Photos and Review by Richard Knowles
Galleries: Lamb of God, Memphis May Fire, Five Finger Death Punch, All That Remains, State Champs, Upon a Burning Body, Ghost, Clutch, Coheed and Cambria, Collective Soul, Dokken, Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, Midnight Mob, Sevendust, Sixx:AM, Trivium,
Somewhere in upstate New York, Schaghticoke to be exact (a place whose name I will never be able to pronounce) is a fairgrounds. A plethera of open space and lack of cell phone towers that laid patiently waiting for the inaugural Rock N Derby Festival to come barreling through with a lineup of today and old’s best and brightest Rock/Metal and Pop Punk artists. When I initially saw the lineup for this event I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of so I packed my bag and started the 3 hour drive. Every road trip has its ups and downs, so after the loss of my headlights on the way as well as phone reception (vital to my GPS) I finally made it. I put the weekly grind of work behind me and proceeded to enjoy myself a weekend that truly lived up to the hype.
Any night you can see Lamb Of God, Parkway Drive, and Clutch at the same venue is a great night but then you throw in Wolfmother, Corrosion Of Conformity and Five Finger Death Punch, well that’s just ridiculous. The fact that these are just some of the bands on the first night was a true testament to just how well put together this festival was. Lamb Of God, with Randy Blythe at the helm, took control of the night early on as he usually does and with the band behind him, he brought the energy that only Randy Blythe can bring. Jumping from left to right and splashing the photographers below stage with the water he poured on himself. He really knows how to utilize the stage and feeds off the energy of the crowd, never lacking at a Lamb Of God show.
The night steadily moved forward from there with Australian metalcore powerhouse Parkway Drive packing one hell of a punch and turning the crowd into a massive circle pit. They took control of the audience early, locking onto them like a “Vice Grip”( a personal favorite song by them) and not letting go until their set was finished. 
Five Finger Death Punch was last up and let me tell you, these guys go hard. The crowd seemed rabid waiting for them to hit the stage. Maybe it was the affects of one too many beers or what not but it felt like feeding time at in the croc exhibit at the zoo. When the band finally did come to the stage they delivered a high energy and statement type of performance to really kickstart the beginning of an epic weekend. I left the fairgrounds after the set and started my drive back to the hotel and couldn’t resist rocking out to them as they left me wanting more.
I woke up the second day ready to rock, no pun intended. The lineup was stacked from top to bottom and every act I was able to catch, poured their heart and soul into each set. From Miss May I and Levi Benton’s glorious mane bringing their signature energy to the main stage to Avatar and their unique costumes driving a spot on performance into the memories of those who weren’t familiar with the swedish metal brand. One band that really caught my eye and came out of nowhere for me was Cilver. Fronted by Uliana Preotu the group had a strong stage presence and interacted with the crowd, which really brought what was an already solid set to the next level. This band does not just go through the motions in which a lot of artists do. They make sure you leave wanting more and I know in my case I definitely did! Now I know that A Day To Remember had the night’s headline spot, well deserved due to their absolutely incredible live shows and crowd interaction.
For me though, my favorite performance of the day came from Halestorm. Lizzy Hale has a presence like none other. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a female lead but this woman is an absolute force. The moment she walked on stage my eyes were glued to her every move. My ears open to every lyric. I was hooked. This was my first time seeing her live and I can tell you it won’t be my last. Her gritty voice and guitar playing skills will draw anybody in and the fact that she’s easy on the eyes helps but plays no role in this woman’s innate ability to entertain.
Day 3 brought out the clouds and an impending rain storm brought out the ponchos but that didn’t deter anyone from showing up. A day full of heavy hitters from Megadeth to Coheed And Cambria and Sevendust all of whom crushed their sets to packed crowds. With the day flying by and a 4 hour ride home weighing on my conscience I chose to depart a bit early so I packed up my camera gear, got one last PB&J (something that I lived off of my whole time here) and started to walk out when I heard the rumbling’s, or shall I say screams of Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds from inside the cattle barn turned concert hall. I couldn’t resist going in. For people not familiar with an Enter Shikari show it would probably give them an anxiety attack. It’s non stop energy is a smothering attack on your senses and you have a constant fear that something is going to be thrown off stage and 
decapitate you. (Maybe that’s a little over the top but I’m trying to make a point.)This band has one of the best live acts out there and they took full advantage of their surroundings, utilizing every inch of the enclosed space. They even brought the show into the crowd, running alongside the fans, joining in the circle pit and even handing off their guitars to random people to play, or at least attempt to play. Nothing is safe at an Enter Shikari show but I’d be safe in saying that their set was a perfect way to end my experience at Rock N Derby. Everyone involved in this festival deserves a massive round of applause for pulling together some of the biggest names in the business and creating an atmosphere that was genuinely enjoyable from start to finish. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for next year’s lineup as this festival is only gonna get bigger and I can’t wait to see it happen.
Rock N Derby – Schaghticoke, NY
