As spring approaches, the season of festivals grows closer and closer. No matter what type of music you enjoy or where you plan to travel, there’s going to be a festival for you. New festivals are popping up every year, and five years ago, North Carolina’s Carolina Rebellion was one of those festivals.
Carolina Rebellion producers RockHouse Presents, Danny Wimmer Presents, and AEG Live host a number of other festivals across the United States, and when searching for an additional location to expand their festival reach they realized that the Carolinas were truly underserved when it came to rock festivals.
Co-Executive Producer Gary Spivak of RockHouse Presents sat down to talk about the future of the festival and the importance of the fans. “It’s the fifth year of the festival, and we’ve found that we have a faithful and amazing fan base,” says Spivak. The festival carries a consistent array of devoted attendees each year who affectionately refer to themselves as the Rebels. He says, “Carolina Rebellion has its own life form, and the Rebels are the main part of that.”
Because of this, festival producers feel a strong responsibility to give back to the fans as much as possible. Spivak explains that it’s less about the bands brought in and more about the experience as a whole. “You have to give them an unforgettable experience. You can’t just plop up a stage or two and put some bands on it and hope people come. You have to provide a whole experience, and we think we do that at Carolina Rebellion,” he says.
Spivak and his partners host Rock on the Range, a similar festival that takes place in Columbus, OH. Though Carolina Rebellion is similar to Rock on the Range, there are some differences. What makes this festival so unique is that it’s not a festival suited specifically for heavy metal fans nor specifically for hard rock fans; instead, it’s a weekend filled with various artists suited for all types of rock fans. “There’s something for everybody from the classic rock of Sammy Hagar and Cheap Trick to the newer rock of Rise Against and Of Mice & Men to the straight down the middle rock of Papa Rock and Halestorm,” Spivak says.
Headlining the event on Saturday and Sunday are Korn and Slipknot. Other notable acts include Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Slash, and Papa Roach. Taking the Rebellion stage each year is especially meaningful for Korn, Friday’s headliner. Three years ago they reunited with former bandmate Brian Welch on the Rebellion stage, and this year the original bandmates plan to reunite once again to perform their self-titled album in its entirety. “Carolina Rebellion and Korn have a very special relationship. That should be a very emotional and intense moment when they hit the stage again,” Spivak says.
Spivak explains that producing a festival of this size is a 365-day task. He says he makes a point of walking around the grounds during the weekend not only to take a moment to relish in result of his year-round work but also because he is constantly thinking about how to improve the festival in future years. The producers think of and plan out every detail in order to pack the most into each minute in a way that works to benefit the patrons most. “Without the bands we’re nothing – and in the same token without the fans we’re nothing too. It’s this rock and roll weekend that’s [full of] music, food, drinking, and lifestyle,” he says.
Since this is the fifth anniversary of the event, this year is set to be bigger and better than ever. The festival is anticipating a record-breaking 70,000 fans to appear on the grounds over the course of the weekend and they have booked more acts than ever before. On top of that, because promoters are concerned about the fan’s secondary entertainment along with the entertainment they get from each show, they are enhancing other areas of the event as well. The campground’s Barbeque Village will be expanded, and VIP guests will be treated to a kickoff party the Friday night before the festival commences.
Carolina Rebellion, which is sponsored by Monster Energy, will take place in Concord, NC on the Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the weekend of May 2 and 3. Tickets can be purchased both beforehand as well as during the festival.
