When I first started talking about the HeartSupport Fest I had said this was going to be a must-see event. The lineup was so good, the venue was perfect, and it had all the makings of being a great festival. After getting the opportunity to cover the event for my website, I’ll simply say, “I was right.”
The first day, Saturday, February 18th turned out to be a great weather day. It was a little cooler than people may have wanted, but that didn’t stop them from coming. After getting checked in, I started walking the grounds to get my bearings. Two stages, the betterhelp Stage was the permanent stage set at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and that area is referred to as the Orlando Amphitheater. Across the way on the opposite side was the Hot Topic Foundation Stage. In between were many food and drink vendors and even two ice cream vendors. The fest offered VIP Meet and Greet opportunities that took place inside an air-conditioned building and there was even a physical building bathroom for people to use. It honestly was a great layout for the festival.
The doors opened at 12 PM and there were tons of people from the start. By the time the first band went on at 1:30 PM it was packed. Bloodlines from Texas kicked off at the Hot Topic Foundation stage. The metalcore band came ready to rock but had some sound issues on the stage during their set. I couldn’t get a good feel for their music. Kicking off the betterhelp Stage was the metalcore band Currents. I had been looking forward to seeing them live and they did not disappoint whatsoever. They were melodic, heavy, and had circle pits running early in the day. They were truly amazing and I highly recommend checking them out.
Bleed From Within came all the way from Glasgow, Scotland to perform on the Hot Topic Foundation Stage. And they were also amazing. They were heavy, energetic, and the crowd was really tuned into them. They really put on a memorable performance. I hope they make their way back to Orlando again. Gracing the betterhelp Stage was the rock band He Is Legend. I always enjoy seeing them perform. Their performances are so electric and fun. They performed one of my favorite singles called “White Bat”. The song is catchy and just gets you moving. Schuylar Croom (vocalist) is such a great singer and performer. It was great to see them that afternoon.
Next up was The Word Alive from Phoenix, AZ. The metalcore band had a huge crowd at their set and they were amped up to hear them. They transition so easily from melodic to heavy and lead singer Tyler Smith easily does the same with his vocals. He had the crowd jamming when they performed their recent single “Nocturnal Future”, which is a great catchy tune. Check that out. Canadian punk band Comeback Kid threw down in the mid-afternoon. They wanted the crowd moving hard and they got what they asked for right from the opening track of “Heavy Steps”. Punk music always seems to bring out the energy in crowds and they re-energized the crowd who had been going hard since the beginning of the fest.
We had been so blessed already with so many great bands playing the stages that day. By this point, the fans were having such a great time at the fest. People were smiling, laughing, and just overall having fun. And when 5 PM rolled around the fans were getting ready to lose their minds with the bands performing.
Over at the Hot Topic Foundation stage was The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve been really into this band lately after their recent tour with Beartooth. Their stage presence is enrapturing. You can’t help but find yourself drawn to their music. And damn their music hits hard too. Vocalist Mike Hranica absolutely kills it behind the mic and their music is so good. The HeartSupport Fest crowd was begging for them to get nuts on stage and that’s what they did. Such a great addition to the festival and they made it all worthwhile.
Back over at the betterhelp Stage, one of my favorite metalcore bands Memphis May Fire was getting things started. The band from Texas has been on a hot streak, especially with the release of their recent album Remade in Misery in June 2022. Their mix of melodic to heavy has caught on with the fans and that absolutely showed that day. They really had the crowd singing along with singles “Somebody” and “Make Believe”. It was a fantastic performance from them and they left the crowd wanting more.
Closing out the Hot Topic Foundation stage was Florida’s own Underoath. They are a band that always brings energy to the crowd as they play hard on stage. Keyboardist Christopher Dudley was playing so hard his platform was shaking back and forth. Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain lets his vocals rip every single time and overall they just play with such fierceness. The band did have some sound issues during their set and had to pause a few times, but once they got moving they just kept it rolling. At that time, Underoath had one of the biggest crowd surfing groups coming at them. It was endless waves of people over and over and Underoath was loving it. Great performance from them that evening.
The rest of the bands played over at the betterhelp Stage for the remainder of the evening. Jake Luhrs, HeartSupport and HeartSupport Fest founder, own band August Burns Red was up next. If you want to talk about a band that brings the heavy and energy and excitement to the stage, look no further than August Burns Red. Jake took a moment to thank the crowd for coming to the fest that day and he seemed quite genuine and overwhelmed with how well the fest turned out. And when they performed, they were absolutely wild. Jake let that mic swing fly multiple times. The crowd was loving it all and really went nuts when they performed “Marianas Trench”. A seriously amazing performance.
Dance Gavin Dance the rock band from Sacramento CA was up next. The band had released their tenth studio album Jackpot Juicer in 2022 and we’re ready to rock the festival crowd. Their mix of clean vocals from Tilian Pearson and unclean vocals from Jon Mess provides them with a unique sound you don’t hear in most rock bands. And they had a great 12 song setlist that included songs like “Prisoner”, “Summertime Gladness”, and “Inspire the Liars”. It was a great performance from the band that night.
Last and definitely nowhere near least, Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive took the stage. It’s been since 2018 since the band toured the U.S. and fans were thrilled to see them back on the stage. They kicked it off with “Glitch” from their latest album Darker Still. I absolutely love that song and it’s a catchy sing-along as well. They had a great setlist that included “The Void”, “Vice Grip”, and “Darker Still”. Jake Luhrs came out to join them for a song and afterward he gave vocalist Winston McCall a huge hug. Parkway Drive also wanted more crowd surfers so they told the crowd they had autographed setlists to give away for those who got their asses up there. And the waves of crowd surfer after crowd surfer were just unreal. Parkway Drive’s performance capped off such a fantastic night.
HeartSupport Fest Day 1 was such an amazing success and was so glad to see the turnout and that this festival was well received. I looked forward to see what Day 2 was going to bring us.
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