Day 2 of Upheaval Festival at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan was another hot and smokey day, although not quite as intense as day 1. The crowd showed up again well before gates opened and were ready to start day 2.

The Upheaval Stage (main) for day 2 consisted of Silly Goose, Dying Wish, Jinger, Bilmuri and Papa Roach. I was able to catch all 5 bands on the Upheaval Stage!

Starting off strong was Silly Goose, the nu metal/rap/rock/hip-hop/alt fusion band from Atlanta, Georgia! I knew enough about this band to know they were going to be good. What I wasn’t prepared for was the absolute blast it would be. Bands like them are why I do what I do. High energy, chaotic, tons of crowd surfers, mosh pits, something happening everywhere I look. A favorite moment for me was when vocalist Jackson Foster jumped into the crowd and sang while crowd surfing. And I got to document the whole thing!

Next up was Dying Wish, Portland, Oregon based melodic metalcore band. Again, expectations exceeded! Energy off the charts, the crowd was digging them, and it just made for a fun experience. The band is made up of Emma Boster [vocals], Pedro Carrillo [guitar], Sam Reynolds [guitar], Jeff Yambra [drums] and Jon Mackey [bass].

Keeping the vibes going was Bilmuri, solo project of Johnny Franck! I was stoked to see what all the hype was about and this band definitely “brought it”. They are a fusion of about every genre on earth, put in a blender and sipped on like the master piece that it is. Bilmuri has it all, rock, country, pop, a saxophone and somehow it all works! They were a total party from beginning to end and I have no regrets!

Jinjer, the popular Ukranian four piece progressive groove metal powerhouse band took the stage next! The band’s current lineup started in 2010 and consists of Tatiana Shmayluk [vocals], Roman Ibramkhalilov [guitar], Eugene Abdukhanov [bass] and Vlad Ulasevich [drums]. Tatiana is a force to be reckoned with and I thoroughly enjoyed their set.

Closing out the night was the amazing Papa Roach, formed in California in 1993. This band has been part of the soundtrack of my younger years in the early 2000’s to present day!  The only other time I saw them was back in the Ozzfest days. From start to finish, I screamed every song at the top of my lungs. Their set had it all, songs you could sing too, pyro, crowd connection and through the roof energy. They did a really cool “nu metal time machine” bit playing some covers from the nu metal original era which was so fun and included Korn, Deftones and System Of A Down. Jacoby Shaddix is a great front man and the entire band is very good at what they do. If you’re into rock and metal, whether you know their songs or not, you will dance and have a good time with Papa Roach!

To summerize, Upheaval Festival is a great 2-day fest and definitely worth your time if you like a little bit of a smaller fest than some of the bigger ones. All the staff, security and vendors were all helpful and friendly. The fans were all helpful with one another. The vibes were on point. I cannot say enough good things about this festival!