Soundgarden headlines 98Rockfest in Tampa

Hard rock fans have had April 28 circled on their calendars for months. That’s the date of this year’s 98Rockfest, which is a reliably good time no matter who’s headlining.

This year’s headliner is worth getting excited about, even if the band was just doing a solo show. Soundgarden, who along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam made up the holy trinity of ’90s grunge music, will top a lineup that includes some bands with a decent track record along with some interesting up-and-comers.

Besides Soundgarden (with the great vocalist Chris Cornell up front and guitarist Kim Thayil still on board from the original lineup), this year’s Rockfest features A Day to Remember, Pierce the Veil, Highly Suspect, Nothing More, Starset, Beartooth, Dinosaur Pile-up and Loose Talk

A Day to Remember is the second-biggest name on that list. The band hails from Ocala, of all places, and has a distinctive style of music that’s kind of death metal but with a pop tinge. They’ve been around for 14 years with a pretty steady lineup that includes vocalist Jeremy McKinnon.

Pierce the Veil has been making music for a decade, but the band really hit it big in 2012 with its album “Collide With the Sky.” The band’s latest is “Misadventures,” which came out last year and hit No. 1 on the rock, alternative and hard rock charts.

Details: 6 p.m. April 28, Amalie Arena, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. $39, $50, $65, $80, $259 plus service charge. 813-301-2500, amaliearena.com.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Soundgarden headlines 98Rockfest in Tampa."