Ocean City, Maryland is quickly becoming an unstoppable hub in the music festival market. In 2023, Ocean’s Calling held its first ever festival, spanning three days from September 29 to October 1. In just two years, this event has featured artists like Alanis Morissette, Blink-182, and Sublime, with this year’s lineup including Green Day, Noah Kahan, and Fall Out Boy as headliners. Last year, Country Calling was announced as a country version of the popular festival, taking place in early October. Artists like Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Luke Combs are slated to perform this year.

Now, after such a successful run with the model they first created with Ocean’s Calling, Boardwalk Rock is Ocean City’s newest festival venture. As a born-and-raised East Coast resident who grew up listening to everything from early 2000s country to classic rock and pop from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, it was about time I attended one of these festivals. The headliners in the initial lineup were Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Shinedown, and Nickelback, three of which were staples of my family’s musical roots.

The lineup underwent some changes after Mötley Crüe had to drop out due to Vince Neil’s health. They were quickly replaced by Alice In Chains, a grunge-rock band from the 90s, but their inclusion in the lineup didn’t last long either. Drummer Sean Kinney’s health took a turn, resulting in the band pulling from the festival and canceling additional short-term shows. In the end, Rob Zombie filled the slot, and boy, was I blown away by what he brought to the stage as such a last-minute addition.

We lucked out with perfect weather on both days and no major hitches to our weekend. My dad got to see bands he’s loved for decades and some he’s already seen, my mom got to see Bret Michaels in person, and my newly Van Halen-obsessed younger sister got to see Eddie Van Halen’s son perform in Mammoth. All in all, it was a perfect weekend, and one that sold my whole family on the idea of attending these festivals in Ocean City.

The Boardwalk Rock Lineup Was Stacked With Rock Superstars

Def Leppard, Shinedown, Nickelback, & More Rocked OC

When the initial lineup dropped for Boardwalk Rock, I immediately sent it to my family group chat in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that acts like Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, and, at the time, Mötley Crüe, were coming to a place that was practically in my backyard. My family and I are new to festivals, with All Things Go in Columbia, MD being our first in 2024, but there was never a moment of hesitation over whether we should go to Boardwalk Rock.

On Saturday, we caught five sets, and on Sunday, we caught seven. The standouts from Saturday for me were undoubtedly Mammoth, Rob Zombie, and Def Leppard. Sunday brought even more excitement with memorable sets from Night Ranger, Alice Cooper, Bret Michaels, Shinedown, and Nickelback.

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Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth were just incredibly sick to watch with great music, a great voice, and ridiculous guitar playing. My sister rocked her Eddie Van Halen shirt with pride to that set. I’ll also be stealing my parents’ Def Leppard records to spin on my own because their headlining set was unbelievable. Joe Elliott’s voice still sounds awesome, their connection to the crowd was palpable, and Rick Allen has to be one of the coolest drummers ever.

The biggest surprise for me was Rob Zombie. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of his music, but I can appreciate it when someone puts on a good show. My favorite moments were when he would drop his intense stage persona and speak directly to the crowd. At one point, he admitted that he and his band were “supposed to be at home watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs,” but they took the offer to join this festival instead.

There was also a moment that still makes me laugh where, after a disappointing level of participation from the crowd, he said, “That isn’t even one-tenth of the [cheers for the] lowest-ranking K-Pop group. Pretend we’re young, we’re cute, and we have synchronized dance moves.” He spoke directly to the one girl in the audience who had a K-Pop photocard in her phone case and was mourning the recent series loss of the Washington Capitals, i.e. me, and now I can’t stop thinking about his set days later.

The Festival Brought Together Rock Artists & Fans Across Decades

It Felt Like A Celebration Of The Joy Music Can Provide

After two days filled with good music from bands I’d either been listening to for most of my life or hadn’t heard of before, I’m happy to say that I’d do it all again next weekend. When I think of a music festival, I think of huge crowds pushing and shoving, bad views, and blisters. At Boardwalk Rock, I couldn’t have felt more content with how everything went. Besides a large portion of the merchandise running out on Sunday and Everclear’s lackluster performance, I can’t think of anything I felt disappointed by. If anything, it felt therapeutic.

The positivity, love, and community that was brought to this festival by every fan in the crowd and every artist made it an experience I truly will never forget. I watched audiences filled with toddlers in strollers, children, teenagers, twenty-somethings, middle-aged people, and those rocking long white hair give themselves over to shameless joy for two days, all while wearing their favorite band tees.

Not only did the audience members represent every generation, but so did the artists on stage. Bands from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and beyond shared three stages with such genuine excitement about performing on the beach. Bret Michaels’ set in particular made me realize how important these moments are for the artists whose job it is to bring light to their listeners’ lives a few minutes at a time. The moment he brought out Night Ranger, Lit, and Fuel to sing “Sweet Home Alabama,” I couldn’t deny the celebration taking place right in front of my eyes.

I’ve never listened to Shinedown, but their set only added to this feeling. They sang “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down, a band that was pulled from the lineup after their lead singer was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer, and my sister heard someone behind us shout “Thank you!” in clear appreciation. Shinedown’s lead singer, Brent Smith, filled the crowd with positivity, saying, “Before tonight, you might not have known something about each other. You all possess magic in the palm of your hands.“

Even Nickelback, the band I was most excited to see, didn’t shy away from the honesty. To paraphrase, Chad Kroeger said something about there being a lot of confusing stuff happening in the world right now, but that, if everyone could just take a look at the nearly 60,000 people gathered just to listen to some good music, maybe they would realize what real love and unity looked like. I could go on, but I think I’ll go rewatch my “Savin’ Me” video ten more times and wait for the lineup for Boardwalk Rock 2026 to drop.