Merced County Times Newspaper - The Power of Positive Press

Aftershock 2022 kicked off Thursday with headliner performances by Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Evanescence, and Stone Temple Pilots along with tens of thousands of rock and heavy metal fans from throughout California and beyond.

California’s largest music festival is back in Sacramento for the 10th year, and one year after its triumphant return from the COVID-19 pandemic that forced closures of concerts in 2020. Last year’s attendance hit a record of 145,000 people over four days and generated some $30 million for the local economy.

It looks like Aftershock 2022 is adding to that momentum.

Day 1 fans braved traffic jams and long lines at times to get to Discovery Park, the venue site, but there were no major problems as massive crowds were on hand for the big shows in the early evening Thursday.

They are all being treated to an incredible lineup of musical talent with an added fourth stage, a wildly popular VIP area, a food and beverage extravaganza, and vendors selling merchandise galore.

And the fans did not have to deal with  COVID-19-related requirements.

One serious rocker dude from north of Sacramento told the Times he was more interested in forming an impromptu mosh pit dance during the Slipknot show — something he had been waiting years for.

A punk rocker with spiked hair from Lodi appeared to be loving the idea of seeing Rob Zombie as she smoked a joint and waited for the show. “Who knows if I will get to see him live again,” she said emotionally as she watched a live video feed of the final songs of Evanescence playing on a different stage across the way.

A fifth-grade teacher was all smiles because she got into the festival free as a volunteer, helping to direct the crowds. She said many of the bands were not her thing, but she loved the concert atmosphere.

All types of fans will converge on Discovery Park today for Day 2 — featuring Lamb of God, Danzig and “the hottest band in the land,” KISS.

Established in 1964, Mid-Valley Publications (MVP) is an employee-owned group of five weekly community newspapers in Merced and Stanislaus counties. With the Merced County Times, Atwater-Winton Times, Hilmar Times, Waterford News, Hughson Chronicle—Denair Dispatch, we are one of the longest-standing publishers of local newspapers within these two counties.

Mid-Valley Publications offers a variety of important services including providing relevant and positive news, community announcements, local and national display advertisement creation and publication, classified advertisements, legal notice publications, obituaries, and other important event announcements.

Mid-Valley Publications was founded by John Derby, who retired in 2004 as Publisher, though he continues to provide a guiding hand in daily operations of the company.

We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at 209.358.5311 or email our staff for more information or to obtain a subscription for our newspapers.

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Established in 1964, Mid-Valley Publications (MVP) is an employee-owned group of five weekly community newspapers in Merced and Stanislaus counties. With the Merced County Times, Atwater-Winton Times, Hilmar Times, Hughson Chronicle & Denair Dispatch, and Waterford News, we are one of the longest-standing publishers of local newspapers within these two counties.

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