On April 21st, fans gathered at the Amalie Arena in Tampa for a night filled with fun rock bands at 98ROCKFEST. The night started with a free show in the arena courtyard featuring Skratch-N-Sniff, Dropout Kings, Fame on Fire, and Dorothy. This portion of the festival was open to anyone and everyone, getting fans with tickets geared up for the exciting night ahead of them.
After the first four acts of the night, the crowd poured into the arena to prepare for the insane lineup ahead. Bad Wolves started out the night strong playing seven songs including “Killing Me Slowly” and their iconic cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie.” The next band to hit the stage was Beartooth. They played nine of their tracks and live debuted “Sunshine,” which came out less than 24 hours before this performance. Fans were already singing along to the chorus, creating a warm atmosphere in the arena.
A smile was visible on Caleb Shomo’s face seeing the arena singing his lyrics right back at him. They ended their set with “The Past is Dead,” which is featured in their album Below. The Pretty Reckless followed soon after Beartooth. They added an energy to the show that was not present before, and that could only be described as sensual. Taylor Momsen along with the rest of the band’s energy on stage was captivating and really got the crowd going! Playing fan favorites such as “Make Me Wanna Die” and “Heaven Knows,” along with six other songs made for a great middle set. Falling in Reverse was up next, creating an exuberant crowd for the next eleven songs. Some of their older, well-known tracks, such as “I’m Not A Vampire” and “The Drug In Me Is You,” made for great sing-alongs with the crowd, while newer tracks such as “Zombified” and “Watch The World Burn” do a wonderful job of displaying Ronnie Radke’s range and vocal ability. Breaking Benjamin ended the night on a high note with their sixteen-song set. The dark lights mixed with their dark deep vocals created a gloomy ambiance that the fans loved. Loud cheers rang through the arena, especially during “The Diary of Jane,” “I Will Not Bow,” and “Red Cold River.” In between sets, the voices of 98ROCK got up on stage for some merch giveaways as well as crowning a prom queen and marrying a couple! You can never expect what's going to happen at 98ROCKFEST, but it’s always something fun and entertaining.
All images of Breaking Benjamin, Falling in Reverse, The Pretty Reckless, Beartooth, & Bad Wolves via Nolan Fisher for Musaholic Magazine.
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