Inclement weather and lower temperatures didn’t deter fans from attending Rock on the Range this the weekend.
The music festival, which was held at Columbus Crew Stadium for the third straight year, hosted nearly 30,000 fans on both Saturday and Sunday. Passes that allowed fans onto the field were sold out.
The sky looked ominous as fans lined up Saturday morning to enter the stadium. Clouds continued to roll in and blow over as the day progressed, but resulted in little rainfall.
The rain that eventually came had little effect on the fans, who roughed it to see some of today’s biggest rock musicians. The only casualty was All That Remains vocalist Philip Labonte, who slipped as he attempted to run and jump on a stage monitor.
“That is what happens when it is wet and you don’t think,” Labonte said with a laugh after his band wrapped up the song.
All That Remains and fellow metal band Atreyu headlined the second stage on Saturday. On the other side of the stadium, bands like Halestorm and Hurt played at the new Jagermeister Music Stage. By the time that stage’s headliner, Static-X, started playing, fans had overcrowded the small viewing area and had filled up the stadium’s staircase in an attempt to watch the performance. Halestorm guitarist Joe Hottinger said playing the festival was exciting for the band.
“It’s so much fun,” Hottinger said. “You get a super energy rush at performances like this.”
The main draws were on the main stage, of course. The crowd on the field began to reach its peak size when Korn performed an energetic show. Vocalist Jonathan Davis banged his head enough during hits like “Freak On A Leash” and “Here To Stay” to give a neurologist nightmares.
The fans were nearly as fervent and responded to the heavy music by jumping and crowd surfing. Flyleaf bassist Pat Seals was among the crowd during Korn’s set. He said watching the other bands play is his favorite part of music festivals.
“It’s fun playing with a bunch of bands you’ve always liked, like Korn,” Seals said.
Alice in Chains followed Korn on the main stage. The band reunited a few years ago with new vocalist William DuVall as a replacement for Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose in 2002. Some fans were initially critical of DuVall.
“When did Lenny Kravitz start singing for Alice in Chains?” asked one fan sarcastically.
Regardless, the crowd roared its approval when original guitarist Jerry Cantrell tore through the solos on Alice’s hits “Them Bones” and “Man in the Box.”
The final band to play that night was headliner Slipknot. The Iowa nine-piece held the allegiance of many fans who were sporting the band’s T-shirts. Despite a drop in temperature, most fans stuck around for the performance.The band made good use of its headlining position. Eight of the members moved about the stage constantly, drawing the attention of the audience everywhere at once. The only stationary member, drummer Joey Jordison, provided visual excitement through his rapid-fire drumming technique. The band’s traditional garb of Halloween masks added to the visual appeal. By the time the band had worked its way through hits like “Psychosocial” and “Duality,” the fans were already looking for Sunday’s lineup to pull a one-up.
“Korn was awesome and Slipknot was definitely good,” said Corey Simpson, a senior in plant biology. “I’m really looking forward to Avenged Sevenfold tomorrow though.”
Sunday arrived without the gloomy weather from the day before. Fans were lined up even earlier than on Saturday to get into the stadium.
Early in the day fans were eager to check out acts like Saving Abel and Shinedown on the main stage, but the side stages got their fair share of crowds. Southern metal band Clutch headlined the Jagermeister stage while punk act Billy Talent and alternative band the Used headlined the second stage. The entire west pavilion of the stadium was full to see the Used play. Drummer Dan Whitesides said festivals aren’t his favorite kind of show, but said he saw the positive side of them too.
“The coolest part is seeing bands you wouldn’t normally get to see,” Whitesides said. “I’m personally pumped to see Mötley Crüe.”
On the main stage, Avenged Sevenfold’s stage setup involved 18 large amps and a collection of torches that spewed flames.
As the band performed its pounding riffs and bountiful guitar solos, crowd surfing reached its high point, leading to several fans being carried out on stretchers after being dropped. The security force at the stadium also had a trying time keeping zealous fans away from the stage. Other misbehavior included fans hurling beer bottles through the air. Although the bottles were plastic, many were still full (seemingly a waste of an $8 beer). Some fans suffered head injuries during the barrage.
Nightfall brought cold temperatures again as the stage was prepared for Mötley Crüe. Crüe was not to be outdone for theatrics. As the band launched into hits like “Kickstart My Heart,” “Wild Side” and “Shout At The Devil,” the stage was lit by torches, fireworks and multiple projection screens that displayed political visuals interspersed with pornography.
The crowd ate up the stage show. Vocalist Vince Neil hardly had to sing a chorus, thanks to crowd participation. Members of the band took turns addressing the fans.
“Man, how cool is that? Crew Stadium!” said drummer Tommy Lee in reference to the venue. “Well tonight this is Mötley Crüe stadium.”
The band played “Dr. Feelgood” while doubling the pyrotechnics, and torches on either side of the stage shot flames several stories into the air. Many fans looked to beat traffic or get out of the cold by heading for the exits as soon as Crüe left stage and missed the band’s encore song “Home Sweet Home.”
Fans were pleased with the entirety of the festival.
“Rock on the Range is a great combination of very, very good bands,” said Ray Simon, a sophomore in biochemistry. “The big bands and the small bands are all fun to watch.”
Ryan Book can be reached at [email protected].
