It rains a lot in Florida. I mean it rains a shitload. Thought coming from humid Houston we were used to this weather but Daytona had something in store for us. The Rockville Music festival held at Daytona Motor Speedway promised to be the largest festival of the year hosting more than 80 hard and heavy bands. This was right up our alley so we packed up and flew East.
With the death of Taylor Hawkins the Foo Fighters cancelled and Nine Inch Nails was announced as their replacement. Dave Navarro was down from Covid so Janes Addiction also cancelled and Perry’s Porno for Pyros dutifully filled in (more on that show and review on this site). Megadeth also cancelled and a host of others due to the inclement weather throughout the festival. For those who attended the first day they got a full lineup of shows without delays but for Friday and Saturday when we arrived most were cancelled due to mandatory evacuations from lightning. Headliners including Korn and Guns n Roses never played a note.
Sunday came with the hopes of better weather and we earnestly got to the racetrack. Luck prevailed, the weather held up and we were greeted with great music all day and night. Sunday’s headliners were Nine Inch Nails. Having never seen them I was personally curious. Honestly I don’t own any of their material and was only familiar with their videos really. What we got from them on Sunday was a mixture of the continued bad luck of the festival and a combination of hypnotic sounds and visuals.
The set up on stage was pretty minimal with white lights as expected to contrast their darker imagery. There was a drum set which was encouraging as well as multiple keyboard bays. Reznor and company took the stage to a raucous Florida greeting both from half belief they were actually playing and sheer excitement. We skipped the Smashing Pumpkins and got close for Porno for Pyros which meant we were in a great spot for NIN playing the same stage. From the first notes it was constant activity from the crowd surfers we would help along the way to the stage.
During their third song into the set Less Than the band abruptly stopped. Reznor blamed technical issues and was visibly frustrated. This lasted for a while. During the next song March of the Pigs they had to stop again and take a further break for 20 minutes. They were definite you’ve got to be kidding moments. In forty years of attending big concerts I’ve never seen this occur. Reznor apologized again sensitive to what the crowd had been through the previous three days.
After those suspensions though the band was able to complete their set and deliver a strong show. Highlights included Closer, The Perfect Drug, Bowie’s I’m Afraid of Americans and of course the great sing along of Hurt. The mix was excellent given the conditions. I found myself lost in the music closing my eyes and luckily alerted by a concert goer nearby when another crowd surfer was about to hit my head. It was a perfect blend of chaos, beats and stark visuals. Since the show I’ve been getting into their catalog on Spotify. Good stuff. t
