Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival
Dodge Theatre
Hartford, Connecticut
September 11, 2011
Tony Pijar

The Uproar Festival, quite likely the last of the US summer festivals, came to Hartford and was greeted by approximately 15, 000 metal fans. No classic metal bands here, just newer metal acts including Sevendust, Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Three Days Grace.
Hell or Highwater kicked off the show and was the most traditional sounding band of the day. They are a relatively new group who gained a great deal of exposure here. Their self-titled debut album came out in July and is rather good. So, how would they fare live? Quite good! “We all want to go Home” and “Hail Mary” were particularly effective – heavy, dark and melodic.
Canadian band Art of Dying was up next and they, too, were excellent. They’re best described as an aggressive alternative band. Not really my cup of tea, but nonetheless they went down well. The band aired a couple songs from their recently released “Vices and Virtues” album, with the rest being older favorites. They opened with “Straight Across my Mind” and followed with “Get Through this” and “Die Tryin”.
I used to love Black Tide. Their debut was a breath of fresh air combining the best traits of old Metallica and Maiden. Check out “Shockwaves” for proof. Their second release, “Post Mortem”, has been out for a few weeks now and is a complete and utter disappointment. Ditto live. They’ve become a second rate Bullet for my Valentine without the fire and passion. When I saw them a couple years ago, they rocked with unbridled enthusiasm, but this time around there was more posturing and, again, the new songs didn’t hold up. I’m all for growth, but Black Tide has totally moved from the excellence of their debut to the land of mediocrity. Sad.
Sevendust headlined the outside stage was one of the most well-received bands, and rightfully so. Their brand of forceful alternative metal rocked the eager audience. Vocalist Lajon Witherspoon was unbelievably good. The band’s intensity never faltered as the likes of “The End is Coming”, “Splinter” and “Face to Face” hit home hard. Guitarists Clint Lowery and John Connolly were superb as well. They deserved to have more time on stage with 30 minutes being all too brief.
Escape the Fate opened the Rockstar stage inside the venue. They look glam, but are more suited in the alternative metal vein. Their music actually spans across several genres including thrash, industrial, and metalcore. With their third release, all of the above musical scopes have come together, and live they were an immense wall of sound. With tight, chugging riffs in place, the likes of “The Flood”, “The War is ours”, and “Issues” went down well.
Bullet for my Valentine combines the best traditional and new metal characteristics with ease. They’re like Maiden and Avenged Sevenfold with the aggression of early Slayer. They opened with “Your Betrayal” and maintained a high level of force throughout their set. The newer tunes from “Fever” held their own against crowd favorites such as “Tears Don’t Fall” and “Scream Aim Fire”.
Seether is a band that I latched onto back in the day because they were more southern rock than modern alternative metal, which is where they are grouped nowadays. While the band never fails to impress, I couldn’t get into their newer material. Of course, the audience loved them. “Country Song”, “Fake it” and “Remedy” epitomized where the band is at musically. A great performance, though, from both the band and crowd. Vocalist Shaun Morgan needn’t have uttered a word as the audience sang to every song with unadulterated praise.
The fan support continued when Three Days Grace hit the stage. “The Good Life” was up first and hit after hit followed. “Home”, “Never too Late”, and the awesome “Riot” went down in a storm. Front man Adam Gontier is the consummate performer and singer. A simply fantastic performance.
Uproar headliners Avenged Sevenfold is currently on a popularity high. I couldn’t believe how well-received they were. Cue pandemonium as the band made their way to the stage. “Nightmare” set the tone properly. “Critical Acclaim”, the great “Welcome to the Family”, and “Afterlife” went by in a flash. Newer track, “Not Ready to Die” fitted comfortably with the older gems. The darker “A Little Taste of Heaven” and breakout hit “Bat Country” were excellent. The onstage antics from the synchronized movements and overwhelming pyro demonstrated a band in top flight. Easy pick as the band of the Uproar Festival.
A great event with a couple minor quips on my part. A few of the bands were too similar in their musical approach and the bands on the outside stage didn’t have enough time to spread out. I still am shaking my head at the fact that Sevendust only got a half hour slot. Other than that, a cool end of the summer festival.