Old Guard Meets New Blood at Earthday Birthday 2026

Orlando, FL – Earthday Birthday 2026 bridged the old guards of rock and the next wave of iconic bands with a packed lineup for Orlando’s signature Spring festival presented by 101.1 WJRR.  

Headliner Three Days Grace brought the old and the new, with a 90-minute setlist representing every era of the band’s history, including many of their 20 No. 1 Billboard rock songs. The past and future were literally represented with the presence of both lead singers; original vocalist Adam Gontier (who returned in 2024) effortlessly shared the stage with Matt Walst, who took over in 2013. 

Together with Neil Sanderson on drums and Barry Stock on lead guitar, Three Days Grace took a sea of fans through a tour of the past, from 2024’s latest chart-topping single “Mayday” to the singalong crowd favorite “I Hate Everything About You.” 

While celebrating the future of the reunited band, Three Days Grace remain grounded in their roots with tracks like “Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight.” Featuring guest guitarist (and Gontier’s cousin) St. Asonia’s Caleb Gontier, the new song off Alienation celebrates growing up in rural Ontario, Canada. 

The band took it a step further midway through their set, bringing a fake campfire and a starry screen to recreate their backyard in Canada. While reminiscing on how they came together as high schoolers, they did acoustic renditions of songs including “Lost in You,” “Chalk Outline,” and “Lifetime.” 

Even after hours on their feet in the warm Florida sun, set closer “Riot” sent the crowd into a frenzy that threatened to deliver on the chorus “let’s start a riot.”

Setlist:

Dominate * Animal I Have Become * So Called Life * Break * Home * The Mountain * Pain * Kill Me Fast * I Hate Everything About You * Apologies * Time of Dying * Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight * Acoustic * Lost in You * Chalk Outline / Porn Star Dancing / My Sharona * Lifetime * Here Without You (3 Doors Down cover) * I Am Machine * Just Like You * Mayday * The Good Life * Painkiller * Never Too Late * Riot

Warming up the crowd — literally — was I Prevail, who brought serrated metalcore and gouts of pyrotechnics just before Three Days Grace took the stage. 

In between crowd pleasers like “There’s Fear in Letting Go” and “Into Hell,” frontman Eric Vanlerberghe hyped the crowd with funny banter and games like word association. Midway through their 10-song set was a cover of Metallica’s “Sad but True” delivered in unique I Prevail fashion. 

All told there were 13 bands on this year’s Earthday Birthday bill. Most were up and coming, and each represented a unique sound and potential for the future of rock paved by bands like Three Days Grace. Here were the standouts. 

If you ever wish you could have seen a band like Bruce Springsteen, the Black Keys, or — I’ll dare to say it — Rolling Stones before they made it big, Des Rocs is your golden ticket. Armed with a cockscomb pompadour and tongue-in-cheek swagger, Des Rocs (born Danny Rocco) delivers rootsy garage rock born from the grime of New York City. Typically the early afternoon Earthday Birthday crowd is a little stunned from the heat, but Des Rocs’ high energy and call-and-response work had them fully engaged for tracks like “I am the Lightning” and “This Land.” 

Another early standout was Nevertel, a Tampa band riding the crest of the nu-metal revival with tracks like “SYM,” “ICON,” and “Did It All.” Sticking to the melodic rap rock formula (think more Linkin Park less Limp Bizkit), Nevertel packs big, radio-ready choruses in between rapped verses and ragged screams. For fans of Ocean Grove and another Earthday band, Sleep Theory. 

I’ve circled around Sleep Theory for years and likely seen them in years past. This time did the trick, maybe because they were high on the bill with enough time to give a solid 10-song set. Sleep Theory’s push/pull dynamics between clean and heavy vocals popularized by Bad Omens, ERRA, and Bring Me the Horizon lean more toward catchy hooks and arena-ready choruses tailored for radio rotation. What separates them from the Octane-core pack of imitators is Cullen Moore’s vocals, delicate enough for moments that tiptoe close to R&B and powerful enough to knock over the back of the crowd. Don’t sleep on “Paralyzed,” “Gravity,” and “Stuck in my Head.” 

Finally, The Funeral Portrait delivered a knockout performance. New-to-me but a fast-growing favorite, The Funeral Portrait owes a musical debt as much to Meat Loaf as AFI, while bringing the theatrical emo motifs of My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco. While those influences are visible, The Funeral Portrait delivers an entirely unique performance that will have you dancing more than headbanging. Of special note are the honest, raw lyrics, emphasizing mental health, with tracks like “Dark Thoughts” and “Suffocate City” building anthems of solace. 

If this year proved anything, it’s that the future of rock isn’t waiting in the wings—it’s already on stage. At Earthday Birthday, that future stood shoulder to shoulder with the legends who built it.

Show Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026