of unfair for all the other new bands but this is the way the media work especially with such famous personal like Mr Taylor.

After HALESTORM had stepped down, the stage preparations and the bigger crowd present made me think that the festival promoters had wisely invested on STONE SOUR. There was great anticipation all round and it was not difficult for one to realize that there was a wide fan base that evening with many female presences (although quite young). So, without a single delay (this would be a surprise) the lights went out and along with a lot of screaming from the audience the intro from "Audio Secrecy" brought STONE SOUR members one by one on stage. Of course, Corey drew the most attention entering the stage with pretty much the same way like he does with SLIPKNOT by reaching in the front and just looking at the crowd. This worked just fine and everyone was screaming wit enthusiasm as the first musical notes from the new "Mission Statement" started coming from the massive amp system. The first I noticed to this track was that despite the distinct SLIPKNOT character there was additional guitar work and some pretty cool leads. Corey sounded in a top notch conditions and did his thing with the audience that was obvious that adored him. I have to give him some additional credit for bringing to his vocals more melody leaving aside the screaming that has characterized him with the other Iowa based band. As expected the older tracks "Reborn" and "Made Of Scars" were welcomed with even more enthusiasm with a lot of singing and jumping up and down. The brand new "Say You'll Haunt Me" brought some melody to STONE SOUR's setlist proving that STONE SOUR have progressed and, if you don't mind my saying, have matured. I really like the guitar work in the new songs and judging the band's overall performance made me to admit that I will check the new album and try to look this band with a different perspective.

Time went relatively fast for me who I was not into this band and I kind of enjoyed the point were Corey took his classic guitar and sung "Through Glass" under the loud support from the majority of the audience who really sing their lungs out. But, all things have an end and after "10.30/30-150" Corey thanked everyone for coming and promised that "STONE SOUR will be back sooner that you think".

STONE SOUR setlist

1. "Mission Statement"
2. "Reborn"
3. "Made Of Scars"
4. "Say You'll Haunt Me"
5. "Come What(ever) May"
6. "Your God"
7. "Through Glass"
8. "Digital (Did You Tell)"
9. "Hell & Consequences"
10. "10.30/30-150"

DimK: The band's metalcore past did not leave any space for us to think that AVENGED SEVENFOLD could throw a show like they did that night. Personally, I was very curious to see why the promoters chose this California band as the last act before the headliners. But as the venue was reaching a full capacity in the pit and the seating sections I started thinking that there must be a reason for this. During the on stage preparations one could easily realize that the production was going to be big a fact that was expected taking under consideration the massive success of "Nightmare". A minor setback on the curtain that was to cover the front of the stage did not have an effect on the festival's timetable due to the staff's quick response that put things in place.

So, right on time the lights went out and intro of "Nightmare" brought a guy wear a black suit and a white tie on stage. This guy walked onto a small platform and was raised high above the stage; there he prepared a halter and hung himself by jumping off the platform right above the photo pit! This action kicked the band's setlist with "Nightmare" spreading massive waves of enthusiasm to the ecstatic fans. The opening guitar riffs and Shadows' scream came from the amps with an overwhelming sound quality that could not leave anyone untouched. Hell, if I found myself carried away by AVENGED SEVENFOLD vibe and to my surprise Metal oriented sound. Their performance was well rehearsed but in such way that impulsiveness was left intact and that deserves additional kudos. "Critical Acclaim" found Shadows sitting in a piano-looking-keyboards while the pyro and light show made the fans scream louder. There was constant movement on stage keeping the interest in high levels of a crowd that was totally synchronized with Shadows moves. I very much enjoyed the METALLICA influenced "Welcome To The Family" and I have to admit that I almost headbang during the groovy refrain and the nice drum work.

In 2009 AVENGED SEVENFOLD had to face the passing of drummer The Rev during the making of the "Nightmare" and were lucky to have DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy in the studio helping them out. So, after the melodic "Buried Alive" it was time for "So Far Away" that was dedicated to the departed drummer. Shadows explained how difficult was for the band to deal with that situation and after he thanked the fans for their support he invited Portnoy on stage. He also said that the "Nightmare" album would not have been completed if it wasn't Portnoy's help in the studio. This was an intense moment and it was great watching the fans sharing some of the band's feeling about this tragic moment.

Portnoy remained behind the drum kit as AVENGED SEVENFOLD reached a climax on their performance with "Afterlife", "God Hates Us", "Unholy Confessions" and "Almost Easy" as the encore. The bottom line is that AVENGED SEVENFOLD did perform great and gave an excellent show for all the dedicated fans. If they continue in this path they will succeed in getting rid of the Metalcore label that has been chasing them from the very beginning.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD setlist:

1. "Nightmare"
2. "Critical Acclaim"
3. " Welcome To The Family"
4. "Beast And The Harlot
5. "Buried Alive
6. "So Far Away"
7. "Afterlife"
8. "God Hates Us"
9. "Unholy Confessions"
10. "Almost Easy"

DimK: If you happened to read the live report on 2009 'Graspop Metal Meeting' then you will probably remember that METAL TEMPLE was kind of disappointed by DISTURBED performance. So, this festival was the perfect chance to erase those memories or sadly just underline them.

"Asylum" was about to be released and the first songs showed that –at least for my taste– the Chicago based band have made steps in the forward directions. Again, right on schedule the huge led screen on the back started showing the introductory video where David Draiman was trying to escape from a psychopaths' asylum. One by one the band members were coming on stage and after Draiman had virtually escaped from the asylum he showed up singing the opening lyrics of "Asylum". The band had already announced that their show would be the product of a massive production and watching the massive screen, the excellent lights and the accompanying pyro effects no one could disagree. After I had listened to the first lyrics sung by Draiman I was relieved since his voice was in perfect tune and timbre. Maybe it was the hot and humid Belgian weather that had that negative effect on his vocals back in 'Graspop Metal Meeting' but in the end that was ancient history.

Without pausing DISTURBED hit us with "The Game" and "Prayer". Draiman was in a great mood and said that how special was the night for DISTURBED performing in their home town. Dan Donegan did an excellent job with this guitar making feel optimistic about the band's intention to add more riffs and leads in the future releases. Dan Donegan and Mike Wengren did their part in building the enticing DISTURBED groove and rhythm that has become the band;s trademark sound signature. The GENESIS cover of "Land of Confusion" was simply great while "Inside The Fire" made the entire stage looking like it was actually on fire. "Another Way To Die" was the second addition from the new album during which the video was projected in the led screen concluding the audio and visual delight.

The most anticipated "Ten Thousand Fists" made everyone to raise a fist in the air and an impressive synchronicity and also brought virtually on stage The Guy in his recent looks given by the Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. After this track the American flag showed up in the video screen as Draiman started talking about the US troops who actually had a stand in the festival grounds. I know that many of us have their objections about the political situation in the US and their military interference but no one can object to the people's reaction and feeling on sending their men to war. So, the following patriotic short speech ending to the crowd's shouting "USA, USA" did not had an effect on me; they have their right to feel that way. Nevertheless, "Indestructible" was next accompanied by another great video clip showing pictures of war destruction and famous generals and leaders from the entire world history.

"Down With The Sickness" was the expected end to the band's setlist that in terms of time duration could have been longer. On the other hand this was a 'long' festival that had been entertaining us from noon. The production was great, the timetable was precisely followed and the crowd was into having fans with their favorite bands. METAL TEMPLE will be present to the next year's 'Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival' for sure.

DISTURBED setlist:

1. "Remnants"
2. "Asylum"
3. "The Game"
4. "Prayer"
5. "Liberate"
6. "Land Of Confusion"
7. "Inside The Fire"
8. "Stricken"
9. "Fear" /"Meaning Of Life" /"Numb" /"Voices" (medley)
10. "Another Way To Die"
11. "Stupify"
12. "Ten Thousand Fists"
13. "Indestructible"
14. "Down With The Sickness"

(photos by The Guy)