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Power trip returns, reshaped by loss, the thrash metal band finds catharsis in a familiar place.

Evan Minsker

Four years after the death of frontman Riley Gale, Power Trip surprised fans onstage at Mohawk in Austin, featuring a new vocalist. Samantha Tellez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Four years after the death of frontman Riley Gale, Power Trip surprised fans onstage at Mohawk in Austin, featuring a new vocalist.

The open-air venue Mohawk in Austin, Texas, has an upper deck perch that's perfect for observing the churning cyclone of bodies below. Emotions were high on Dec. 1, 2023: Texas band Fugitive was the headliner, but many in the crowd had a hunch about the promised "special guests." When Power Trip , the crossover thrash metal giants who had been missing in action for four years, finally appeared, there were tears in the pit. Bodies flew from the stage into the torrent of thrashing heads screaming every word of "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)" in blunt, ecstatic unison. It was a moment of catharsis for a scene that had been in mourning since the shocking 2020 death of the band's lead singer, Riley Gale .

Blake Ibanez, guitarist in both Fugitive and Power Trip, called the decision to bring the band back that night "testing the waters" to see how fans would react. "It was a safe way to do it, because on one hand it's, like, 'Hey, it's just a Fugitive show, and I'm having the guys come up here. We're gonna just celebrate and play the songs,' " he tells NPR on a video call. "I mean, at some point it's gotta happen." This year, Power Trip will play full-length sets at the Pomona, Calif., festival No Values (June 8), in its hometown of Dallas (July 6) and in New York City (Aug. 24).

It's an opportunity for a passionate fan base of hardcore kids and metalheads to celebrate — people who loved the band's boundless energy, how it could wield scream-along pop hooks using the heaviest, scuzziest, most abrasive metal soundscapes. Some at the Mohawk show spoke of it with near-religious reverence. "This is so cliché, but it was the most electric feeling I've felt at a show," said Erica Hotchkiss, a fan from Irving, Texas. She and some friends drove three hours south to Austin to catch the show based on a clue in the flyer: an illustration of an executioner, which is a key piece of iconography from arguably Power Trip's most beloved song . "We didn't know if they were just going to come out and make an announcement. But we knew that we had to be there."

It was fans like this who compelled Power Trip to come back. "They can see we're in it for the right reasons," Ibanez says. "We didn't make any money off Power Trip at that show. We didn't do it for that. We did it for ourselves because we miss playing these songs together, and we did it to celebrate Riley." The full shape of what's next isn't yet defined beyond this handful of shows. Here's what's certain: The band wants to perform the music they put out, across two albums and scattered singles. Gale's family wants them to play. It took years for everyone to get to this point.

The loss of a lyricist and a leader

"It was one of the worst things that happened to me in my life, because Riley was my best friend," says Brandon Gale, Riley's father.

Riley Gale died in his sleep on Aug. 24, 2020, from the toxic effects of fentanyl. He was 34. The band lost its voice and lyricist; the scene lost a leader. Power Trip built its reputation on gleefully chaotic live shows, and those shows wouldn't have been half as powerful without the longhaired figure in a camo hat barking out front about systemic injustice, corporate greed and oppression. Every word was shouted with an authoritative grizzle; he could galvanize a crowd with a single-syllable grunt. "He had very strong messages in there," Brandon Gale emphasizes. "It wasn't just yelling for the sake of yelling on stage. He wanted people to genuinely get engaged in the message."

"Riley, dude, he was just such a force on stage," says Gray Muncy, a photographer from the Dallas-Fort Worth area who estimates he captured over 40 of the band's shows (and somehow never broke a camera in the process). "I've shot so many photos of him, and it was so easy because of his emotion." Whenever Muncy gets a compliment on photos of Power Trip, he credits the chemistry between the band and its audience. "If you go to a really good hardcore show, the crowd is in the band," he said. "There's that symbiotic relationship where they feed off of each other."

Riley Gale, pictured here in 2018 at the Saturn in Birmingham, Ala., could galvanize a crowd with a single-syllable grunt. David A. Smith/Getty Images hide caption

Riley Gale, pictured here in 2018 at the Saturn in Birmingham, Ala., could galvanize a crowd with a single-syllable grunt.

In the wake of his passing, the Gales set up a 501(c)(3) charity called the Riley Gale Foundation in an effort to honor Riley's strong convictions. Brandon Gale says his son was the small guy in school who would stand up to bullies, and that he volunteered in soup kitchens as a young man. The foundation aims to be a continuation of his passions in life: It puts funds toward helping unhoused LGBTQ+ youth in the Dallas area (Riley was a committed supporter of the queer-focused outreach group Dallas Hope Charities), has named a library in his honor (he was a voracious reader) and also donates to a local dog rescue (loved animals).

Gale's friends affirm that on and off the stage, he led with empathy: He was the guy who let touring bands crash at his place, who made himself available to anyone who needed an ear. "With the fans, he wanted to be someone anybody could reach out to and talk to if they were dealing with something in their lives," says Power Trip guitarist Nick Stewart. "He was just such a comforting person when people didn't know where they stood. He felt like he could try to help everybody."

Before Power Trip began, Ibanez described Riley's previous band Balls Out as "the kings of Dallas hardcore." Gale was without a band when Ibanez, Stewart and bassist Chris Whetzel's band Reality Check was beginning to fizzle in the late 2000s. Mutual friends suggested they talk, and soon enough, Gale and Ibanez — then 21 and 16 — started bonding over hardcore bands like Cro-Mags, Breakdown and Leeway over messages on MySpace.

Power Trip's sound was a meeting point between hardcore punk and thrash metal, and in the process of creating it, the band connected with a wide swath of listeners interested in the greater sphere of heavy music. "We know we play a very subversive style of music, but we also want this to be for everyone," says drummer Chris Ulsh. "We want people to feel comfortable at our shows and have a good time. We're the type of band that can play with anyone regardless of if we're playing with indie bands, death metal bands, punk bands, whatever."

Steadily, a community of passionate fans formed around the band. Hotchkiss, who has an executioner tattoo with the caption "swing of the axe," saw the band around 10 times before attending the surprise show in Austin last year. "I'm married to my husband because we ran into each other at a Power Trip show," she said. Hotchkiss was a fan from the Dallas hardcore scene; her husband Kris was a metalhead. Previously acquaintances, they bonded instantly after she saw him in the pit: "Power Trip was our common ground." The date of that show appears on a decorative pillow in their home.

Who could step into Riley's role?

In the months after Gale passed, Ulsh said the band didn't consider or discuss the prospect of keeping the band going "for a really long time." It was 2020, and playing shows wasn't an option due to COVID-19, anyway. But as live music started to return, the band's members were talking on one of their regular FaceTime calls, and Ulsh broached the subject. "I'd never really mentioned it to anyone else and it kind of seemed like no one else had talked about it, but everyone was just like, yeah, we should," he says. "I like being a band with these guys, and we all seemed to feel the same way."

Some of the band's members had been busy with different projects, Ibanez with Fugitive and Ulsh with Quarantine. Still, the idea of these four starting a different band together didn't feel right — like it wouldn't be honest or respectful to their past together. "We put so much into this band and it just kind of seemed like it would be compounding tragedies: losing a close friend and then losing this thing that we dedicated our adult lives to," Ulsh says.

Power Trip in 2024 now includes vocalist Seth Gilmore (far left). He plans to give it his all "to honor the spirit of Riley's memory." Adam Cedillo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Power Trip in 2024 now includes vocalist Seth Gilmore (far left). He plans to give it his all "to honor the spirit of Riley's memory."

"If anybody's going to step into this role and sing these songs, it'd be someone from our world who has history with us and gets this whole thing and knew Riley," Ibanez says. "The pool for that? I mean, I think it's [not] overstating it to say it's incredibly small. Beyond that, who's actually willing and is capable of doing it?"

Seth Gilmore was the guy, a friend embedded in the Texas hardcore scene for as long as Power Trip existed. As the frontman of Fugitive, he had established chemistry with Ibanez. Initially, he was hesitant. "A year or so after Riley passed, before we even started Fugitive, I may have thrown it his way: 'Hey, would you want to mess around with some of these songs I've been working on, that were actually songs for the Power Trip album that never happened?' " Ibanez recalls. The implication that he'd be standing in for Gale gave him pause, so he dropped it until well after Fugitive had earned the respect of fans. "By the time I brought it up to him again in the past year, at that point he didn't really think twice about it." Gilmore confirmed Ibanez's assessment in a statement, saying he plans to give it his all "to honor the spirit of Riley's memory."

So it was Gilmore barking "Manifest Decimation" and "Hornet's Nest" to the crowd at Mohawk. Gale could never be replaced, but for fans who had just watched a Fugitive set, the consensus was that it was an organic fit. "I personally don't think there's any other person better to fit the bill than Seth," Hotchkiss said. Of course, fans had a hunch he would be the guy. "Even before everybody knew Power Trip was playing that night in Austin, I said, 'Seth, your life's about to change,' and he just smiled," Muncy says.

There was some fallout from that night, too. Brandon Gale issued a statement saying the family was not told in advance about the show and was caught by surprise. He later issued an apology, saying that while he wishes he'd gotten a heads-up from the band, he still regrets the statement. "While it came as a surprise, it was a very visceral reaction and I would certainly undo it," he says.

That one show wasn't the extent of the issues between the band and Brandon Gale, as the statements brought to light a civil lawsuit he'd filed on behalf of Riley's estate on Feb. 10, 2021, against the members of Power Trip. The suit alleged breach of fiduciary duty and claimed the band owed the Gale estate money from merchandise sales, tour revenue and royalties. On Dec. 8, one week after the surprise set in Austin, the case was settled.

"There was an unfortunate need for the litigation," Brandon Gale says. "It was critically important that the foundation received all of the money that Riley was entitled to because that's the primary source, with contributions, of how we build and grow the foundation. It's settled, and what I want to do is focus on the good stuff going forward."

"We probably don't want to comment on that," Ulsh says of the lawsuit. "That was a very difficult and s****y thing that happened that we had to go through. It's behind us now, and we just want to leave it behind us." Ibanez adds: "When something really tragic happens like that, there's a lot of emotions involved. It happens this way with a lot of similar situations, when you have the family of someone who wasn't really involved and is trying to figure everything out and get things together. Yeah, it's behind us. And as everything stands, everything's all right."

Asked about the future of the band, Brandon Gale offered his blessing: "If Power Trip goes out and they start touring again, people are going to buy their music and Riley's going to get his royalties and the foundation's going to grow. So how could we not be in favor of that?"

'We're just taking it one step at a time'

Power Trip is currently resuming rehearsals in Dallas. Ulsh says he's excited to get back to playing for wild crowds instead of repeating the same songs over and over to each other in a practice space. Ibanez is excited to feel the rush again, too: "We were gone from it for so long, and then you get up there and it's like, wow, I forgot we're part of something really special."

Though Ibanez let it slip that Power Trip had been working on a new album before Gale's death, he refused to engage further on the possibility of new music in the future. "The main focus is to play the catalog — that's what people want to hear. I don't think we're really particularly interested in moving on from where we were," Ibanez says. "We really want to honor Riley and want to honor what we've done before just moving forward. That's the main thing, to treat the whole situation with as much respect as possible. ... We're just taking it one step at a time."

While Ulsh, Ibanez and Whetzel all stayed busy in recent years with other bands, Nick Stewart hadn't been back on a stage since Power Trip's last show with Gale. "I'm a civilian — I just book shows and don't have a side project right now. So it's even more reason why I'm excited to do this," Stewart says. "It's been our lives since I graduated high school, so to be able to do it again is really special. I love performing, man; I love getting up there and giving everything I got." As he spoke, his dog began barking in the background. "Sorry, my dog's going crazy. But yeah, excited as my dog right now to get up there and play some shows."

That December night in Austin, Muncy looked around in the pit and saw how many people around him were crying. "When I first thought about them playing, I was, like, 'My friends need this; Texas needs this show, our scene needs this,' " he says. "But then once it happened, I was like, 'You know what? My friends in the band needed that show more than anybody.' Those four dudes, they sacrificed a lot to get where they are. They can't just quit."

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Power Trip Announce 2024 Return, Name Live Vocalist

A few months after reuniting for a brief live set this past December, Power Trip have announced their 2024 live return and named the vocalist they will continue with for these upcoming gigs.

The members of Power Trip — Blake Ibanez, Nick Stewart, Chris Whetzel and Chris Ulsh — played a show in Austin, Texas on Dec. 1 with Seth Gilmore of the bands Skourge and Fugitive. It marked their first live performance since the death of vocalist Riley Gale in August of 2020.

It appears as though the band plans to continue on with Gilmore as their vocalist. In a new post on their Instagram , Power Trip announced their first live show of 2024 will take place at California's No Values festival on June 8. They also alluded to some other shows that will take place later in the year.

The statement reads:

Nearly four years ago to the day, unbeknownst to us, we would perform for the last time as Power Trip. It has been a difficult road since then, marked by deep pain, grief, and everything else that came with losing our brother Riley. We know this can’t be undone, and it will always remain part of us. We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way. We’ll never have the words to convey our appreciation of the enduring support we’ve received over the years, and we feel as though the time is right to get back on stage for all of you who’ve been there throughout our existence as a band. With that, we are excited to announce a round of upcoming 2024 performances starting with  @novaluesfestival  on June 8th in SoCal. Joining us will be our long-time close friend/collaborator, and singer of  @fugitive_tx  /  @skourge713  —Seth Gilmore—who will be handling vocals for these upcoming shows. Stay tuned, more info on the way… Riley Gale Forever. Power Trip Forever. See you in the pit. - Blake, Chris, Nick and Chris

Misfits , Social Distortion , Iggy Pop , Turnstile , Bad Religion , Sublime , The Dillinger Escape Plan , The Damned , Suicidal Tendencies and Black Flag are among the other artists who are set to play the festival.

Check out the post below to see the full lineup.

After Power Trip's December 2023 show with Gilmore, Gale's family issued a statement that they were caught "entirely by surprise," as they were apparently unaware that the remaining members were planning a show together.

READ MORE:  12 Bands That Called It Quits After the Death of a Member

Shortly after, Gale's father clarified the family's comments in a new message, and wrote, "We also would like to specifically appreciate and thank Seth Gilmore. He really put his all into that performance."

"As Riley's dad and the person who wrote the original message, it broke my heart to hear that I got it wrong. I humbly request that you understand the raw emotions we face and how they impact us every day thinking about what the world lost when Riley died," he concluded.

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Power Trip Announce More Reunion Shows, Promise to “Honor the Spirit of Riley Gale’s Memory”

By Jazz Monroe

Power Trip have announced shows in New York and Dallas with new frontman Seth Gilmore, who has promised to “honor the spirit of Riley [Gale]’s memory.” The new dates, which you can find below, include a recently announced stop at California’s No Values festival and follow the band’s surprise reunion in Texas in December. The family of Gale, who died in 2020, at first expressed misgivings, but the late vocalist’s father has since apologized, telling Evan Minsker for NPR , “It was a very visceral reaction and I would certainly undo it.”

The original members have shared their own statement, saying, “We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way.”

Gilmore, the new vocalist, also performs in Skourge and, alongside Power Trip’s Blake Ibanez, Fugitive. He said in the press release, “I would not be who I am today without the massive influence that both the band and its members have had on my life, and I look forward to celebrating their work alongside them.” Power Trip added that Gilmore “has been a long time figure in Texas hardcore, and we’ve had the pleasure of watching and playing alongside his bands since the origins of Power Trip.”

In the WPR interview, Ibanez added that fans “can see we’re in it for the right reasons. We didn’t make any money off Power Trip at that [Texas reunion] show. We didn’t do it for that. We did it for ourselves because we miss playing these songs together, and we did it to celebrate Riley.” The band have not confirmed whether they will record new music.

Read Power Trip’s full statement on X .

Power Trip:

06-08 Pomona, CA - No Values Festival 07-06 Dallas TX, - The Factory in Deep Ellum 08-24 Queens, NY - Knockdown Center

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Power Trip Announce Return with New Singer Seth Gilmore

The band will play the just-announced No Values festival and more gigs in 2024

Power Trip have announced that they will return in 2024 with new singer Seth Gilmore, and will play their first official shows since the tragic 2020 passing of frontman Riley Gale.

The band issued a statement on Tuesday (February 20th) shortly after it was announced that Power Trip would play the inaugural No Values festival , a massive gathering taking place June 8th in Pomona, California. The lineup also features The Original Misfits, Iggy Pop, Social Distortion, Sublime, and many more acts.

Gilmore previously performed a five-song set with the surviving Power Trip members at a surprise gig at a club in Austin, Texas, in December. The singer fronts the bands Skourge and Fugitive, the latter featuring Power Trip guitarist Blake Ibanez.

Power Trip’s full statement reads as follows:

“Nearly four years ago to the day, unbeknownst to us, we would perform for the last time as Power Trip. It has been a difficult road since then, marked by deep pain, grief, and everything else that came with losing our brother Riley. We know this can’t be undone, and it will always remain part of us. We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way. We’ll never have the words to convey our appreciation of the enduring support we’ve received over the years, and we feel as though the time is right to get back on stage for all of you who’ve been there throughout our existence as a band. With that, we are excited to announce a round of upcoming 2024 performances starting with No Values festival on June 8th in SoCal. Joining us will be our long-time close friend / collaborator, and singer of Fugitive / Skourge — Seth Gilmore — who will be handling vocals for these upcoming shows. Stay tuned, more info on the way…

Riley Gale Forever. Power Trip Forever.

See you in the pit.

– Blake, Chris, Nick and Chris”

At the time of Gale’s death in August 2020, Power Trip were one of the most respected metal acts to emerge in the 21st century, leading a new wave of thrash bands. In a  March 2021 interview , Ibanez remarked, “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time.”

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As the band mentioned, the No Values fest will be the first of a number of gigs that Power Trip plan to play in 2024. Stay tuned as those shows are announced.

Watch footage of Seth Gilmore performing with Power Trip in the video clips below.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by POWER TRIP (@powertriptx)

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POWER TRIP announce first proper show since RILEY GALE's death

Power Trip are coming back.

The Texas crossover-thrash unit played a surprise mini-set late last year in Austin, which marked their first time onstage since the tragic death of frontman Riley Gale in 2020. As it turns out, it wasn't a one-off event, but a hint at the new era Power Trip are about to enter.

Today (February 20th), the band have announced their first proper show in four years, which will go down at the newly-minted No Values fest in Pomona, California, on June 8th. Other bands on the bill include the Misfits, Dillinger Escape Plan, Turnstile and many other punk/hardcore OGs.

In an accompanying statement about the future of Power Trip, the group's surviving members — guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart, bassist Chris Whetzel and drummer Chris Ulsh — revealed that Seth Gilmore, frontman of Ibanez's side project Fugitive, as well as the Texas hardcore unit Skourge, will be taking Gale's spot behind the mic for all upcoming shows. 

"Nearly four years ago to the day, unbeknownst to us, we would perform for the last time as Power Trip," the band wrote.

"It has been a difficult road since then, marked by deep pain, grief, and everything else that came with losing our brother Riley.

"We know this can't be undone, and it will always remain part of us. We have thought deeply about the future of Power Trip and what always comes back to us is that this band was founded on resilience, perseverance, and most importantly: a love for the music and for all of the people it has brought us closer to along the way.

"We'll never have the words to convey our appreciation of the enduring support we've received over the years, and we feel as though the time is right to get back on stage for all of you who've been there throughout our existence as a band.

"With that, we are excited to announce a round of upcoming 2024 performances starting with No Values Fest on June 8th in SoCal.

"Joining us will be our long-time close friend/collaborator, and singer of Fugitive/Skourge  —Seth Gilmore— who will be handling vocals for these upcoming shows.

"Stay tuned, more info on the way…"

See the band's full statement below.

This show (and the surprise one last year) aren't the first rumblings Power Trip have made since the band essentially went on hiatus following Gale's death in August 2020.

In 2022, Ibanez mentioned in a couple cryptic interviews that Power Trip were planning to continue the band, and that they even had an album's worth of songs in the tank that they'd been working on behind the scenes. 

"There's… I guess you can call it a record," Ibanez told Knotfest in September 2022.  "There's a bunch of stuff out there. That's really all I can say. I don't know. I can't really say too much."

"We've been working really hard on it," he continued. "Me and [Ulsh], we have great chemistry and the same thing we've always done when we make records together. The same vibe is there. I'm really proud of the stuff we've written together. So I'm looking forward to that. I don't know when everything's gonna happen, but I'm looking forward to it."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by POWER TRIP (@powertriptx)

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Metallica, AC/DC, Judas Priest Rule at All-Metal ‘Power Trip’ Festival: Concert Review

By Jeff Miller

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“This is a celebration!” proclaimed Metallica’s James Hetfield midway through the band’s set at the first-ever all-metal “Power Trip” festival . His comment was actually an understatement: While major metal festivals have been staged for decades, this one placed six of the world’s most legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands in history on one stage at the Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif. — home of Coachella festival and, of course, “Desert Trip,” the similarly billed 2016 classic-rock super-festival that featured Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Roger Waters, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

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If you’re thinking the crowd consisted largely of aging Beavis’ and Buttheads, you’re not wrong: One very awesome official tee shirt featured that duo headbanging on site, and the “newest” group in the lineup, Tool, released their first EP 31 years ago. And though many metalheads’ dreams of collaborations and reunions with past band members didn’t come to fruition, the fest was a testament to what nearly all of these long-running acts do best: hard-rocking classics and stage shows filled with various forms of over-the-toppedness, and with two acts playing per day to allow for proper headlining sets.

Worse, Guns N’ Roses, who have essentially been on one long tour since three key members reunited in 2016, played an over-long three-hour set that would have been much stronger if it was tighter. And while lead guitarist Slash has never sounded better, the same can’t be said for singer Axl Rose, whose vocals were inconsistent, perhaps due to the dry desert air.

Thankfully, rock valhalla arrived on day 2: Judas Priest and AC/DC were undeniable highlights of the weekend, with the former relentlessly blasting through hits like “A Touch Of Evil” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” with full confidence and a sound-mix that showed off 72-year old singer Rob Halford’s near-operatic range, which he somehow delivered in a series of leather outfits despite the 90-degree-plus heat. Founding guitarist Glenn Tipton, who is suffering from Parkinsons’ Disease, joined the band for their encore, a family-minded move that was clearly relished by the band and their fans.

The nearly sold-out crowd was swelling with flashing red devil horns by the time AC/DC took the stage for their first show since 2016, reuniting with singer Brian Johnson (who took a leave of absence that year for hearing related problems) and slammed the field with a 24-song set that included nearly every song a fan could hope for: “Back in Black,” “Dirty Deeds,” “Hell’s Bells,” “For Those About To Rock,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “High Voltage,” “Highway to Hell,” and many more, delivering a great reminder that they’re among the most influential rock bands of all time.

The final day was an ode to two different brands of intensity, with Tool — an outlier in the lineup, as they’re more associated with the ‘90s alt-rock movement than classic metal — playing a preposterously loud, overly ambitious set of their proggy, moody ear-blasts amid surreal psychedelic videos depicting skeletons, body parts, and shape-shifting aliens. Sadly, they do a disservice to fans further back by not allowing close-ups of them playing to appear on the video screens, leaving the audience to wonder whether all of those drum sounds come from superhuman skin-pounder Danny Carey (spoiler from the front: they do).

Power Trip was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all these high-level heavy bands at once, and though there were some squandered opportunities to make the sets themselves stand out from what each of these bands does night after night on tour, devil horns were raised, countless beers were consumed, and ears were blown: a success by any suitable metric.

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Riley Gale, Singer for Thrash Metal Band Power Trip, Dead at 34

By Althea Legaspi

Althea Legaspi

UPDATE (5/25):  An autopsy report for late Power Trip frontman Riley Gale ruled that the musician died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, while the manner of death was ruled accidental. The autopsy report was first shared on YouTube by the user Heavy Metal Picker, while Rolling Stone confirmed the cause of death with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office.

Riley Gale, the singer for Dallas, Texas thrash metal band Power Trip, died Monday, his family confirmed in a statement. He was 34. The cause of death has not been publicly revealed.

“It is with greatest of sadness we must announce that our lead singer and brother Riley Gale passed away last night,” the family of Gale wrote in a statement shared on Power Trip’s Twitter. “Riley was a friend, a brother, a son. Riley was both a larger than life rock star and a humble and giving friend.

“He touched so many lives through his lyrics and through his huge heart. He treated everyone he met as a friend and he always took care of his friends. We will celebrate Riley’s life and never forget the great works of music, charity, and love that he left behind. You, the fans, meant so much to him, please know how special you are.” In the statement, the family also invited fans to share their memories.

Formed in 2008, the band released two full-length albums on Southern Lord, 2013’s Manifest Decimation and 2017’s Nightmare Logic . The latter made Rolling Stone ‘s “ 20 Best Albums of 2017 ,” which was noted for “frontman Riley Gale’s ferociously flabbergasted bark: Rather than trading in straight-up rage, he delivers lines like ‘You’re waiting around to die/And I can’t fucking stand it!’ with something approaching bewildered indignation.”

In 2018 they released the compilation album Opening Fire: 2008-2014, with Live in Seattle 05.28.2018 coming out earlier this year. Gale also appeared on Body Count’s “Point the Finger” from Carnivore . “I’m devastated, ” Body Count frontman Ice-T tweeted . “Still don’t know how… I’m speechless.”

A funeral and visitation arrangements are pending.

pic.twitter.com/wJM1WnqXDp — POWER TRIP (@powertriptx) August 26, 2020

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The 10 best moments from the Power Trip festival

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“The question I got for you right now: Do you want heavy?”

That was James Hetfield about halfway through Metallica’s closing set Sunday night at this past weekend’s Power Trip festival — and indeed heavy was what the tens of thousands of fans before him got in the form of a bludgeoning rendition of “Sad But True” that seemed to shake the desert ground.

Held at the Empire Polo Club (where its promoter, Goldenvoice, also puts on the annual Coachella and Stagecoach fests), Power Trip brought together Metallica, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Tool for a kind of harder-and-faster follow-up to 2016’s Desert Trip mega-concert featuring the legends of 1960s rock.

Here are 10 of the show’s most memorable moments:

1. Metallica was in Southern California just weeks ago for a pair of sold-out dates on its M72 tour, whose ring-shaped stage the band adapted to a semicircle at Power Trip. (As a result, Lars Ulrich utilized only two drum kits as opposed to the four he played at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.) But the presence of so many peers and predecessors — “I got to see my heroes this weekend,” Hetfield told the crowd — appeared to draw out the group’s competitive streak: Its 1-2-3 opening punch of “Whiplash” into “Creeping Death” into “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was as tight and furious as Metallica has sounded in ages.

2. Hetfield tapped into a richly emotional vein in the haunting “Fade to Black,” which he described as a song about suicide — “something we’re not supposed to talk about,” he noted — and which he used as an opportunity to address anyone in the audience who might’ve needed it. “If you’re feeling the darkness, talk to your friends, please,” he said. “Please do it. We need you here.”

3. Among the heroes Hetfield beheld was Judas Priest, which capped its set on Saturday with an unannounced appearance by longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton, who stopped touring with the hugely influential British group in 2018 due to Parkinson’s disease. Here he rejoined his bandmates for “Metal Gods,” “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight.”

4. Always a snazzy dresser, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was one of two gentlemen at Power Trip, along with Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose, to don a sparkly silver jacket that happily played up the theatrical side of heavy metal and hard rock. (Halford took his off after a few minutes to reveal an equally fetching sequined leather number.) Yet as style icons both men were actually outdone by AC/DC’s Angus Young, who came onstage in his signature schoolboy uniform but eventually lost the jacket and tie and unbuttoned his shirt to let it billow in the desert wind.

Review: After seven-year absence, AC/DC proves the eternal joy of a riff and a screech

AC/DC’s two-hour Power Trip set stacked classic after classic, each delivered at deafening volume and with precisely the right blend of rawness and finesse.

Oct. 8, 2023

5. AC/DC’s performance was its first since 2016, when singer Brian Johnson was forced off the road as a result of hearing loss and was replaced for a stretch of gigs by GNR’s Rose. With Johnson back in the fold — and Young’s nephew Stevie filling in for founding riffmeister Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 — the band’s whole set here was a rowdy delight. But it peaked with a merry run through “Highway to Hell” that made you wonder whether there’s any bad trip AC/DC couldn’t rebrand as a good time.

6. Playing mostly in shadows, Tool did the opposite in a nightmarish set of dense prog-metal that likely terrified anyone who’d taken the wrong drugs before showtime.

7. By far the festival’s chattiest performer, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson introduced “Death of the Celts” with an impromptu history lesson on how “human beings have a streak of being the biggest f—ing a—holes on the planet.”

At Power Trip, Guns N’ Roses ditches spectacle as it polishes the messy past

Guns N’ Roses headlined the first night of this weekend’s Power Trip hard rock festival with a show that lacked spectacle and mayhem.

Oct. 7, 2023

8. Guns N’ Roses played the longest set of the weekend, finishing at 1 a.m. early Saturday morning, yet somehow couldn’t find time to do “Don’t Cry,” its second-best power ballad after “November Rain,” which Rose did sing while seated on a piano bench designed to look like a motorcycle. What made the omission even crazier (in a fun way) was that GNR dedicated four minutes or so to a very sincere cover of “Wichita Lineman,” Jimmy Webb’s classic country-pop tune that was a hit for Glen Campbell in the late ’60s.

9. Rose also reached back to the classic-rock past for the band’s hit renditions of songs by two Desert Tripsters: Wings’ “Live and Let Die,” which he dedicated to Paul McCartney on the occasion of the song’s turning 50, and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” which had a kind of sanctified reggae vibe.

10. Heavy metal and hard rock thrive on instrumental prowess, as Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo demonstrated in a performance of a song they said they’d composed earlier Sunday. (Somewhat sheepishly, Trujillo reported that the song was titled “Funk in the Desert.”) Yet the festival’s most endearing moment arrived maybe 20 minutes later when Hammett flubbed the intricate fingerpicked intro of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” “Sorry, guys,” he told the crowd with a laugh before starting again. “You know, it’s really hot in this f—ing desert.”

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Power Trip live: Reviews of Metallica, Tool, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses

For those about to rock, we salute you. We'll be reporting all the action at Power Trip, Goldenvoice's three-day metal festival in the desert featuring heavy-hitters Guns N' Roses and Iron Maiden on Friday, AC/DC and Judas Priest on Saturday, and culminating with Metallica and Tool on Sunday.

Will this "once-in-a-lifetime" billing live up to the hype? Check back here for the sights, sounds, special guests and music reviews from the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif.

• Review: Metallica closes out festival in electric style
• Review: Tool underwhelms after AC/DC energy
• Power Trip Day 3: The good, the bad and the epic
• Review: AC/DC delivers epic set after seven-year hiatus
• Review: Judas Priest delivers beyond expectations, new album
• Power Trip Day 2: The good, the bad, the sweat
• Review: Guns N' Roses brings crowd pleasing, hit-filled set
• Review: Iron Maiden brings the drama to first Power Trip set
• Power Trip Day 1: The good, the bad, the hot

Tool and Metallica close out the last day of Power Trip in style

Tool and Metallica are two distinctly different bands, so, naturally, they brought two vastly different shows to the same audience Sunday night at Power Trip.

But there was a third band we couldn't help to compare them with: AC/DC.

It's probably unfair to compare the performance of one band to another, particularly when one is as beloved as AC/DC, and is playing its first live show in more than seven years. But while Tool sounded crisp and loud, and thousands appeared to enjoy the band's set at the festival, it inevitably felt like a let down after AC/DC, and as festivalgoers were gearing up for a highly anticipated show from Metallica.

Metallica, on the other hand, understood their assignment. Closing out a once-in-a-lifetime festival such as Power Trip is no easy task, and the California rockers didn't disappoint on Sunday night,

Read our full Tool review here.

Read our full Metallica review here.

—Brian Blueskye and Andrew John

Power Trip proves itself to be an international affair

What’s the furthest someone traveled to Power Trip? It’s hard to say, but Indio resident Leonard Ortiz has something that provides answers. Since Friday, Ortiz has collected signatures from attendees and their origins on a California state flag. Some of the attendees who signed included residents of Australia, Nepal, Austria, and Colombia. Ortiz said there was also “a lot of Mexico on there.”

Ortiz said he got the idea to track signatures at Power Trip from attending Metallica concerts and seeing fans with flags from their home states doing the same.

“I just thought it would be cool to do (at Power Trip),” because I knew that AC/DC and Iron Maiden have a following from all over the world, and I want to put it (the flag) up in my mancave. People are really digging it, and I’ve only had one person tell me no when I’ve asked them to sign for whatever reason,” Ortiz said. 

—Brian Blueskye

The most rockstar-worthy burger at Power Trip comes from Grill 'Em All

There’s one food vendor in the South Lounge area of the festival that gets our unofficial award for Most Clever Play on Words: the metal-inspired and Alhambra-based burger restaurant Grill ‘Em All, which is a take on Metallica’s 1983 debut album “Kill ‘Em All.”

Desert Sun reporter Andrew John tried the AC/DC burger and enthusiastically said “It’s good!” after taking his first bite.

The restaurant is known for showing pro wrestling and a selection of burgers named after metal icons such as Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and more.

Holy Dive Bar provides sports fans and non-sports fans alike a shaded place to kick back, grab a drink

Rob Vollgraf traveled to Power Trip from Northern California with the understanding that he’d be able to watch his Las Vegas Raiders at the Holy Dive Bar. He'd heard about the setup inside Empire Polo Club, but was skeptical about whether it would be anything substantial.

On Sunday, the festivalgoer admitted he was pleasantly surprised.

“They’ve done an outstanding job here,” said Vollgraf, wearing a black Raiders shirt. “This blew away my expectations.”

Read the full story here.

—Andrew John

Tool brings fans from around the world to the polo grounds

When Alejandro Grijalva Duran saw the lineup announcement in March for Power Trip and noticed the band Tool was part of it, he immediately contacted his son, Juan Pablo Grijalva Saenz. The two purchased tickets and made travel arrangements to Indio from Chihuahua, Mexico.

On Sunday, the father and son had just waited in line at Tool’s merchandise booth and was taking pictures with a poster they'd purchased. Power Trip is the first time the two will see the band perform. 

“(Tool) is a unique band,” Grijalva Saenz said. “You see the lineup and all the classic rock bands, having Tool in the lineup at this festival is mind-blowing. Their concept in music is different than other bands like Judas Priest, AC/DC and Iron Maiden, so it’s a unique occasion to see Tool at this festival and venue.”

Grijalva Duran is a longtime fan, and said there are limited opportunities to see Tool in Mexico, who typically perform in cities such as Monterrey or Guadalajara.

“I like a lot of Tool’s music and have been a fan since the beginning,” said Grijalva Duran.

Real metal fans take their grandkids to Power Trip

Brooklyn Harper and Illy Pirylis of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, both 17, have been enjoying Power Trip this weekend with their grandmother, 59-year-old Kerri Yingst of Hobe Sound, Florida. But it's not the first time they've rocked out at a concert together.

It's the third festival the trio have attended together since the 2022 Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach.

On Saturday afternoon, all three were excited to see the first performance by AC/DC in seven years and spent over an hour standing in line at the band's merchandise tent after the gates opened. Yingst referred to her granddaughters as her "concert buddies"

“I didn’t know they liked my music,” Yingst said. “I was (in New Jersey) visiting and I heard Black Sabbath coming from the bedroom, and I’m like ‘Wait a minute, maybe they’re just on YouTube.’ I go about my business and go back upstairs, and I asked them, ‘Do you like that?’ and they said ‘Yeah!’ That’s when we found Welcome to Rockville and started going to festivals together.”

To read the full story, click here.

AC/DC starts out strong despite seven-year performance hiatus

Shortly after AC/DC performed “Shoot to Thrill” about an hour into their Saturday set at Power Trip, CNL Executive Transportation owner and operator Craig Blucher was heading towards the exit to give a client a ride.

But as he walked, the San Diego resident who has seen AC/DC seven times described the set as “epic.”

Blucher’s first time seeing AC/DC was during the original lineup era featuring original frontman Bon Scott, who died in 1980. He also caught the band’s comeback tour that same year with current vocalist Brian Johnson.

Since AC/DC released the album “Power Up” in 2020, the band hasn’t played together live, meaning Saturday’s performance was its first show in seven years.

Even though AC/DC is celebrating 50 years, the band hasn't announced a new album or any plans to tour, leaving many to speculate whether Power Trip may be the group's last performance.

When asked if he thinks it will be the last, Blucher said he hopes not.

“They need to stay healthy and they’re getting old. These old timers don’t live forever,” Blucher said. 

Check out AC/DC's setlist here.

Check out our full review of AC/DC's set here.

Judas Priest announces new album, brings out Glenn Tipton

Judas Priest replaced Ozzy Osbourne as the first band on the Power Trip Day 2 schedule, but they didn't act like anyone's second choice.

After five decades, the English heavy metal group proved it still has plenty of gas in the tank, far exceeding expectations. The crowd cheered as Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" played as the intro, but was followed by a few moments of silence before a graphic showed on the video screens announcing Judas Priest's upcoming album, "The Invincible Shield," which is due out March 8.

Perhaps the best moment of the set was the encore, which featured guitarist Glenn Tipton, who retired from the band in 2018 due to Parkinson's disease. Tipton performed with the group during the last three songs of the set: classics "Metal Gods," "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight."

Click here to read the full Judas Priest setlist.

Coachella has 'Spectra,' Power Trip has the rocker cactus

While concertgoers are not allowed inside "Spectra," the popular illuminated installation that features a winding ramp, right next to it is a new piece of art that has many lined up to take a selfie with.

A blue devil-horned-shaped cactus has caught the attention of many here at Power Trip. It has provided a perfect photo-op for this metal festival, with Spectra, the ground’s iconic Ferris wheel and the mountains of La Quinta providing a cool backdrop. 

Power Trip's hottest accessory will cost you $20, and sellers prefer cash

One thing most festivalgoers probably didn't expect at Power Trip, which markets itself very openly as a cashless festival, is a vendor that asks for cash. That's exactly what fans are facing when they go to purchase light-up AC/DC devil horn headbands at one of the various vendor carts scattered across the festival grounds today.

Although these vendors technically take credit cards (because they have to to be part of the festival), the signs on the carts read "$ CASH IS KING !!!"

The night's hottest accessory, which will set you back $20, is a nod to AC/DC co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and only remaining founding member Angus Young, who popularized the devil horn symbol by using his two index fingers to form two horns above his head while he performs.

—Niki Kottmann

Judas Priest proves to be the most punctual band of Power Trip thus far

Judas Priest just took the stage, just a few minutes later than scheduled, unlike the Friday performers who were 20 minutes (Iron Maiden) and 40 minutes (Guns N' Roses) behind schedule. Now let's see if they can make Ozzy proud.

Group of fans decide to push through the Power Trip gates early

Those of us who entered Day 2 of Power Trip through the Red Path/camping area got a surprise Saturday when a group of rowdy festivalgoers decided they didn't want to wait any longer and pushed the gates open. Security nearby let it happen, seemingly because they were going to open the gates themselves a few minutes later, and because those who pushed through were hit by a wall of metal detectors and bag checkers on the other side of the gate.

Guns' N' Roses delivers the hits to close out the first day of Power Trip

Guns N' Roses put on a phenomenal show of heavy rock 'n' roll hits and treated festivalgoers to highlights of the band's career, even paying tribute to Sir Paul McCartney's 50th anniversary of the James Bond anthem "Live And Let Die." The two-hour set was full of stunning video production and lasers, but notably no pyrotechnics.

Even though the band was 40 minutes late for its headlining performance, the crowd was calm and there were no signs of the old days when the band would appear hours late or not at all. When the festival went dark and the band's strange animated psychedelic visuals appeared, the crowd was on its feet, screaming in anticipation.

Starting with "It's So Easy," frontman Axl Rose appeared like a lightning rod and the rest of the band, which also features original members guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, were precise in every note.

Click here to read the band's complete Power Trip setlist.

Our highs and lows of Power Trip Day 1: Where's the good food hiding?

OK, so festival food is famously never great, but Coachella always includes some trendy (and mouthwatering) Asian food from LA and Stagecoach always has delicious BBQ (when Guy Fieri's involved, you know it's good), so what is Power Trip going to be notable for cuisine-wise? So far, crappy grilled cheese.

That might be on me for ordering something a bit odd, but I thought you couldn't mess up grilled cheese! It's so simple! Tomorrow I'll be going in a totally different direction and heading straight for the booth of a Palm Springs favorite: Sandfish.

Read up on our other highs and lows from the first day of the festival here.

Parking causes headaches on Power Trip Day 1, leads some to leave early

Parking for those who tried to get in after 4:30 p.m. today was reportedly out-of-this-world difficult (our own photographer nearly ran out of gas in the middle of Miles Avenue because traffic controlers forced him to circle the venue so many times), which seems to be the reason why many people were seen leaving the festival after the first hour of Guns N' Roses' set.

I can't blame them for wanting to beat the traffic, and I can't help but wonder how long it's going to take me to get out after Guns N' Roses is done playing ... moral of the story: get here as early as possible tomorrow, festivalgoers.

Iron Maiden delivers theatrical, energetic set to kick off the night

As Iron Maiden kicked off the first set of Power Trip performing "Caught Somewhere In Time," frontman Bruce Dickinson appeared as if he stepped into the present day from a futuristic sci-fi film set.

That post-apocalyptic vibe continued throughout the stellar performance, which included stage visuals showing the flux capacitor from the 1985 time travel comedy film "Back to the Future."

Want to see the complete set list? Click here.

—Niki Kottmann and Brian Blueskye

Metal fans came from all over the world for this event

As the rumors began circulating about Power Trip in March, Rob Myers of Hershey, Pennsylvania created the Facebook community “Power Trip Festival Group,” which has over 10,000 members. On Friday afternoon, Myers met a fraction of the group in front of the Ferris wheel for a group photo. A group member brought a California state flag and is having members sign it as he meets them at the festival.

Myers said he has created similar groups for festivals such as the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio and estimates 5,000 attendees from all around the world and demographics joined the Power Trip group during April.

“People had interest in seeing six powerhouse acts all at once,” Myers said. “These bands have international recognition – Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Metallica – even in Europe, you don’t see all three of those bands at one festival. You may see one, but you’re not going to get all at once.”

The members of the group have posted invites for carpooling to the festival, social gatherings in the area and even shared travel tips for those new to the Coachella Valley. There’s a stronger sense of community among metal fans for this festival than the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach country music festival.

“If you go to any metal festival, especially if you’re in camping, you’re never going to have an empty stomach, an empty cup or go without anything you need,” Myers said. “I have met grandmothers and mothers at metal festivals and they’re the ones helping those who say ‘Hey, I need this’ or ‘I ran out of this.’ Everybody just wants to take care of each other. With metal, there are different emotions, some of these people have been hurt and have a stronger sense of empathy. I’ve noticed people who have been through something, metal is their healing." 

Our first impression of the festival: spacious

Although it was crowded by the entrance, once the gates opened 18 minutes behind schedule, our first impression of the festival was that it's wonderfully spread out. Nobody's on top of each other, and even though the merch tents were Coachella-level busy less than 15 minutes into the start of the festival, the Iron Maiden-specific and Guns N' Roses-specific booths had shockingly small lines.

This is also a little nerdy of us to notice, but the famed Coachella/Stagecoach Ferris wheel (aka Le Grande Wheel) is back with new open-air cars (as opposed to the traditional enclosed cars we're used to at the other two festivals).

Power Trip: Gates are open and crowd has cool cross-generational vibe

The gates are open at Power Trip but the music has yet to start. The crowd so far consists of lots of big groups and families with adult children. "How you holding up mom?" was heard from a man who appeared to be in his late 30s or early 40s.

Those who attended the original "Trip" ... Desert Trip in 2016 that featured the kings of classic rock ... will understand.

Also notable about the first hour on scene: It's hot. Overheard waiting to get through the gate: “I’m sweating so much I’m losing my buzz, it’s terrible!”

—Niki Kottmann and Kate Franco

Headed to Power Trip but don't want to miss the game? You can experience both

Goldevoice is typically all about the music. But this weekend at Power Trip, the promoter is offering a rare opportunity to watch live sports at one of its bar areas within the festival.

All weekend long, festivalgoers can head to the Holy Dive Bar to watch the following televised sports:

• Thursday: NFL Chicago @ Washington
• Friday: MLB Playoffs
• Saturday: MLB Playoffs
• Saturday: NCAA Football
• Sunday: NFL Football

—Niki Kottmann and Andrew John

Power Trip pre-game: Free tattoos at AC/DC-themed pop-up bar in Indio

AC/DC will hit the stage for the first time in seven years during the second day of Power Trip, but you don't have to wait until Saturday to get in on the fun.

Club 5 Bar in downtown Indio has officially opened as a pop-up fan experience called the AC/DC High Voltage Dive Bar , featuring collectible rock relics, unique Easter eggs, a beer garden food trucks and, perhaps most notably, free tattoos of the many different AC/DC logos over the band's 50-year history.

If you're looking for a place outside the festival grounds to honor the gods of rock, this is your spot.

Power Trip special guests: Who we think might make a stage cameo

Would it even be a Goldenvoice festival without surprise special guests? Here's a few we're hoping to see (and yes, some are far-fetched, but we can dream):

With Guns N' Roses:

• Misfits frontman Glenn Danzig (to sing "Attitude")
• Bob Dylan (to sing that cover of "Knockin' On Heavens Door")

With AC/DC:

• AC/DC could quite possibly bring out any rockers, but ... wouldn't it be amazing if they brought out actor/singer Jack Black for the cover of "It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" from the movie "School of Rock"?

With Metallica:

• King Diamond (to sing "Mercyful Fate")
• St. Vincent, Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor, or another artist who performed on the "The Metallica Blacklist"

Power Trip set times: When will Tool, Guns 'N Roses, Metallica take the stage?

Need some help planning your Power Trip? Here are the set times :

• Friday, Oct. 6:  Iron Maiden at 6:45 p.m., Guns N' Roses at 9:25 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 7:  Judas Priest at 6:45 p.m., AC/DC at 9:25 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 8:  Tool at 6:55 p.m., Metallica at 9:35 p.m.

Where is Power Trip festival 2023?

Power Trip, which features six heavy metal bands from Friday, Oct. 6 to Sunday, Oct. 8, is being held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Music-lovers likely know (or know of) the venue as the home to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach country music festival, which are held on the lush grounds at 81-800 51st Ave. over three weekends in April.

But this isn't the first October "Trip" staged by Goldenvoice. Desert Trip, featuring Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Neil Young and Promise of the Real, Roger Waters and Paul McCartney , was held at the polo grounds over two October weekends in 2016. It was heralded as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of the biggest names in classic rock on one stage.

—Kate Franco

From the archive: When Desert Trip rocked the music world in 2016

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AC/DC Reveal ‘Power Trip’ Band Lineup Featuring New Drummer

AC/DC recently took to social media to reveal the band’s lineup for the “Power Trip Festival,” scheduled to take place on October 6th-8th in Indio, California.

AC/DC posted rehearsal audio on their social pages, captioning it, “PWR UP for Power Trip! Listen to the rehearsal of the boys powering up with Cliff Williams, who’s coming out of retirement for the festival and Matt Laug on drums.”

Drummer Phil Rudd , who rejoined AC/DC for the Power Up album in 2020 along with Brian Johnson and Cliff Williams , is not part of the lineup that will perform on October 7th at the upcoming Power Trip festival.

The band has not given any reason for Rudd’s absence.

The band’s lineup for Power Trip includes Johnson, Williams, Matt Laug , lead guitarist Angus Young , and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young .

The three-day Power Trip fest also features Guns N’ Roses , Iron Maiden , Metallica , Tool , and Judas Priest .

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Power Trip Festival 2023: Full Lineup and Details Announced

It may be the biggest North American rock festival ever

UPDATED: July 11, 2023

The stacked lineup for the all-new festival Power Trip is here. Earlier this week, headliners Metallica, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC,  Tool , and  Guns N’ Roses all teased the festival on their official social media. Now, the full lineup is officially confirmed for what may very well be the biggest hard rock festival ever in North America.

On Monday, July 10, Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he would no longer be performing at Power Trip. On Tuesday, July 11, it was announced that British metal icons Judas Priest would be stepping in for Ozzy. Priest will now play opposite AC/DC on Saturday, October 7.

Check out the full lineup artwork below.

Goldenvoice, the company behind Coachella, Stagecoach, Cruel World, and more will be putting on Power Trip. The festival will take place in Indio, California at the Empire Polo Grounds (home of Coachella) on October 6 through October 8, 2023.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 6 at 10am PT. Hotel and VIP Packages available starting Tuesday, April 4 at 10am PT. Fans can register for the on-sale now HERE . 3-Day General Admission tickets start at $599 + fees, or turn the volume up with GA + Shuttle ($699), The Pit ($1,599), Reserved Floor ($799 – $1,599), Grandstand Seating ($1,099 – $1,399), and various VIP Packages ($1,749 – $2,999). Payment plans (50/50) are available for general admission tickets. 

Camping options include Car & Tent Camping, ready-to-go 2 person Lodge/4 person tents, RV spots and more. Amenities and activities are available for all campers. Accommodations include hotel packages: Bundle your Power Trip tickets with nearby hotel accommodations and “any line” shuttle passes. Available for groups of 2 or 4 people, exclusively through   Valley Music Travel . Packages start at $3,199 + fees.

Fans who want to commemorate the weekend can pre-order a Power Trip Commemorative Poster. The premium quality giclee print poster delivered in advance of the show. Designed and printed by artist  J. Bannon  (limited edition of 1,000), the posters are available in 18×24 on fine art textured stock. For now, you must purchase a ticket in order to add the poster to your order.

After announcing his  retirement from touring  back in February, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne has recently expressed his desire to still perform at some capacity in the future. Commercially, Ozzy is enjoying the fruits of his widely successful album  Patient No. 9 . He won two GRAMMY® Awards at the 65th annual event in Los Angeles last month. He took home the hardware for Best Metal Performance and Best Rock Album. It marked the metal legend’s first solo GRAMMY® win since 1994 when he won Best Metal Performance for “I Don’t Wanna Change the World ( Live & Loud ).

“I’m one lucky motherfucker to have won the Best Rock Album Grammy,” the now a five-time GRAMMY® Award winner exclaimed. “I was blessed to work with some of the greatest musicians in the world and Andrew Watt as my producer on this album. Winning the Best Metal Performance was equally gratifying being that the song featured my longtime friend and Black Sabbath bandmate, Tony Iommi.”

Metallica’s upcoming eleventh studio LP  72 Seasons  arrives on April 14 via the band’s own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track  72 Seasons  is Metallica’s first full length collection of new material since 2016’s  Hardwired…To Self-Destruct . The album will be released in formats including 2LP 140-gram black vinyl and limited edition variants, CD and digital download.

Additionally, Metallica are  returning to the road  this summer. The band previously announced their M72 Word Tour which will see the band perform back-to-back nights at each stop with no repeat performances. In each city, special guests on Night One will be Pantera and Mammoth WVH. Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills will serve as support on Night 2. Tickets are on sale now  HERE . 

Iron Maiden brought their Legacy of the Beast Tour back to North American last year for another massive run. The band’s latest album  Senjutsu  arrived in 2021. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock and Top Hard Rock Albums charts.

In 2020, AC/DC released their seventeenth studio album  Power Up . The record peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and topped the charts in several other countries around the world. Once again, Angus and Malcolm Young’s nephew Stevie Young, who took over rhythm guitar duties for Malcolm after his passing in 2017. AC/DC have not toured since their Rock or Bust trek wrapped up in 2016.

Tool have a number of festival appearances slated for 2022, including a headlining slot at Aftershock. Last summer, they released their GRAMMY®-Award winning fifth album  Fear Inoculum  as a new black vinyl set via RCA Records. The 3-disc 180 gram set on black vinyl features new artwork by guitarist Adam Jones. It comes in a triple gatefold jacket and an exclusive 12″ x 36″ double-sided poster. Last March, Tool released a re-imagined version of “Opiate,” the title track from their first EP. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their first commercially-available release, the band re-worked and extended the song –  “Opiate 2 “  – with an accompanying short film.

Guns N’ Roses are embarking on a massive world tour this summer. The North American leg runs through October 16m making stops in Boston, Chicago, Nashville, Charlotte, Vancouver, and more. The band is also returning to Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania for the first U.S. show of the tour. They previously kicked off their We’re F’N Back! Tour there back in 2021. Revisit our review and live photos from the show  HERE .

Last year, Guns N’ Roses came out with a a new EP  Hard Skool . The record was released nearly a year ago on February 25, 2022. It was the first time in 28 years that vocalist Axl Rose, guitarist Slash, and bassist Duff McKagan collaborated together on new material together.

The trio was accompanied on the new studio effort by the current members of the GNR lineup, which is completed by guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer, as well as keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese. The EP featured live recordings of the band’s ‘91 power ballad “Don’t Cry” and “You’re Crazy” from their seminal debut LP  Appetite For Destruction .

Released back in August of 2021, the single “Absurd “ was the first new Guns N’ Roses song in 13 years.

Fresh off their  50th anniversary celebrations , Judas Priest are reportedly working on music for the follow-up to their acclaimed 2018 album  Firepower . The record is the band’s biggest commercial success, charting at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200 as well as hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Judas Priest toured relentlessly to celebrate the success of Firepower and the band’s five decades of heavy metal.

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"It’s the biggest heavy metal party in the world." Metallica, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Guns N' Roses and Tool, plus insane ticket prices, 40° heat and, er, lobster dinners. Inside the brilliance and the absurdity of Power Trip festival 2023

We headed out to Power Trip in October for a first-hand look at the biggest heavy metal festival ever assembled

James William Reay, 39, has travelled more than 5,500 miles from his London home to spend three days in the California desert. It’s hot, dusty and the cheapest beer for miles around is $15 a pop. He’s paid over $1,500 for the privilege of being here, but he couldn’t be happier. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” he says, beaming. “Where else will you see so many of the top bands of this genre on the same stage? It’s the biggest heavy metal party in the world.”

We’re at Power Trip, a three-day festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio California, a sedate desert city 130 miles east of Los Angeles. Unlike most British and European festivals – or even Coachella, which has been held on this site since 1999 – the bill isn’t made up of a firehose of bands all fighting for ears and eyes. There are just six bands playing this weekend, but what bands they are: AC/DC , Metallica , Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden , Judas Priest and Tool.

It’s an elite-level bill, and there are elite-level ticket prices to match. General admission begins at $599 (roughly £490) plus fees, rising to $1,599 (£1,300) for The Pit, a standing area directly in front of the stage. VIP and hotel packages are north of $2,000. But that hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of metal fans weathering temperatures of almost 40 ̊C to see six of the biggest and best bands rock and metal has to offer.

There’s a precedent for this. In 2016, heavyweight US promoters (and Coachella organisers) Goldenvoice staged the Desert Trip festival on this very site. Like this weekend’s event, it brought together six of the biggest names in rock – The Rolling Stones , Paul McCartney, The Who, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, Neil Young – in one massive boomer-fest.

While Power Trip follows the same template, it’s a very different gathering of the tribes. Over the festival’s duration, Hammer meets fans from as far afield as Brazil, Chile and Japan, as well as groups from the UK, Switzerland and beyond. With up to 80,000 people attending each day, the gathering represents a massive cross-section of ages, albeit admittedly skewed to older fans who can afford the higher price tag. It answers the question: what if you had a festival made up entirely of headline-sized bands? “It’s a historical event,” says Shinji, the owner of Tokyo’s Metal Justice bar, who has flown in from Japan to be here. “All huge bands playing full sets in the world-famous Coachella site – a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

It’s the first day of the fest, but thankfully the traffic chaos that blighted the likes of Download and Slam Dunk in the UK hasn’t affected Indio. The worst fans have to contend with is a drive around site to find a free parking space. Colourful rickshaws offer to ferry fans from the car park to the site for $15, cranking up metal-friendly soundtracks en route, with Deftones, Slipknot and Rammstein filling the air.

Indio might be in the desert, but the Empire Polo Club is an oasis of luxury. Lined by palm trees and with gorgeous mountains looming in the distance, there’s a natural splendour to it, while carefully manicured lawns and scenic views exude a sedate comfort that suggests athletic, beautiful young things might pop out from behind the dunes at any moment to fan us with oversized palm leaves and feed us grapes ahead of some Bacchanalian revelry.

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This weekend, the majority of the field is dedicated to seating, folding chairs lined out in their thousands in orderly rows and blocks before the stage, while further back dedicated blanket and pitch areas in general admission offer relaxation for even the lowest-paying attendee. Food stalls provide everything from festival-staple burger and fries to brisket, dumplings and full lobster dinners, with snaking queues conspicuous by their absence. Donington this ain’t.

But no matter how different some things are, others are reassuringly familiar. “Scream for me, Indio!” demands Bruce Dickinson . “Iron Maiden’s gonna get each and every one of ya!” It’s 6.45pm and the sun hasn’t quite gone down when the British metal icons kick off the festival with a set that brings the 2023 leg of their globe-circling The Future Past tour to its conclusion. They may be in the early slot, but they’re not an opening act - every band here has billing, with a 90-plus minute stage time across the board. Not everyone in the crowd is on-message with The Future Past tour’s non-greatest hits approach – “What, no Run To The Hills ?” Hammer hears one fan grumbling – but Maiden rule.

After briefly grasping the idea of punctuality, Guns N’ Roses seem to have slipped back into old habits. It’s 10pm when they take the stage, 30 minutes later than scheduled. Some fans are asleep in their seats, others have left entirely. As close to home as they’re ever likely to be in a festival setting, Guns’ 29-song setlist offers big anthems – you know the ones – and a visual extravaganza of IMAX proportions. But the lightning-charged Axl Rose’s blur of energy isn’t matched by the crowd. Maybe it’s down to the still-stifling heat, but they watch politely rather than losing their shit, half-heartedly singing along to Sweet Child O’ Mine .

The set finally comes to an end with the obligatory Paradise City , by which many of those who are staying in the campsite have already made their way back. Actually, ‘campsite’ is a misnomer. There are few tents to be found; this is RV country, the accommodation offering flushable toilets, beds and even air-con. But there’s a great atmosphere. Barbeques are broken out and the smell of sizzling steak fills the air as groups crank up the radio and blast classic rock and metal hits, like a scene straight out of Richard Linklater’s Dazed And Confused . Hammer wanders the site for a while before it’s time to head back to our Airbnb a few miles away. There’s just one question: dude, where’s our car?

Across town is High Voltage, a pop-up dive bar packed with memorabilia dedicated to tonight’s closing band, AC/DC. Fans queue around the block to get inside, where they’ll be greeted with cheap drinks (almost $10 cheaper than at the actual festival), stacked TVs showing videos of the band’s glory years and a constant rotation of ’DC tunes on the jukebox. Swiss fan Pirmin Häfliger is in full schoolboy attire, flinging himself around as he duck-walks and spins on the floor playing an air guitar. “AC/DC haven’t played for seven years, so I had to be there,”he explains.“ This might be the last time I see them, so it was always going to be special, but this is incredible!”

Out back, vans sell cheap burgers and tacos, while a huge merch emporium sells everything from shirts and posters to cups and AC/DC Monopoly. Local studio Heatstroke Tattoo have been enlisted to offer free AC/DC logo tatts to any fans that want them. One of the artists, Sadiel Da Vinci, reckons he’s done around 15 a day so far. “I’m hoping to do 30 tomorrow,” he says happily. “It’s been hot as fuck out here, but we’re meeting people from all over the world, which is incredible.”

For their part, Indio’s locals seem positively delighted to have thousands of metalheads descend upon their city. “Everyone’s been so nice, you know?” says Giselle, a local working the bar. “The atmosphere is just so fun.” That atmosphere ratchets up even further when Angus Young himself appears at the bar for a quick photo op (sadly, Hammer ’s tucked up in bed at the time – gah!).

Forty years ago, Judas Priest appeared alongside Van Halen, Scorpions, Mötley Crüe and Ozzy Osbourne on the bill of the second US Festival’s fabled ‘Heavy Metal Day’ –the point where metal was rubber-stamped as an unstoppable commercial force in the US. Priest are a direct link between that momentous event and Power Trip, although they’re actually a replacement for Ozzy, who was forced to cancel in July due to health reasons. Rumours abound that Ozzy might turn up on-site regardless, but Hammer already knows the truth of the matter, having spoken to him barely a week before the event.

“If I can’t do the gig, I don’t want to be there,” he admitted. But there’s no resentment from The Prince Of Darkness to the band warming his throne for the night. “It’s brilliant Judas Priest are doing it instead; Rob’s a great singer and they’re a very good band. He’s a very dear friend of mine." It’s a sentiment clearly shared by the many fans wearing Judas Priest shirts dotted around the site. Even Joe, a California native wearing an Ozzfest ’98 tee, isn’t too upset about the substitution. “I love Ozzy, man,” he drawls. “But Judas Priest are legends

Priest deliver an imperious performance. Sticking to their most ebullient songs – no ballads today – the set is all feel-good riffs and chest-beating bravado, heavy on the likes of You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ and Living After Midnight , while the projection of a gigantic red, white and black Black Country flag instils a bit of home pride.

When AC/DC arrive onstage, the festival becomes another beast entirely. It’s as if half the crowd have been quietly milling on the edges of the field until now as the field suddenly packs out ahead of show time, a sea of blinking light-up Devil horns flickering with excitement. The Australian band don’t let us down, delivering a set that mixes up longtime staples such as Back In Black , Whole Lotta Rosie and You Shook Me All Night Long with some surprises, including unexpected opener If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) , debuts for Power Up tracks Shot In The Dark and Demon Fire , and Bon Scott-era classic Riff Raff , the first time the latter has been played at a gig with Brian Johnson on vocals.

“That was legendary, man,” beams a fan after a cannon- assisted For Those About To Rock closer, dripping sweat as he walks out of The Pit. “No shit!” his friend answers. “I was stood next to James fucking Hetfield!”

This turns out to be true. The Metallica frontman was spotted side-stage during Iron Maiden’s and Guns N’ Roses’ sets on Friday, but he shifted to The Pit for AC/DC, where he air-guitared alongside awestruck fans. "These bands made Metallica,” he’ll say during his own group’s performance the following night. “This is one great big party, hanging out with all our heroes.”

There’s little sense of festival fatigue as we spot several groups blasting Metallica and pounding beers in the Power Trip car park. “It’s been a blast!” says Heather, a masseuse from Rialto, California. “We’ve been partying in the pool all day and rocking out at night!” “Power Trip has attracted people from over the world; it touches my heart that it goes so far and wide,” adds Zina, a veteran of the Sunset Strip who regales us with tales of debauchery and the time she saw Axl Rose get kicked out of The Roxy. “Everybody wants to be here!”

Hammer finally indulges in one of the $15 rickshaws ferrying people to the main site. Soundtracked by Deftones , it’s a wild and bumpy ride that has us gripping the bars tight. “It’s cool, man,” our driver, Justin – another Indio local – assures us. “I haven’t lost anyone. Yet.”

He has better luck than Tool , who find a schism in the audience between those who love their meditative, cosmic jam sound and those who just want a good ol’ fashioned metal show. Thankfully, Metallica are here to deliver just that. Unless you count Kirk Hammett fumbling the intro to Nothing Else Matters , there are no surprises in their set: Whiplash , Creeping Death , Enter Sandman and Master Of Puppets all get a run out. But there don’t need to be surprises. This is metal’s biggest band giving metal’s biggest weekend a fitting send-off.

As the dust settles – mostly in our lungs – Power Trip emerges as an entirely different kind of festival experience. A counterpoint to the “book-everyone-and-see” approach of events such as When We Were Young and Sick New World , it had brought the biggest and best bands in rock and metal together for one exceptional weekend. That might mean higher prices, but what price can you put on a once-in-a- lifetime experience?

“I don’t feel short-changed,” says James William Reay, the British fan who has coughed up a small fortune getting here. He’s spent the weekend in The Pit and sleeping in a tent. “It was a real experience. The fact Metallica were present all weekend watching the other bands’ sets is a sure sign of how special Power Trip was. My hunch is this was a one-off.”

He may be right. Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Tool and Metallica are unlikely to share a bill again, and it’s tough to think of six other bands with the same status and pulling power as them. Maybe there’s a new generation of bands waiting in the wings for a Power Trip II in 20 or 30 years, or maybe the whole point of this is that it’s never to be repeated. Either way, with its rickety rickshaws, lobster lunches and mega-wattage line-up, Power Trip is an event worthy of legend.

Originally published in Metal Hammer #381

Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token. 

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Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Iron Maiden among headliners at new Power Trip music festival

Power Trip, the newest music festival coming in October to the home of Coachella and Stagecoach, could have been named the Headbangers Ball.

But its name harkens back to the Desert Trip festival , which in October 2016 featured the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and other rock legends over two weekends.

This new festival, to be held Oct. 6-8 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, is meant to deliver a heavier dose of rock with its lineup of Guns N' Roses and Iron Maiden on Friday (Oct. 6), AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne on Saturday (Oct. 7), and Metallica and Tool on Sunday (Oct. 8).

You can register on the festival website  for access to tickets, which go on sale April 6 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. General admission tickets for the three-day fest start at $599 plus fees. Hotel packages (with two tickets, starting at about $3,200) and VIP packages (starting at $1,599) will go on sale April 4 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

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Power Trip would mark returns of Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Johnson

The festival marks the return of AC/DC with frontman Brian Johnson , who had to leave the band's tour in 2016 because of hearing loss. Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose filled in on the rest of the band's dates.

Johnson rejoined the band for its 2020 album, "Power Up," with the help of some special hearing aid technology. He also performed at the Sept. 3, 2022 tribute concert for Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins .

Ozzy Osbourne's inclusion on the bill is a bit of a surprise because earlier this year he canceled tour dates  in the U.K. and continental Europe saying spine damage he suffered in an accident four years ago prevented him from touring. The former Black Sabbath singer announced in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a nervous system disorder that affects movement.

Metallica begins a world tour on April 27 in Amsterdam and has a new album "72 Seasons" due out April 14. Guns N' Roses' summer-long tour begins June 1 and includes a June 30 date at the British Summer Time Festival at Hyde Park in London. Iron Maiden restarts its Future Past Tour in May in Slovenia. Tool has announced appearances at several festivals including the Rockville Festival at Daytona Beach, Florida (May 21). 

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