The 2024 edition of Aftershock Festival took place in Sacramento, California, this past Thursday (October 10th) through Sunday (October 13th), and once again outdid itself with an event that was even bigger than the previous year.
With an additional fifth stage, this year’s festival proved to be one of its most diverse, once again offering something for everyone. Every year, Danny Wimmer Presents continues to expand the lineup, and this year’s festival saw many genres of music spread across four days. And although the unseasonably warm weather may have taken many by surprise, it most certainly didn’t stop the droves of fans from thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Day 1 was headlined by the mighty Slayer, who were playing their second reunion show since coming out of retirement earlier this fall. The reunion shows have been among the biggest events in the heavy metal world this year, and the band most certainly did not disappoint, tearing through a 90-minute, 20-song set. Opening with “South of Heaven,” singer Tom Araya and company showed no signs of rust, as guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt played with just as much energy as they always had. Highlights from the set included “Postmortem,” “War Ensemble,” and “Hell Awaits,” and by the time they wrapped up their set with “Angel of Death,” the rabid fans made it known that Slayer had been gone way too long.
Pantera closed out the Shockwave stage right before, more than making up for cancelling their appearance at the festival in 2023. Other highlights from the day included Till Lindemann of Rammstein, Ministry, and Halestorm.
Slipknot headlined Day 2 of the festival, playing a 1999-era set. The band are currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled album, and highlights included “Wait and Bleed,” “Me Inside,” and “Prosthetics.” Their set was as frantic as ever, just the way a Slipknot show should be.
Five Finger Death Punch closed out the night over at the Shockwave stage right before Slipknot. Other highlights of the day included Rise Against, Juliette Lewis and the Licks, Marky Ramone playing the Ramones’ greatest hits (with Tommy Victor of Prong on guitar) and British Lion, which is the “other” band of Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris.
Speaking of Iron Maiden, the band headlined Day 3, bringing their ‘Future Past Tour” to Sacramento. Opening their set with “Caught Somewhere in Time,” the band tore through a 15-song performance that emphasized their sixth studio album, Somewhere in Time. With visuals that combined the aesthetic of both Somewhere in Time and their latest record Senjutsu, the set was very Blade Runner inspired. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson wore a pair of futuristic goggles as he belted out “Stranger in a Strange Land” and “The Writing on the Wall,” while the legendary guitar team of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith traded riffs effortlessly. Bassist Steve Harris spent most of the set in his classic “one foot on the monitor” pose, as the band more than delivered the goods with “Days of Future Past,” “Heaven Can Wait,” and “Alexander the Great.” By the time they wrapped up their set with an encore of “Hell on Earth,” “The Trooper,” and “Wasted Years,” Iron Maiden left no doubt that they were THE band of the entire festival.
Judas Priest closed out the night over at the Shockwave stage, and delivered a stellar set for their fans who packed the entire section of the park. Other highlights of the day included Body Count (who opened their set with a roaring cover of the Slayer classics “Postmortem” and “Raining Blood”) and Anthrax, which saw the return of bassist Frank Bello (who had been absent from the group due to personal reasons).
The fourth and final day of Aftershock was headlined by Motley Crue, who put on a 90-minute, 16 song set with new guitarist John 5. All the classics were played, including ‘Shout at the Devil,” “Too Fast for Love,” and “Looks That Kill.”
Disturbed closed out the Shockwave stage, with vocalist Dave Draiman making his second appearance of the day, having joined Nothing More to perform “Angel Song,” a song he provided guest vocals for on the latter band’s latest album. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the day was Tom Morello, who played to a packed crowd on the DWP Stage. Joined by his 13-year-old son Roman for a couple of songs, the Rage Against the Machine guitarist and his band belted out a 1o song setlist that included a cover of MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams” and RATM’s “Killing in the Name.”
By the time it was all said and don,e Aftershock once again showed why the festival has become the West Coast’s biggest heavy music event. Every year, the organizers seem to pull off something even bigger and better than the previous year, and if this year’s installment is any indication, the 2025 edition is not to be missed.