Gallery Review: HeartSupport Fest at Central Florida Fairgrounds, Orlando FL

This weekend, thousands of punk rock and metalcore fans gathered at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando for the first (and hopefully annual) HeartSupport Fest. The two day festival has been a long-time dream of August Burns Red frontman Jake Luhrs, who started the non-profit organization back in 2011. Over the last twelve years, Luhrs and his team have built a community of individuals passionate about helping others simply by listening to their stories and providing messages of hope. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, PTSD, or addiction, HeartSupport has what you need in order to get help during your darkest times. They even have a separate section designated for resources tailored to military veterans. The festival was not just a music event, but a celebration of that community and proof that music truly does save lives.

With such a solid twenty-three band lineup headlined by Parkway Drive and Rise Against, it’s not surprising that the festival space was absolutely packed with people of all ages, and the line to buy merchandise was at least a hundred people long throughout the majority of the event. In addition to the performances on the Better Help and Hot Topic Foundation Stages, VIP ticket holders were offered a chance to sign up for unique and intimate experiences with artists. Music classes were taught by Telle Smith (The Word Alive), Matt Greiner and Jake Luhrs (August Burns Red), and the absolute legend, Melissa Cross, who is responsible for preserving the vocal chords of some of the biggest names in metal. VIP fans were also offered meet and greet experiences with Underoath, Parkway Drive, Dance Gavin Dance, Hawthorne Heights, Senses Fail, The Ghost Inside, and Rise Against. Fans visiting the HeartSupport tent had the opportunity to write messages of hope on a whiteboard wall, tell their story in exchange for a personalized drawing via the Creative Encouragement Twitch stream, and pick up literature and apparel in support of mental health.

Saturday boasted an impressive lineup of mostly metal/hardcore acts such as Currents, Bleed From Within, Memphis May Fire, The Devil Wears Prada, and Underoath. As if that wasn’t enough to draw a large attendance, the gorgeous sunny day ended with evening sets from August Burns Red, Dance Gavin Dance, and Parkway Drive.

The crowd was absolutely ecstatic when the almighty August Burns Red finally took the stage and performed hits like “Invisible Enemy,” “Paramount,” and “White Washed.” Luhrs paused during the set to thank the audience and take a moment to discuss the meaning of the festival and reminded everyone that “you are not alone” and everyone is entitled to “be human” and “sometimes that’s messy.” The resulting cheers confirmed that a majority of us at the fairgrounds could relate to that sentiment.

The energy didn’t let up as Dance Gavin Dance showed up to deliver fan favorites such as “Summertime Gladness” and “We Own the Night.” Vocalist Tilian Pearson remarked, “This one’s for Tim,” before a very emotional performance of “Count Bassy” in honor of late bassist Tim Feerick who tragically passed away last year. They concluded on a high note with the incredibly popular “Inspire the Liars.” By the time Parkway Drive emerged from backstage to chants of “Parkway, Parkway,” things became increasingly chaotic with an endless sea of crowd surfers. The security team did a fantastic job of responding appropriately and keeping everyone safe but ultimately had to usher photographers out of the pit before our allotted time was up.

Day two on Sunday featured a slightly lower-key offering of artists with a majority falling into the pop/punk genre and about 10 degrees of additional heat. This lent itself to a bit less moshing and crowd surfing, but massive sing-alongs to the various catchy hooks, especially “My Heroine” by Silverstein and Hawthorne Heights’ “Ohio Is For Lovers” for which they dedicated their stage backdrop, substituting Ohio for Florida. Silent Planet was one of the heaviest bands of the day, and one that I was looking forward to the most. With their track record of writing songs that raise awareness for various mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, suicidal ideation, etc. they were the perfect addition to the HeartSupport lineup and its mission.

The Ghost Inside produced the most ruthless pit environment, flooding the crowd with inflatable pool toys and beach balls while offering signed setlists and drum sticks to anyone who crowd surfed their way to the stage. Pit security definitely earned their wages during the hour the metalcore band occupied the stage. Things only escalated when Jake Luhrs emerged to lay down guest vocals for “Between The Lines.” Fans were eager for more as they chanted “one more song,” even with pop/punk legends Rise Against looming as the headliner for the night. The band treated Orlando to a sixteen track set including “Swing Life Away,” “Prayer of the Refugee,” and “Savior.”

In terms of logistics, everything was extremely organized, sets ran on time, staff and security were friendly and helpful, and all of the above allowed for attendees to truly enjoy the experience. I was beyond grateful for the opportunity to provide media coverage for such a meaningful event. If any of the above resonated with you, please consider making a donation or purchasing merchandise to help spread the word. Each purchase made on the HeartSupport website funds one hour of mental health support for those in need. Additionally, any contributions make it more likely for this fest to happen again in the future.