Carolina Rebellion 2017 Will Rock Your World!

The hard rock festival in Charlotte, North Carolina features an impressive lineup of hard rock, hair metal, and alternative music and will take place from May 5-7th.

Featuring over fifty bands spanning a three-day weekend, Carolina Rebellion is set to be one of the biggest festivals of the early summer. Taking place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, fans of rock & roll will be flocking from all over the country to get a front row spot for headliners Soundgarden, Def Leppard, and Avenged Sevenfold (who headlined the festival back in its first year). Formed in 2011, Carolina Rebellion was originally just one day of rock; however, the festival has since become so popular, it’s grown into three days of music. Not to be outdone by previous years, 2017’s lineup has the most diverse group of acts to date. The headliners span the decades in popularity and will surely attract an amazing crowd.

Day 1: May 5

Friday promises to be a heavy metal fan’s dream! During the day, metalcore favorites Pierce the Veil and Every Time I Die are scheduled to rock the faces off festival-goers. For those hoping to catch a more classic rock vibe, Eagles of Death Metal and The Cult are on hand.

Once the sun goes down, heavy hitters Soundgarden will headline the festival. The alt-rockers will start a nationwide tour on April 28 in Tampa and will have a few shows to warm up before coming to Charlotte.

In addition to Soundgarden, hard rock legend and wine aficionado Maynard James Keenan will be headlining with his supergroup A Perfect Circle. The group formed back in 1999 with Maynard and guitarist Billy Howerdel fronting the project.

With such badass hits as “Judith” and “By and Down”, Maynard and company will surely make the first night of Carolina Rebellion memorable. It will be nearly impossible for festival-goers to decide between seeing Soundgarden or A Perfect Circle up close, but it might be possible to hang out in the back of the crowd and see both!

Day 2: May 6

Saturday has an eclectic lineup of artists, including one of the festival’s only female-fronted groups, The Pretty Reckless. Former TV darling Taylor Momsen now fronts the alt-rock group and takes her job as frontwoman very seriously.

Saturday also features pop-punk veterans Sum 41, who recently made a comeback and have been thrilling fans with nostalgic hits and bleached blonde tips once again. Saturday night will feature two bands that could not be more different from one another, yet both have firmly cemented their status as rock legends. First, hair metal icons Def Leppard will be headlining and playing some of the best songs from the 1980s! This year is the band’s 40th anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than to rock out at Carolina Rebellion?

Second, on the other side of the speedway, metalheads will flock by the thousands to see Korn! A band that has been steadily making kickass music for over 25 years, Korn first reached the mainstream with their hit “Freak on a Leash”, which also featured one of the coolest music videos.

The band has won two Grammys and have been nominated for an additional six, including a nomination this year for Best Metal Performance. With 12 albums under their belt and a huge following that hasn’t let up, Korn are still one of the most exciting and compelling metal bands out there.

Day 3: May 7th

The final day of Carolina Rebellion will feature some of the most energetic and exciting bands of the weekend. If you’ve never seen Taking Back Sunday, I highly suggest you get a front row seat for their set on Sunday.

Their new album, Tidal Wave, is a bit more poppy than their previous work and translates amazingly well when played live. Additionally, Christian rockers Skillet always put on an incredible show and should not be missed. The group features husband and wife John and Korey Cooper as well as Jen Ledger and Seth Morrison, and their symphonic, larger-than-life sets are always a spectacle.

Closing out what will no doubt be an amazing weekend, Carolina Rebellion veterans Avenged Sevenfold will no doubt deliver a heart-pounding show. The group have been together for nearly 20 years and have faced significant personal highs and lows (including the death of one of their founding members, The Rev). Through it all, however, they have created badass tunes and developed a huge following. They headlined Carolina Rebellion back in 2011 when the festival was brand new and just one day; they have earned their place as the final closers for this Southern rock festival!