November 2021

After missing 2020, the return of Aftershock – the premiere California rock festival – has been highly anticipated. Line-up changes, covid-19 protocols, and the general uncertainty we all live with every day now made this year’s festival one of the most diffi- cult to pull off in Aftershock’s history. Despite all the challenges, the organizers were able to deliver the event without any major problems at all. 2021 was another amazing year at Aftershock. The festival typically sells out far in advance, and this year was no exception. The announcement in 2019 that Metallica would be headlining on two of the four nights playing unique sets each time was a big selling point. Even without this monumental happening, Aftershock would almost certainly have sold out an- yway because the fans of the festival, both local and from the farthest reaches of the country, are very loy- al. They have been there before and they know what they will be getting. The venue is Discovery Park, a 300-acre site in down- town Sacramento. It is the perfect place for a large music festival with its multitude of shade trees (a rarity at festivals) and lawn (instead of pavement or gravel). From the ground up, literally, the festival is comfortable and accessible. It is true that Sacramento has a fairly dry climate and so the festival does tend to be a somewhat dusty affair, but that is far better than rain. The weather was cool and pleasant all four days, close to perfect. The covid-19 protocol for the festival required at- tendees to either be vaccinated or have a negative covid-19 test within a couple days of the festival. You also had to show proof of one or the other to get into the grounds. This turned out to not be much trouble at all and, once having shown your proof of vacci- nation or a negative test (I had a photo of my vacci- nation record on my phone), you received a wrist- band for the weekend and did not have to go through the process again. This same procedure was used at Louder Than Life a few weeks back in Louisville and it worked equally well there. I think this will be the standard that is embraced by venues and organizers because it appears to be effective and it is fairly easy to administer. It is also a small price to pay in order to have live music events. The site was laid out very efficiently. Two main stages were set up a short walk apart, and a third stage was far enough away and behind enough trees that lights and sound did not intermingle in an unpleasant way when two bands were playing at the same time. For fans who opted to upgrade to VIP, its area was situ- ated in a large swatch between the two main stages so you could stroll a few paces under the shade trees when one band ended and easily see the next. The variety of food and beverages for concert-goers exceeds any event I attended this year. The regular beer was Coors, and there were other varieties you could pick from as well for a small up-charge. I usu- ally stick with noodles at a festival and they had a lot of choices there plus pretty much anything else most people would want to eat, including many vegetarian and vegan options. Besides food, there were a large number of eclectic sellers of merchandise as well of- fering products ranging from craft soap to Ernie Ball guitar strings. There was no way you could be bored at this festival. The headliner for Thursday was Cypress Hill, and the big news for me was the incredible line-up of thrash bands. The Bay Strikes Back tour members Testa- ment, Exodus, and Death Angel were all on the bill. This was especially exciting given that the US dates for the Bay Strikes Back Tour had been postponed until next year, except for this performance and one other. Anthrax also played on Thursday, as did Knocked Loose and Oxymorrons. It was a wild time. The first day’s schedule was a little shorter than the other days, and only two stages were active. It was an excellent get-to-know-you day that allowed for set- tling in, getting the lay of the land, and hearing the Aftershock 2021, Sacremento, California Words by Wayne Edwards 16