98 Rockfest Brings Down The House At Amalie Arena
Tampa, Fl (April 19th, 2024)
Spring is in the air. The world is warming up and everyone is looking forward to getting out and having fun. This only means one thing; festival season has arrived. One of the first to kick things off is Tampa Bay’s very own 98 Rockfest. Put on by the fine folks at Tampa Bay’s rock radio station aptly named 98 Rock, they have been putting this party together for years to the delight of music fans far and wide on the west coast of Florida.
As they do every year, they get some of the finest bands on the scene both new and old to converge at Amalie Arena for a night of unforgettable rock music. This year would be no exception as the station once again wrangled up another terrific lineup of great bands. Appearing on the stage at Amalie Arena this year would be Ayron Jones, Dayseeker, Asking Alexandria, Seether, and capping the night off Staind.
First up on the night way Ayron Jones. This Seattle based rocker brought his style of music which is infused with the blues, grunge, hip hop, and hard rock out in full force. With two major label releases as well as two other albums he had plenty of material to grab new fans with. With the limited time on stage he had, half the setlist would come from his latest album Chronicles Of The Kid including the hit single “Blood In The Water”. Between his smooth soulful voice and his fiery guitar work, this was a great way to kick off the night.
Next up was Dayseeker. While this post-hardcore band has seemingly burst on the scene, they have actually been together for some twelve years now. Their performance consisted almost entirely from their latest album Dark Sun. When the band launched into their big hit “Without Me” the crowd was mesmerized by lead singer Rory Rodriguez voice. Of course the band also kicked in with the breakdowns they are known for as well as infusing electronic textures to give their songs a unique sound and feel.
If this were most other nights Brit rockers Asking Alexandria would be closing things out. But with the stacked lineup that 98 Rockfest brought to Amalie Arena this year, they would be the first of the really big bands to perform. When the band hit the stage like they were shot out of a canon and started with “Closure” one of their really heavy songs. They quickly shifted gears and played “Alone Again” one of their hit songs. That would be the theme of their time on stage, diversity. They used their time to showcase every facet of the band. They closed out their part of the show with their biggest hit “Alone Again” . Unfortunately as things were getting underway, there was a fan injury and they wisely stopped to make sure that their fan was well taken care of before starting over and delivering one helluva performance.
Since 1999 South African post grunge rockers Seether have been consistently turning out albums ladened with hit songs. Lead singer Shaun Morgans earnest lyrics and delivery have earned him and the band legions of followers, and now the stage would be all theirs. They led off the night with one of their many hit songs “Gasoline”. Without a doubt they sounded great and the crowd was loving it. While their setlist contained many of their hit songs, when it came time to play “Broken”, they stripped things down with just Shaun Morgan and Dale Stewart on stage. Stewart sat center stage with just an acoustic guitar and accompanied Morgan to create a hauntingly beautiful moment. The rest of their performance was chock full of the bands biggest hits. They played fan favorites such as “Rise Above This”, “Country Song”, “Dangerous” and “Fake It”. But they saved the best for last with an amazing performance of “Remedy”.
Now it was time for the final act of the night, and quite literally they saved the best for last, Staind. For many Staind was one the most influential bands to come out of the 2000’s. Their dark, heavy, and introspective music was unlike anything anyone was doing at the time and quickly resonated with music lovers. Unfortunately, the band went on hiatus but returned with a vengeance in 2019. With a giant curtain spread across the stage with the bands name emblazoned on it, it was finally time for the final band, and the anticipation was palpable. When the curtain dropped the band immediately launched into “Lowest In Me”. If there was one obvious thing, lead singer Aaron Lewis sounded fantastic. His voice hasn’t changed after all these years he can still growl with the best of them while shifting gears to a delicate plaintive delivery. Every song they performed wowed the crowd. And the band had plenty of material to wow them with including “For You”, “It’s Been A While”, “Outside”, and “Something To Remind You”. But the band saved the best for last. When bassist Johnny April started pounding out the iconic bass line of “Mudshovel” everyone went nuts and of course the band fed off of the energy and put on a performance that was perfect for capping off a night.
Once again Tampa Bay area rock fans were treated to an incredible day of music courtesy of local rock radio station 98 Rock and their namesake festival. Every band brought their A game to Amalie Arena. From the younger bands that are growing, they earned plenty of new fans, while the veteran acts got to show why they are still the top dogs. Hopefully, next year’s 98 Rockfest will be every bit as good as this year’s show.
98 Rock:
Amalie Arena: