Sick New World Festival 2024: Encore! 2 ZRockR Reporters’ Adventures in Hydration and Headbanging In Sin City

This past weekend, I, intrepid ZRockR reporter, a wide-eyed festival newbie, plunged headfirst into the madness of the Sick New World Festival 2024 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Representing ZRockR Magazine, I braved the scorching desert sun, questionable fashion choices, and what felt like miles of lines just to get through the entrance (seriously, Vegas, work on that!).

But hey, once I was in, the energy was electric. Five stages – Gold, Red, Spiral, Siren, and Diablo – served up a smorgasbord of musical goodness. My festival journey unfolded like a glorious, slightly sunburnt fever dream.

Helmet on the Spiral Stage kicked things off with a mosh-worthy set. Their classic guitar riffs had the crowd headbanging like synchronized pendulums. From there, I sprinted (okay, more like shuffled) to the Gold Stage to witness the mighty Lamb of God. Needless to say, my favorite band absolutely crushed it! Their set was a furious, cathartic experience that left me wanting more.

The Red Stage offered a delightful genre shift with Primus and the legendary Danny Elfman. Primus’ quirky, infectious grooves were a welcome change of pace, while Elfman’s dark, theatrical performance sent shivers down my spine (in a good way!).

Now, here’s where things got a little wild. Fueled by newfound festival spirit (and maybe a questionable hot dog), I ventured into the Bad Omens crowd on the Gold Stage. Let’s just say, the mosh pit was… intense. Almost-death-by-mosh experience aside, the energy was incredible. Though, a word to the wise: newbies like myself, tread carefully!

Small collection of cell phone photos taken by Angel Mejia.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of killer sets. Seven Dust, Wage War, and Static-X on the Spiral Stage kept the energy high despite a brief sound glitch during Black Veil Brides. Sleep Token, the last band on the Spiral Stage, provided a fittingly enigmatic ending to the night.

Festival Survival Tips:
* Patience is key! Long lines are a festival inevitability.
* Pack light but strategically. Sunscreen, water bottle, comfortable shoes, and a portable phone charger are lifesavers.
* Pro tip: This festival was cashless! Make sure your card is charged and readily available.
* Save the festival map for set times, stage maps, and other helpful info.

Final Verdict: Despite the initial chaos and near-mosh-pit demise, Sick New World 2024 was an unforgettable experience. The diverse lineup, electric atmosphere, and sheer sensory overload made it a true rock and roll adventure. If you’re looking for a festival that pushes your boundaries (both musically and physically!), this is the one for you. Just remember to pack your patience, your dancing shoes, and a credit card!

–Angel Mejia, ZRockR Los Angeles Concert Photographer/ Journalist

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As soon as I got to the festival, I looked at the set list schedule and started planning my experience. I immediately felt drawn to the Siren Stage where amazing Industrial bands were performing. As I made my way through the goth crowd, on stage was one of my favorite bands, 3teeth. They really rocked the audience and put on a great show. They play a short set of just 5 songs but oh man do those guys know how to get the crowd amped. On that amazing stage, I witnessed industrial’s influential bands including She Past Away, Nitzer Ebb , VNV nation, Front Line Assembly, Front 424, Combichrist The Lords of Acid and so many other dark bands.

I was lucky enough to do an interview with lead vocalist Lord of Acid band, Gigi Ricci. During their performance and on a very hot stage, Gigi decided to get on stage only wearing a sexy black corset, black thong, long black hair and barefoot which made the band so much more raw to see live. The band is currently in the studio making new music for an upcoming album which they are hoping  to release sometime after their tour. Gigi stated that she is really trying her hardest to make this the best Lords of Acid record yet. She also said that Sick New World is her favorite festival and hope the band can be apart of it again. Lords of the Acid is currently on the Make Acid Great Again 2024 tour https://store.lordsofacid.com . 

-Ari Tomke, ZRockR Colorado Journalist /Industrial Music Photographer. 

Not only that, ZRockR’s Ari was fortunate to have a phone interview with the legend Danny Elfman. Click on the link to read more https://zrockr.com/2024/04/29/danny-elfman-snw-vegas/ .

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_{EDITOR’S NOTE:}

_{Thank you to Sick New World for having us and also to our two writers/photographers who took the time and traveled to Vegas and went and covered (sans their cameras) this awesome festival that hits our city annually now! We tried to include the Instagrams of the photographers whose work you see that were working for the festival so you can check out their other work and follow them if you would like! Supporting all music, art, photography and film is what we do around here!}

_{Til next year SNW! 🤘}

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Photo Credits:
Bad Omens, Static-X : Chelsa Christensen @chelsa.christensen
Wage War, 3Teeth : Xandro @xandroshoots;
Black Veil Brides, She Past Away : Justin Agoncillo @justnjames_
Primus, Front Line Assembly : Valerie Avalos @valavarco
Lords of Acid, Nitzer Ebb : Luther Redd @Luther.Redd
Combichrist : Jazmyn Le @lejasmyn
Danny Elfman, Front 242 : @nijmeddin
Sevendust : Marcus McDonald @themcdub

Festival Photos Courtesy of Sick New World / C3 Presents and Used With Their Kind Permission!

FOR SET LISTS OF ANY OF THE BANDS WHO PLAYED SICK NEW WORLD 2024 GO TO SETLIST.FM TYPE IN THE BAND AND SICK NEW WORLD LAS VEGAS AND RELIVE THE DAY!