Upheaval Festival 2024 Thrashes & Throttles Grand Rapids
Upheaval Festival ripped through our eardrums once again at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 19 and 20, boasting headliners Bad Omens and Godsmack – two of 2024’s most sought-after bands to see this year.
With a robust 2-day lineup, fans descended on the grounds to catch other acts including Beartooth, Killswitch Engage, Badflower, Sevendust, Of Mice & Men, I See Stars, and many more. Check out the individual lineups, and our verdicts below, and click on any photo to open the gallery for optimal viewing.
DAY 1
SALIVA
We kicked off our day with Saliva after trekking out from Detroit, and they were the perfect act to get us started. The current lineup consists of frontman Bobby Amaru, who holds down the sound perfectly. Dare we say he covers Josey Scott’s parts very well (despite Josey touring with his own version of Saliva). The band’s switches in players are semi-hard to track, but the current lineup includes Brad Stewart (formerly of Shinedown, Fuel), and Sammi Jo Bishop, who took up former drummer Paul Crosby’s spot.
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM. CLICK ANY IMAGE TO OPEN THE GALLERY.
They killed their set, and included tracks like “Ladies and Gentleman,” “Come Back Stronger,” “High On Me,” and of course, they played “Always” and “Click Click Boom.” Check out the full setlist here.
AUSTIN MEADE
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Austin Meade was a new artist for us, and we’re digging the sound. Unfortunately, the setlist did not make it online, so we encourage you to look into Austin Meade’s discography here to get a feel for his sound!
OF MICE & MEN
Of Mice & Men have a ferocious presence, and it was on display for their set on Friday. Kicking through some of their most popular tracks like “Second & Sebring,” “The Depths,” and “Warpaint,” the crowd was thrashing and throwing down, chucking crowd surfers over the barricade in the hot sun. Lead Vocalist Aaron Pauley and crew enthralled all the attendees from the Main Stage, and you can check out the entire setlist playlist here on Spotify.
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM. CLICK ANY IMAGE TO OPEN THE GALLERY.
AYRON JONES
Ayron Jones is one of our favorites, and we were happy to see him and his band on the lineup as bands were being announced. The swagger that this band brings and their charismatic way of performing keep everyone entertained and make them even more exciting to photograph because you know you’re going to get killer views!
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM. CLICK ANY IMAGE TO OPEN THE GALLERY.
Check out Ayron Jones’ full discography, with our favorite standout tracks “Boys From The Puget Sound,” “Supercharged,” and “Filthy” here.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
Killswitch Engage puts on a hell of a show. Apparently, the crowd was SO READY to throw down that the set had to be stopped twice within the first 3 songs (during “This Fire” and “Strength of the Mind”) because the pit got too rowdy and injuries ensued. The important part to note is that frontman Jesse Leach told the crowd to throw up an X with their arms if they needed to stop to get help, and they abided by this rule, along with making sure to remind everyone that if someone falls down, you help them back up.
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The band kicked through 14 tracks, including “The End of Heartache,” “The Last Serenade,” and their famed Dio cover, “Holy Diver.” Relive the setlist by visiting this Spotify playlist here.
SEVENDUST
Sunset brought out Sevendust, and it was the perfect time to capture this legacy band at the Lookout Stage. We’ve never seen Sevendust live, and they were a main favorite of many of the people we chatted with as fans arrived via golfcart at the top of the hill. Formed in 1994 bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly, and rounded out by lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery, the intensity radiated across the crowd.
ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMI NICOLE ACRONYM. CLICK ANY IMAGE TO OPEN THE GALLERY.
While we aren’t well versed in their discography, we were particularly thrilled with the sights and sounds that we were introduced to, and the sunlight shining through Lajon’s dreads as he headbanged made for killer snapshots to send home. Check out their 11-song setlist here.
GODSMACK
Godsmack is one of those legacy bands that you need to catch at least once in your life. They’ve been kings in the Active Rock Radio scene for as long as I can remember, and it’s easy to see why, as they put on a strong, epic, technical performance.
They kicked off their set with “When Legends Rise,” which might be familiar to WWE fans as it was the theme for Super Showdown 202o. It was an epic start to their set as drummer Shannon Larkin held down the sound for a good 15-30 seconds before the rest of the band joined in, and built the anticipation for what was to come.
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The rest of their set included fan favorites like “Voodoo,” “Cryin’ Like A Bitch!!,” and of course, they ended their set with their biggest hit, “I Stand Alone.” Check out the setlist playlist on Spotify.
UPDATE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 31
After reporting on the portion of Godsmack’s set that we were present for, it has come to our attention that Godsmack said things that do not align with our values at ACRONYM ZINE, so we wanted to provide an update.
According to first-hand accounts reported on our post in the Upheaval Facebook Group, as well as on a cluster of photos of the band on Upheaval’s page, Frontman Sully Era decided to take this celebration of music to bash the LGBTQIA+ community. One Facebook User shared the remarks she heard, including “Michigan where men are men and women are women,” and that “He also made a ‘joke’ about not being able to say the word ‘p$$y’ because he didn’t know if it was a pronoun.”
This type of hate is not something we want to praise at ACRONYM ZINE, and because we did not witness it, it was not reported on. Other attendees corroborated that these remarks were said, and mentioned that they came to hear him sing, not hear his opinions, and that it was a vibe-kill to the entire performance. Someone also accused Erna of being drunk and slurring his words.
Because of this, we felt the need to update our audience and take our stand, as many of our contributors and readers are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I, a Pansexual Woman, as the Editor-In-Chief do not condone or praise Godsmack. Our words previously were based on the songs we heard, and we do not feel the same, now that we heard how the performance was tainted. Our apologies for not having this information sooner, and thank you to those who reached out to us to provide this information.
DAY 2
DROWNING POOL
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We kicked off Day 2 with Drowning Pool, because OF COURSE, we couldn’t miss our chance to hear “Bodies.” Fans — both casual and rabid were ready to rock out with the band, and I even heard people post-set on the golf cart saying that they knew way more Drowning Pool tracks than they gave themself credit for. The band kicked off their set with “Sinner,” “Step Up,” and “Feel Like I Do,” as well as covering Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” See most of their setlist (aside from one track fans didn’t identify) on Spotify.
I SEE STARS
This was our second time seeing I See Stars this month, which is kind of hilarious when you consider that ACRONYM ZINE hasn’t covered I See Stars before 2024 despite them being from Metro Detroit. Our first encounter with them was on the ’20 Years of Tears’ Tour with Hawthorne Heights, and we’ve been doing our research to find which tracks we loved best from this extremely intense band.
