SONIC

Sonic Highlark is a photographer and co-founder of Highlark. He is the editor-in-chief, creative director and webmaster for the site. He enjoys long walks on the beach with unicorns.

MUSIC / FESTIVALS

CAN ROCKSTAR ENERGY DISRUPT FESTIVAL REPLACE VANS WARPED TOUR?

Although the peak of these musical genres has passed, Emo, Screamo, Post Hardcore, Metalcore etc., has continued to showcase a loyal following as well as inspire a new generation of fans.

Vans Warped Tour has been the king of summer music festivals in these genres for years and relatively without any competition. 2018 marked the last year of Warped Tour in its traditional touring festival format. This is year they ran the festival in a more common multi-day weekend format in 2 locations, Mountain View (California) and Atlantic City (New Jersey).

ATREYU

Although the future of Warped Tour in whatever form is uncertain, they certainly have left a gap and possibly a demand in satisfying fans of the niche.

Rockstar Energy Drink didn’t waste any time trying to fill the void, launching a new touring festival dubbed Rockstar Energy Disrupt Festival.

THE STORY SO FAR

Unlike the multi-stage format of Warped Tour and most festivals, only one band performs at a time at Rockstar Disrupt. There won’t be any schedule conflicts for attendees in this case, but lineup selection becomes even more important to make sure they hold the audience’s interest throughout the whole day.

CIRCA SURVIVE

There are some lineup changes depending on the city. The Holmdel, New Jersey stop (July 6th, 2019) at PNC Bank Arts Center featured a mix of new and nostalgic acts.

Hyro the Hero, Juliet Sims, Trophy Eyes, Memphis May Fire, Four Year Strong, Sleeping With Sirens, Atreyu, The Story So Far, Circa Survive, Thrice and The Used.

THRICE

The first half of the show took place in a pop-up stage outside the main ampitheater in an all standing setup where the crowd can mosh and crowd surf as they pleased.

As the sun began to set, the performances moved to the main stage for the headlining acts. In this particular venue, the theater has assigned seating which brought a different vibe to the experience. Whether it took away from the energy or it was a nice opportunity to relax and enjoy the music will depend on each attendee.

THE USED

It remains to be seen whether or not Rockstar Energy Disrupt Festival can succeed as THE touring festival for these genres, but if the lineup suits you, it’s worth checking out- especially with the fair ticket prices.