The intense winds whipping through Las Vegas couldn’t dampen the energy of the fans headed towards the 2026 edition of Sick New World on Saturday. The latest chapter of the hard rock and metal festival boasted an impressive lineup spanning four stages, countless activations and over 50 bands to watch (and mosh to). Atlas jumped in the pit for a full day of fun- check out the highlights!
Spiral Stage Surfers
Beyond the iconic Sick New World arch welcoming thousands of black-clad metalheads to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds stood the Spiral Stage and the audience’s first introduction to the day ahead. By the time Snot appeared, the crowd had swelled to hundreds of people pressed towards the barricade and capturing the attention of lead vocalist Andy Knapp. The band’s reunion had fans clamoring to see this new iteration of Snot and they took full advantage of that attention to start the mosh pit and a women-only wave of crowd surfers that had security catching body after body being flung over the fence. By the end of the set, everyone onstage and in the crowd had worked up a respectable sweat for a day that was just getting started.
The revolving setup later turned to reveal Alien Ant Farm, an unconventional but somehow perfectly fitting addition to the late afternoon lineup. The 90s rockers ran through a quick setlist of original favorites before closing with their famous cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” (as attendees walking by could be seen stopping in their tracks to record a snippet of the nu-metal take on the classic hit).
A Celebration of Hardcore at the Diable Stage
While much of the focus for fans landed at the two main stages, the biggest party of the day could be found in the corner at the Diablo Stage. Bands played back to back to back sets, selecting a tight 30 minutes of material to wow an audience that came to throw down in the best pits the fest saw all day. The fun began in earnest with French melodic metalcore band TSS, as their dual vocalists served up high screams with precision and impressive skill. The crowd was drawn in by their elaborately crafted stage outfits and impassioned performance- definitely one of the most memorable sets of the day.
Baltimore hardcore outfit End It had blood pressures spiking on the barricade as they taunted the audience and security, encouraging more and more people to surf their way to the front. The Diablo crowd did not disappoint them, disregarding the barrier to fling themselves towards one of many bands with a strong stance- political or otherwise- on the stage.
Without being in the thick of it, describing what Speed does to a crowd can be difficult to describe. The Aussie hardcore punk group both encouraged the friendly violence of a proper mosh pit while also shouting out the staunch community that props up the bands and the fans that make up the hardcore scene as it stands today. Vocalist Jem Siow was a bundle of manic energy, prowling the stage, blasting through each song and two-stepping with vigor to get the audience joining in. A shout of “Free Palestine!” amped up the fans even more and the band gave well-deserved props to the scene and the bands coming up after their unforgettable performance.
The rest of the day at the Diablo Stage pulled from that energy- from Sunami’s forceful set to the history-making split performance of Terror and Pain of Truth, the hardcore scene was well-represented by both bands and fans. Snapshot moments included Health tossing cat ears into the crowd before a pulsing set that married metal and electronic beats to keep the field bouncing, fan flying over the barrier in the seamless switch between Pain of Truth and Terror, Glassjaw’s entrance drawing screams that could be heard at the next stage over and so much more.
Underoath performed last at the Diablo Stage, pulling an impressive crowd away from Korn’s mainstage set. From the first notes of “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door”, it was entirely evident why their fans trekked away from the main event for this set- the intensity of an Underoath concert simply can’t be replicated and they worked for every ounce of the audience’s attention. For many, this set was the final one of their day and the band made it worth the hour.
Main Stage Madness
Of course, the Green and Purple main stages boasted names like System of a Down and Bring Me the Horizon, but there was plenty to see before the sun finally set and the winds kicked up even more in the chill of the evening. Making a return to the festival was Louisville-based Knocked Loose with a hotly anticipated performance that had attendees running for the main stage corner. Illuminated by the beginnings of an overcast golden hour, vocalist Bryan Garris moved the crowd with nothing more than a glance, segueing into each song with ease. The band debuted their latest single, “Hive Mind”, performed favorites like “Don’t Reach for Me” and “Suffocate” and dedicated “Counting Worms” to the late Bo Lueders of Harm’s Way. While fans were reluctant to give up their spots to crowd surf, there were plenty of brave souls who went up during the set, taking the festival into the final bands of the day.
The lot was buzzing as Evanescence took the stage, screaming for Amy Lee as the band immediately ripped into “Afterlife” and “Going Under”. Fans were visibly emotional on the barricade at the band’s return, throwing themselves into singing along to the penultimate performance on the Green Stage. Naturally the band gave the audience exactly what they wanted with a set packed with hits, closing with a deafening crowd choir on the chorus of “Bring Me to Life”.
Between the endless bands to choose from, fans also spent the day munching on the huge selection of food- including System of a Down’s Chop Suey noodle collaboration- along with taking photos at the backdrops and activations placed around the festival grounds. It was as much a visual experience as an auditory one and that fully took into account the creativity demonstrated by the fans’ outfits spotted throughout the day. Sick New World 2026 was a remarkable celebration of music and community and the best iteration of the event to date- eyes are already peeled in the hopes of next year’s announcement for another amazing installment.
