Boardwalk Rock Festival – Ocean City, Maryland – May 17-18, 2025

Story by Chloe Catajan for Full Access Detroit

The inaugural Boardwalk Rock Festival might have faced some pre-kickoff hiccups with the cancellations of major headliners Motley Crue, Alice In Chains, and 3 Doors Down. But with a save from Rob Zombie, 28 performances from other iconic acts, and a phenomenal experience put together by C3 Presents, the show went on and kicked off summer at the Ocean City Boardwalk.

Getting around the Inlet was a breeze. The Thunder, Bolt, and Lightning stages were set up across the shore, giving the roughly 50,000 in attendance a chance to enjoy the sounds and sights under a perfect summer sky. The sun was out, the amusement park rides were in swing, and the rock-and-roll was loud. At twilight, the scene at Boardwalk Rock turned a beautiful cerulean hue. Whether you were a stage-hopper, a barricade warrior, or a sand dweller, there was truly no bad view.

Day One

Saturday, May 17’s lineup featured sets from modern genre greats and longtime favorites, like The Struts and Everclear. Near-Michigan native Royale Lynn kicked off the day at the Bolt Stage with a performance that blended hard rock and country. She played a few songs off her upcoming debut album, BLACK MAGIC, including “When We Die,” “Greed,” and the title track. Switching between a ESP LTD deluxe guitar and just vox, she powered through hard-hitting numbers like “Death Wish” and “Battleground.”

Trapt took the Lightning Stage shortly after to a packed crowd headbanging to hits like “Echo,” “Waiting,” and “Headstrong.” Bassist Pete Charell, guitarist Shawn Sonnenschein, and drummer Mitch Moore ripped through some heavy-duty riffs as vocalist-guitarist Chris Taylor Brown turned in top-notch vocals.

Kat Von D kicked off Saturday at the Thunder Stage with a set of darkwave bliss. The star tattooist wore a black bodysuit covering her signature ink, so it was just her and keyboardist Sammi Doll in the spotlight. Together, they gave a fiery performance that had the early crowd—including Flyleaf’s Lacey Sturm at side stage—rocking out in full force.

Puddle Of Mudd drew in quite a crowd to the Bolt Stage, performing all the favorites. The band opened with Control off 2001’s Come Clean, with three more songs off the breakthrough album peppered throughout the setlist. Fans waved their hands in the air for “Blurry,” echoing the lyrics back to Wes Scantlin and company at max volume.

Wes Scantlin and Jon Smith of **Puddle of Mudd**

Extreme delivered lived up to the Lightning Stage name with an electric set. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt was fierce with the riffage, while lead singer Gary Cherone moved equally fast and frenetic onstage as he belted songs like “Play With Me” and “Get The Funk Out.” Of course, they also brought out acoustic rock ballad “More Than Words,” a sonic but change of pace warmly welcomed by fans.

With Cherone a former member of Van Halen, Extreme’s set felt like a fitting segue into Mammoth WVH at the Bolt Stage. Fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen, Mammoth cued up a perfectly hard-rock set that mixed both grueling, at times grungy, riffage with crisp vocals.

Chevelle brought their signature alt-metal style to the Thunder Stage, playing a healthy dose of hits across many of their studio albums. Pete Loeffler, Sam Loeffler, and Dean Bernardini proved great things come in threes—the trio unleashing powerhouse breakdowns on songs like “The Clincher” and “Mars Simula.”

Lacey Sturm and Flyleaf took the Lightning Stage to play their first of only three scheduled shows this year, all of which are festival appearances. Their energy, heavy yet ethereal, was infectious. Songs like “Chasm,” “Fully Alive,” and “I’m So Sick” went hard against blue hour, creating a haunting atmosphere much like the style of the band’s music videos. They went on to play mostly songs from their self-titled and New Horizons.

Bush at the Bolt Stage was pure post-grunge bliss. The British band visited several songs off Sixteen Stone, a great treat for fans of such a behemoth debut album. Gavin Rossdale brought grit and guttural glory with his vocals, as he and the band delivered crunching riffs and suckerpunch rhythms.

Halestorm closed the Bolt Stage with an equally compelling performance, delivering one hour and 15 minutes of straight-up hard rock. Vocalist-guitarist Lzzy Hale, drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bassist Josh Smith ripped through fan favorites off Everest, their self-titled, and other gems across the band’s catalog. All four members were a force in their own right, but the band’s selection of red stage lights and heavy fog effects only added to the sheer intensity of their performance.

Rob Zombie gave a phenomenal penultimate set for Saturday night, playing a rare golden-hour set. He brought out his full stage production—flashy LEDs, dancing robots, and all. The stage fog fading with the setting sun made the scene even more supernatural. The shock rock star did not miss a beat, balancing his belting vocals with end-to-end stage domination. His band sounded tight as they turned in crazy melodies from Hellbilly Deluxe cuts to White Zombie songs.

Def Leppard sent Saturday festival goers off with a one-and-a-half hour headlining set. The English rock band brought Hysteria to the Thunder Stage (literally), playing six cuts off the landmark album, as well as several songs off Pyromania, High ‘n’ Dry, and more. Fans squeezed towards the front barricade to gush their hearts out to classics like “Love Bites” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” as the band delivered each note with epic momentum.

Day Two

Although the last day of festivals are known to be on the chill side, Sunday’s sets did not lighten up. Performances from Bret Michaels, Candlebox, and Fuel brought high-voltage energy across Ocean City Inlet. Tim Montana, in particular, kicked things off at the Bolt Stage with a guttural mix of hard rock and country rock. He and his band got the early crowd pumped up with no hesitation.

Dorothy took the Bolt Stage and stuck to the country-meets-hard-rock theme. There was no shortage of hairflips and headbanging as vocalist Dorothy Martin and company seared through fierce riffage. Just before performing “Rest In Peace,” the band delivered a heartfelt shoutout to Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down for good health.

Black Stone Cherry followed at the Lightning Stage like a sonic adrenaline rush. The quartet kept stage visuals simple with just the blue Maryland skies as their backdrop, as they dove into opening number “Me and Mary Jane.” They went on to play mostly songs from Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea, a fitting theme for a seaside show.

Chris Robertson of **Black Stone Cherry**

Saliva brought some unorthodox fun to the Thunder Stage. A standout moment was when the band invited a fan dressed as Santa Claus onstage to sing backing vocals on “Click Click Boom.” The Memphis band sludged and scorched through heavy melodies, and even threw in snippets of “In the Air Tonight,” “Another Brick in the Wall,” and “Give It Away” during “Doperide.”

On the rails of their first tour in 13 years, Crossfade brought an alt-metal and hard rock frenzy to the Lightning Stage. Just over half of the setlist were songs off the self-titled album, while the band also visited songs off “We All Bleed” and “Falling Away.” Bret Michaels even made a guest appearance and hugged the band during “Killing Me Inside.”

Night Ranger turned in an even mix of Dawn Patrol and Midnight Madness songs, as well as songs by Damn Yankees, singer-bassist Jack Blades’ previous band. The band sounded anthemic with its multipart harmonies and momentous riffs, especially on songs like “Sing Me Away.” They also performed Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” which was in dedication to Osbourne’s retirement.

Keri Kelli, Jack Blades and Brad Gillis of **Night Ranger**

Shinedown had fans at the Thunder Stage hooked from the start, as their set opened with a man who had a TV for a head standing before a girl holding a remote, as if flipping through channels showing vintage television clips. The hard rockers ripped through back-to-back hits and fan favorites, with Brent Smith delivering his signature vocals as the band showed off top-notch chops. Former member of Blind Melon, Fuel and current bassist for Saliva. Brad Stewart also joined in for “Fly From The Inside.”

With a biblical stage presence, it’s safe to say Alice Cooper’s performance felt like Sunday service at the Bolt Stage. The Detroit native was magnetic, appearing in his signature Victorian-era attire and heavy black eye makeup. He even sang as he held a live snake around his neck during “Snakebite.” Band members Chuck Garric, Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen, and Glen Sobel were key in intensifying the shock artist’s theatrics, delivering each note with undeniable impact. The set felt nothing short of Cooper’s usual stage production.

Three Days Grace put on a glorious performance to kick off the twilight hour over at the Bolt Stage. Their stage lights had full impact, flashing in sync to the punching rhythms of songs like “Home.” Adam Gontier looked sharp in a black blazer and pants as he led on vox, his signature gritty and heavy textures coming through loud and clear in person. Members Matt Walst, Brad Walst, Barry Stock, and Neil Sanderson rounded things out with a sharp and sheer sound.

Nickelback closed out the night at the Thunder Stage with one-and-a-half hours of anthemic hard rock glory. The Canadian rockers brought out the works right off the bat—smoke, LEDs, pyro, you name it—as they entered the stage to Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” The band went on to visit songs from All the Right Reasons, Dark Horse, Get Rollin’, and more albums across their catalog. Members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake, and Daniel Adair sounded pitch perfect, with fans matching that energy, echoing lyrics back throughout the entire set.