Exit 111 is a new festival that started this year off with a bang. Many were skeptical when it was first announced because the line-up was so good, but the festival delivered without a single cancellation.
The grounds are huge, it’s where the Bonnaroo festival takes place with three big stages, food, beer and lots of other attractions. They even had a huge tent that had on all the sporting events live, all weekend from Baseball to college and even the NFL.
Day One included many great bands to start off the weekend. The highlight for me was Black Stone Cherry. Amazing band with songs filled with melody and hooks. They have a new record coming out Black to Blues and are currently on tour. They are straight ahead rock with a southern feel and are probably best known for their songs “White Trash Millionaire” and “Me and Mary Jane”. Always full of energy and fun to see.
Anthrax was off the hook and full of energy, a true crowd favorite. They worked their way through an hour-long set filled with songs most rock fans would know. They just returned from a very successful South American run of shows.
Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society was one of the heaviest bands there the first day. They are a really good hard rock band with roots on Black Sabbath and other 1970’s hard rock bands. It’s non-stop face melting music! If you like it heavy, you will love Black Label Society.
All day long the crowd was chanting fucking Slayer! So, my assumption is that was the band most were there to see. Slayer is on their farewell tour and went out with a bang. They played for well over an hour with non-stop fire and heavy songs like “Raining Blood”, “Angel of Death”, “Hell Awaits” and “Mandatory Suicide”. Admittedly it’s a band I don’t quite understand but people love them.
A band I really like is Seether. They also played a great set filled with great songs including “Stoke The Fire”, “Truth”, “Broken” and “Remedy”. They are a bit darker but very melodic and full of energy. Their drummer John Humphrey plays in another band called The Nixons which is more pop oriented and worth checking out as well. Seether was another crowd favorite.
The headliner night one was Lynyrd Skynyrd. My first thought is how do they follow a band like Slayer? Easy the crowd switched out and was filled with Lynyrd Skynyrd and some of it was being in the south, everyone likes this band. It was an evening of hit after hit on their farewell tour that could go on for a few more years. So, you may still have a chance to see them before they are done for good.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
DAY 2
This was the day I was most looking forward to, filled with power pop as well as some heavier bands. One of the many highlights of the day for me was Fever 333, these guys are completely nuts! I don’t think I have ever seen a band with more energy than Fever 333. They are so different from the other bands and seem pissed off, they are very into politics and it shows. People love them for their energy. They played over an hour doing songs like “Burn It”, “Made An America” and “Out Of Control”. This band is on the rise and a must see!
Nothing More was up mid afternoon and are becoming a fan favorite, currently on tour with Ghost. They mix in extra instrumentation which sets them apart, this is hard to explain so just go see them. They are full of energy and have some great songs including “Let ‘Em Burn”, “Go To War” and “Salem”.
What can I say about Blackberry Smoke? Other than they are one of the best rock bands I have seen in the last decade! Like Cheap Trick, every show set list is different so to me that is exciting. They are southern rock with a bit of Cheap Trick and Lynyrd Skynyrd in them. They are currently on Till the Wheels Fall Off Tour 2019 which runs through the end of the year. They are easily the best kept secret in rock. Some of the song highlights for me were “Waiting For The Thunder”, “Paybacks a Bitch” and “One Horse Town”.
Cheap Trick, The best fucking rock band you will ever see. And they are truly the hardest working. The highlight for me was “How ‘Bout You” from their 1985 release Standing On The Edge. And “Ain’t That A Shame” featuring Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke and Al Jourgensen from Ministry. If you are not a Cheap Trick fan, shame on you!
Headliners that night were Def Leppard. What do you say about a rock band with so many hits? Nothing other than they are truly amazing and very nice people. Joe Elliott told me that this was the coldest gig they have played in their career. It got down to about 37 degrees but that didn’t shop the fans form loving every minute. They played all the songs you would expect and added a few lesser known like “Switch 625”, “Paper Sun” and “Promises”. Overall a great way to end day 2.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
DAY 3
Started off with new-comers Dirty Honey who are making quite a buzz right now. They are lots of fun and have some really strong material including “Scars” and “Rolling 7’s”. They even did a cover of an Aerosmith song “Last Child”.
Alter Bridge to me was the best band on day 3. Such great writing and musicianship, they are hard to compete with. Myles Kennedy is so versatile and has a great voice. They have a new record coming out titled “Walk The Sky”. Some of the highlights from the show for me were “Wouldn’t You Rather”, “Pay No Mind” and “Addicted To Pain”. They are an amazing band that you need to check out.
Lamb Of God is insane. They have probably the most active and loyal fan base of all the bands to play over the weekend. They know what their fans expect and the give it to them in spades. They are a very heavy band like Slayer or Black Label Society. The worked their way through a 60-minute set playing fan favorites like “Walk with Me In Hell”,” Laid To Rest” and “Redneck”. I always look forward to seeing them because of the energy and crowd interaction.
Deftones were so disappointing. I thought they would be full of energy, but they were not. They were in my opinion the weakest band at the festival. Even the crowd looked bored.
Coheed and Cambria was another band I had never seen before. I thought they were ok, and they seemed to have a lot of fans there excited to see them, but they did nothing for me.
Last up Guns N’ Roses whom I have not seen since 1987. Chaos is the term I would use to describe the crowd. I can’t remember the last time the security worked so hard. Not a lot of crowd surfing but people just going nuts. I think some of their songs have such a deep impact on people like “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” and “Paradise City” that they lose their minds when they hear them. For me the concert was too long at 3 hours. They played too many covers like “Wichita Lineman” and “Black Hole Sun”. I would have preferred to hear “Patience”, “Right Next Door To Hell” and “Pretty Tied Up”. But again, none of this mattered cause the fans loved it and it was the perfect way to close out a great festival.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
