The first-ever Texas Mutiny festival brought a group of 20+ rock and metal bands to play at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The Texas Mutiny festival had it’s inaugural run on September 24 in Fort Worth, Texas at the Texas Motor Speedway, which usually doesn’t hold this kind of music event. It turned out to be an ideal spot for music lovers to come out and enjoy performances from their favorite artists.

This festival offered ten hours of non-stop music for fans, and it was evident by the crowds excitement that they’d be quite pleased if this became an annual event.

A dominant group of bands falling within the rock genre, and a smaller group that lean towards the metal genre, shared time slots among three stages strategically set up for optimum viewing. When so many other festivals have stages far apart, Texas Mutiny made it possible to dash easily from one stage to another to catch all your favorite bands.

The event featured lots of food trucks (which are always necessary to survive in music festivals), beer, all kinds of merch, and a free arcade, which is not very common to see.

The three stages ensured a great mix of audience favorites as well as new acts to check out. The Renegade Stage (smallest of the three), followed by the Republic Stage, and the appropriately Texan, Longhorn Stage, featured the bigger bands and headlining acts.

September Mourning kicked off the day with their unusual style of rock music and their concept back story, which is always entertaining and the perfect way to start the festival with just the right dose of adrenaline to get things going.

Shaman’s Harvest followed and continued with the high vibes. Although the sound was a bit calmer, they seemed to bring a respectable number of people to listen to their music. Despite a relatively short career, this band played an excellent show, making fans forget about the afternoon heat and focus on having fun.

Next up, Starset, a band that has increasingly gained popularity, also brought their unique, inspirational, rocker style. Taking over the Longhorn Stage, all the band members showed a great passion for what they do. The guys proved that their fan base is a solid one. Fans that will endure increasing heat and direct sun if they can hear their favorite tracks.

Following Starset, a heavier sound took the stage in the form of Swedish goth rockers, Avatar. Their music fired up the crowd, and they stole the afternoon with their theatrical stage presence and unbending energy. The band showed genuine appreciation for all the support and promised to return soon.

Directly after Avatar, an unfortunate weather event occurred. It turns out that Texas holds the weirdest weather on the planet as a sudden thunderstorm interrupted the festivities causing a delay and chaos artist and fans alike adjusted to changes in schedule. After a long and depressing one-hour delay, the festival got back on track, but unfortunately not soon enough to catch Candlebox hit the Longhorn Stage.

With the stress from the storm past, things continued smoothly with Islander. This young band gave everything they had to the fans without letting the weather delays deter them. Their evolved nu-metal style surprised a few fans, and others were happily enjoying the festival as the day continued.

Back on the bigger stage, Hellyeah was about to play their hometown show to a sea of die-hard fans. They brought an excessive amount of energy, and even considering a few imperfections with the sound; this supergroup left none disappointed.

With a relatively drastic change in music styles and rhythms, Smashing Satellites offered something different to a smaller crowd, while the other bands were preparing to enter the stage.

Their alternative sound provided a welcome contrast offer a wide variety of rock music and fun.

On the main stage, an energized Pierce the Veil conquered the crowd with 40 minutes of non-stop action and great vibes. This band surely gained a special place in the hearts of the crowd with their well-deserved ovation and seemed to grab some new fans along the way.

Nothing More hit the stage just as the sunset was right on the spot. The band’s music complimented everything like the best planned musical date for which one would hope.

As they day gave way to evening, the top of the bill artists began to play. The long wait to see Chevelle was over. This band gave one of the best rock performances of the evening with the crowd enjoying every minute.

Of Mice & Men had to, unfortunately, cut their set short due to the rain delays, but that didn’t stop them from putting forth an energetic performance. Their metalcore sound inspired a few of their die-hard fans and brought smiles to the rest.

Next up, the Deftones, one of the main acts of the night, showed everyone why they’re worthy of having their name shown at the top of the flyer. Chino Moreno and company hit big with their numerous fan favorites; the alt-rock legends performed with the same passion and energy that has won them fans for more than 20 years.

Before closing the night, Swedish metal band Ghost, headlining the Republic Stage, grabbed attention with their theatric spectacle and progressive doom metal sound. This is a band that is hard to ignore and even harder to forget. As another group affected by the storm, their set was shorter than expected, but with the right amount of magic, and a dark style that stood out.

Closing a day of amazing rock and metal artists was the festival headliner, Avenged Sevenfold. With a history going back almost two decades, the California rock band played a shortened setlist which included old favorites and a few not frequently played live. Avenged Sevenfold is a band with a dynamic stage presence and a diverse sound that includes metalcore and hard rock, but also punk, classic metal, and even country. Even with a shortened set, they entertained fans and ended to raucous applause.

Overall, Texas Mutiny offered an interesting and entertaining mix of music that people from the greater DFW area seemed to enjoy. There are a few things to improve, but the festival was a success even with the rain as many fans left ready for next year.

Photographer Joe Guzman was on site to capture the festival imagery.

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Texas Mutiny
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Event Date: 24-Sep-2016