Having attended festivals in the past, it was very exciting to attend something much closer to home with a variety of larger than life bands that check the multiple genre boxes in the never-ending list of rock categories. This year was just as I expected when the 2022 installment of the Upheaval Festival was announced. After performances by 22 hard-rocking bands and two long days of moshing at Grand Rapids’ Belknap Park, metalheads had one more dance with the heavy metal gods late Saturday night.
Disturbed greeted the largest crowd of this incredible weekend with heavy riffs and primal drumming that propelled a 16-song set that ignited the late-night spectacle with “Ten Thousdands Fists” and wrapped up with “Down With the Sickness” to wrap up the encore. (The band, of course, also rolled out its much-ballyhooed cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” near the end of the main set.
It was pretty clear after polling fans that Mudvayne was the clear favorite of the weekend. That being said, there were other bands that fans had great things to say about.
It was pretty clear after polling fans that Mudvayne was the clear favorite of the weekend. That being said, there were other bands that fans had great things to say about. Avatar performed on the Lookout Stage and brought a unique performance only they can provide. Very entertaining and this band could have easily been on the main stage and odds are they will be the next time they are at Upheaval. Nothing More closed out the Lookout Stage on day two of Upheaval. This was an incredible performance that even had the Butcher Babies crowd surfing while they performed. More fans climbed that hill at Belknap Park for Nothing More than any other band all weekend and everyone agreed it was worth the climb. One of the most epic moments of the weekend was when the guy in the wheelchair crowd surfed and when he and his chair went over the barricade, Jonny Hawkins the lead singer of Nothing More was there to greet him and let him sit in the photo pit for the rest of the show.
This was one of the best experiences of my life. the atmosphere was totally a vibe of brotherly heavy metal love. i would absolutely recommend anyone on the fence about attending Upheaval Festival to secure tickets for a life changing experience!