SACRAMENTO — The third day of Aftershock Fest, on Saturday, was also a celebration of the artists who have been putting in the work for years, or in the case of headliners My Chemical Romance, have reunited after years apart.

The emo band was playing its second NorCal show after bringing its tour to Oakland Arena the previous week. But for Sacramento’s own Papa Roach, topping a bill like this was worth the wait of a lifetime. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix said as much on Saturday.

Papa Roach

“We said we’d come back, but only if we could headline,” Shaddix said, recalling the band’s appearance at the fest in 2013. “And here we are on a sold-out night at Aftershock.”

It was the band’s largest hometown show ever, and the fans showed up in large numbers. Clearly, Papa Roach knew it would need to up its game for this gig, and it did just that. The band opened with a ferocious rendition of new track “Kill the Noise,” with Shaddix owning the stage in a red and black leather jacket.

Already one of hard rock’s most compelling live performers, Shaddix was the master of ceremonies as the band powered through some of its biggest hits. From “Getting Away with Murder” to “Help,” it was a cavalcade. Shaddix stirred up the pit on Infest classics “Blood Brothers” and “Dead Cell.”

“We’d do a wall of death, but they have this crowd separated,” Shaddix joked, referencing the barricades running down the middle of the field.

The band was aggressive yet poised, focused yet unpredictable, playing with unrelenting power. Following covers of Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” and The Prodigy’s “Firestarter,” Shaddix brought out his first guest of the night: Fever 333’s Jason Aalon Butler. They performed “Swerve” live for the first time together.

Following a raucous “..To Be Loved,” guitarist Jerry Horton’s daughter Amelia came out to play bass on an extended jam before the band launched into emotional power ballad “Scars.”

“The next generation of rock could be right here in the crowd tonight,” Shaddix said.

The band shot its next “one-take” music video during “No Apologies” before leading the crowd in a singalong of the intense “Between Angels and Insects.” Needing no introduction, the band moved right into “Last Resort,” a track that has somehow bridged the gap between Gen Z TikTokers and nu-metal millennials. 

 

The night was not over. Papa Roach’s big finish was inviting the UC Davis marching band, with well over two dozen musicians, onto the stage for the rhythmic “Born For Greatness.” Greatness achieved.

A Day To Remember

Ocala, Florida hard rockers A Day to Remember were also repeat performers on the Aftershock stage. The band delivered a set that was not only heavy and visual, but more mature than some of its past performances. ADTR has always delivered musically, but it would often resort to entertaining novelties that fed into the bombast of the festival. Saturday, the band brought more focus on production, along with its signature brutality. 

Opening with “The Downfall of Us All,” A Day To Remember powered through some of its fastest and heaviest material early, moving into “All I Want” and “Paranoia.” Frontman Jeremy McKinnon kept his sarcastic wit in his banter throughout.

“Who’s ready for Papa Roach?” McKinnon asked before breaking into an impromptu soulful rendition of “Last Resort.”

The majority of the material came from 2009 album Homesick, but included tracks from throughout the band’s catalog. It closed out its main set with the heavy mainstays “Miracle” and “Resentment.”

“We could walk off stage and act like we aren’t coming back and then we do … or we can just go ahead and play three more songs,” McKinnon said.

Concluding with the acoustic “If It Means a Lot to You,” A Day to Remember finished off with classic cuts “All Signs Point to Lauderdale” and “The Plot to Bomb the Pandhandle.”

Halestorm

Hard rockers Halestorm turned in one of the best sets of the night, proving once again why the road warriors are one of the best live acts in rock and roll. Frontwoman Lzzy Hale fiercely proclaimed the band’s arrival with the first notes out of her mouth.

“I’m back from the dead,” Hale sang with a visceral roar that’s unmatched in hard rock.

Halestorm leaned heavily on its latest release, Back From the Dead, while also sprinkling in some of its biggest hits. The band’s live performances are heralded, but it feels like Halestorm has truly hit its stride, combining impressive chops with a natural confidence that comes across clearly.

Structurally, the band isn’t doing much different than it’s done before. It’s just doing it better. Case in point, drummer Arejay Hale’s drum solo, which has evolved over the years. On Saturday, the green-haired drummer even flexed his drumheads to change their sound. Lzzy Hale and guitarist Joe Hottinger played off each other well on tracks like “I Miss the Misery.”

“This is my church, and you are my people,” Hale said before the band’s closing song, “The Steeple.”

Theory of a Deadman

One of the surprise highlights of the day came from Canadian imports Theory of a Deadman, another band that played the first Aftershock Festival a decade ago. Opening with “Lowlife,” the band played a set full of its hits, also adding a debut performance of a song from its forthcoming album. Frontman Tyler Connolly was understated, sarcastic and funny. He played with the crowd after singing a snippet of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”

“There’s only one person that can sing this better: Mr. Garth Brooks. Let’s bring him out here!” Connolly said—though obviously Brooks never appeared. “Did he screw us over again!?”

The set was equal parts hard rockers, power ballads and singalong anthems. The crowd pitched in on memorable tracks like “Bad Girlfriend” and “Hate My Life.”

Theory of a Deadman debuted—and shot a video—for new song “Dinosaur,” which should be released in two weeks, with the album following in February.

Yungblud

As much as they were excited for the night’s closing band, My Chemical Romance, the younger attendee contingent was pretty clearly amped for U.K. punk rocker Yungblud. The singer pulled in an absolutely massive crowd to the main stage. Fans were sprawled to its farthest reaches. 

Opening with “The Funeral,” Yunglud knew his audience, immediately commanding them to move.

“Open that pit up, I want to see it wider,” he shouted multiple times before continuing.

The upbeat songs kept coming with “superdeadfriends” and “parents,” the crowd obliging with energy to match. 

Yungblud even threw in a rock-centric take on his Machine Gun Kelly collaboration, “I Think I’m OKAY.”

Ho99o9

The performance by punk and rap group Ho99o9 (Horror) was both exciting and unpredictable. It remains difficult to classify what the group does, as it combines so many different stylistic elements in such an unorthodox way. Eaddy and theOGM delivered aggressive thrash alongside rhymes over samples and loops of chaotic punk rock. One member wore shoulder pads with horns coming out of them. The band provided a refreshing alternative to the endless array of riffs on most of the festival’s stages.

Lilith Czar

Despite a tight window for a set early in the day, Lilith Czar delivered a high-octane set that showcased Juliet Simms’ powerhouse vocals. Opening with ferocious “Feed My Chaos,” Simms moved into bluesy rocker “100 Little Deaths” and then to a cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen.” Lilith Czar is a compelling performer with a brilliant voice that deserves some extra attention.

Trash Boat

U.K. imports Trash Boat provided a heavy yet varied set on a festival side stage. The band mixed hardcore aggression with some alt-electronic flourishes that rounded out its sound. Sometimes punky, sometimes sounding like Linkin Park, Trash Boat delivered an interesting sound that doesn’t really sound like much else at Aftershock. Vocalist Tobi Duncan was a charismatic frontman, telling stories while introducing many of the songs. For example, Duncan explained that closer “He’s So Good” was a song about gender identity.

Beartooth

Beartooth turned in one of the heavier sets of the day, which was still anthemic. The band drew most from its Below record, opening with “The Lines,” “Devastation” and “In Between,” before concluding with “The Last Riff.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.