Mudvayne & Disturbed at Upheaval Festival

Posted on July 26, 2022 at 11:00 AM by The Biker Lawyers

If you’re road tripping to a music festival, this is the one to go to

There is no feeling quite like a motorcycle road trip to a massive rock festival. There is something about that nostalgic feeling of seeing rock music live shows that remind you of classic rock. Epic experiences with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Guns n Roses, The Rolling Stones… I think you get the point. Many of those bands were before my time, but thanks to amazing festivals organized here in the Midwest, I’ve been able to see some of the best bands of the last 50 years.

Not your ordinary music festival

This is not your ordinary music festival. Mudvayne, Disturbed, and Breaking Benjamin are just a few of the amazing acts taking the stage at Upheaval Fest.

Every year, I make sure to attend a rock festival, and here in the Midwest? We are lucky to have 3 really big ones! The biggest one is in Wisconsin, 2nd in Michigan, and another in Ohio!

While many make their way to the annual Rock Fest, I prefer to head to the Michigan one named Upheaval Festival.

It conveniently takes place in my hometown, and as a Dad with a 1 ½ year? That’s free babysitting with Grandma and Grandpa! So I get to enjoy a 2-day rock festival, and my daughter gets family time! Epic right?

Upheaval Festival, this is the 2nd year they have done it, and this year was LOADED with acts that I have seen plenty of times before, but some I had either never heard before or some that I was excited to see cause it had been so long!

Knowing what to expect at the Upheaval Festival

Headlining this show was none other than Breaking Benjamin on Day 1 and Disturbed on Day 2, but it was the lower bands that got me excited, especially the return of Mudvayne!

It had been 11 years since this band was doing really anything, so hearing that they were going to be at this, my heart was racing with excitement! Some other great bands like Three Days Grace, Nothing More, DED, and ever brand new to me bands like The Warning, Oxymorrons, Ayron Jones, and Heartsick, all kept the show interesting.

Day one of the Upheaval Festival

Day 1 was epic, and the merch line was something to really gawk at.

As someone who enjoyed this festival the first year, the merch line is extremely long… for some reason they only have one merch tent for ALL of the bands for a 2 day festival! This doesn’t make much sense to me, but knowing that was going to be an issue, my friends and I got in line first thing to get the stuff that we wanted and got out.

Some of the bands we enjoyed first were Heartsick, Theory of a Deadman, The Warning, and more..but the one I was insanely stoked for was Mudvayne. Seeing Chad Grey back on stage with the band in that trademark makeup from 2001 was like I jumped in a DeLorean time machine and headed back to my teen years, it was mind-blowing.

They also sounded so damn good, like they never stopped playing for those 11 years! The night rounded out with Breaking Benjamin, which don’t get me wrong, I love them…but have you seen specific rock bands so much that you are kinda getting tired of them? Yeah, that was Breaking Benjamin.

Day two of the Upheaval Festival

Day 2 was a very hot and sunny day with no shade in sight!

Bands like Hatebreed, Three Days Grace, and Nothing More, were all welcomed in the day and I was ready for some more rock.

Festival food that doesn’t make you wanna heave

Something I look forward to at this festival as well as the food trucks, cause food truck food is just fun. I gravitated towards the Tamele truck where they also had Elote (which if you didn’t know, is corn on the cob covered in mayonnaise, cheese, and Cajun seasoning) it was, so, damn, good!

After a good meal, we trekked up to Nothing More, which those guys just know how to slay a stage man. No pyro is needed, the energy they give off is enough for their performance!

Disturbed satisfies the Midwest

The final band of the night was, of course, Disturbed, and if the Midwest were to love one band, it’s probably Disturbed. Slaying hit after hit like Voices, Prayer, 10,000 Firsts, and even a new one named Hey You. They ended the set with the now classic ‘Down with the Sickness’ and we made our way out to get to the car before traffic took over!

Final Festival Thoughts

It was an epic weekend, and festivals like this are so great cause they give you a couple of days where you aren’t stressing about bills, work, and everyday life. Once you are in, you cannot leave, giving your mind a nice rest from everyday life and the mind the chance to live in the moment.

About The Biker’s Ambassador of Rock

If you live in the Cedar Valley in Iowa, you probably know Ned. If not, you surely know his voice! Ned, the Music Director at Rock 108, is known for his energetic personality, wild spirit, and love for all things Live rock. In an epic collaboration with Rock 108, Ned will be presenting excellent inside experiences to our motorcycle riding community exclusively here so subscribe to the blog and check back every week to see what Ned’s up to next!

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