Acid Bath with Melvins and Kylesa at Hellbender by The Orange Peel

Acid Bath make a rare live appearance at Hellbender, Asheville's outdoor riverside amphitheater, joined by heavy music legends Melvins and Kylesa. The New Orleans sludge metal icons reunited after decades apart — this all-ages outdoor show at 151 Thompson Street is a landmark moment for heavy music fans in WNC.

Melvins bring their endlessly influential art-metal sound to the Swannanoa River lawn. Kylesa, the Savannah-based heavy psych duo, round out a stacked triple-bill that crosses sludge, noise rock, and heavy psychedelia. Doors at 3:30 pm, show at 5 pm.

All ages. Tickets available online and at The Orange Peel box office at 101 Biltmore Avenue.

Asheville's largest outdoor concert venue sits on three acres along the Swannanoa River at 151 Thompson Street — the former home of Cursus Keme brewery. Operated by the same team behind The Orange Peel, Hellbender opened in summer 2026 with a limited inaugural season and plans for a permanent stage and full programming beginning spring 2027. The amphitheater holds approximately 6,000 and features a general admission lawn, premium and standard seating, shaded awnings, bars, food truck areas, and two entrances. Named for the hellbender, Appalachia's giant aquatic salamander, the venue draws its identity from the region's wildness and resilience.

Locals say Hellbender feels like the outdoor show experience Western North Carolina has been waiting for — open skies, river air, and the same locally-rooted booking sensibility that made The Orange Peel a national landmark. The three-acre site along the Swannanoa hits different when the mountains are in the background and the lineup is stacked.

Hellbender by The Orange Peel

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Acid Bath with Melvins and Kylesa at Hellbender by The Orange Peel

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