Rock on the Range 2016
Lineup Announcement
Rock on the Range 2016 released it’s lineup on Monday, and after two days of letting it marinate, I had to get some thoughts down on what is sure to be a fantastic, record-setting weekend in Columbus. Rock on the Range is North America’s biggest rock festival, and they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. For the eighth straight year, The Music Pill will be gathering our crew and heading from Indianapolis to Columbus to participate in the chaos.
Here is a breakdown of the lineup, including my opinion on the headliners, a breakdown of many of the middle-of-the-pack bands, a few bands that have something to prove, and some can’t miss bands that you may never have heard of. Hope you enjoy!
Rock on the Range 2016 Headliners:
The main headliner this year is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While this may be unpopular for some of the fans of the heavier stuff, I think this is a huge pull for the festival. Each year they snag someone unique like this – it’s been Guns n’ Roses, Linkin Park, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, and Kid Rock in the past, among many others. I’ve never had the chance to see the Chili Peppers, and I love the idea of ending the weekend by crossing RHCP off of my list.
Disturbed will also headline, fresh off a four year hiatus, which should be a great show, and Rob Zombie will bring his spectacular theatrics to ROTR for the third time. Zombie’s first two forays into ROTR (’10 and ’12) were both wildly successful, and I can remember being front row for the show in ’12 show and standing in awe of his show. Musically and visually, it’s one of a kind, and I fully believe that everyone should be required to see a Zombie show before they die. I have no doubt that he’ll be great again.
Shinedown is also slated to appear, most likely in a lead-in slot (second to last of the night), supporting their latest release “Threat to Survival”. Past experience tells me that this will be another solid show for the veteran group, and it’s been exciting to see them steadily climb up the ROTR bill over the years. Rounding out the top of the bill is Five Finger Death Punch, which has practically become a staple on the main stage at ROTR.
Overall, this is a great group of headliners, and I think it will anchor a great 10th anniversary for ROTR. However, if I’m being honest, I have to admit that I had hoped that there would be a second mind-blowing band at the top of the list. While Red Hot Chili Peppers is a fantastic example of a unique ROTR experience that’s hard to come by, the rest of the aforementioned bands are frequent repeats. Based on forum posts and social media, I think fellow rangers echo my sentiment, as many are still stuck complaining about bands that had been circulating the rumor mill (like Tool, Foo Fighters, AC/DC, and even Iron Maiden).
(Note that during local Columbus Radio Station The Blitz’s broadcast on Monday, they did mention that there are still some major acts to be announced. Many fans have said that they assume this means more headliners are to come. Based on my 8 years of experience with ROTR, I would be absolutely shocked if they added even one additional headliner. To the festival promoters, every band they sign is a “major act”. There will no doubt be some more bands added, but I’m pretty confident that the headlining slots are set. They all make sense – obviously RHCP is going to headline. Zombie doesn’t go anywhere he doesn’t headline. Disturbed, 5FDP, and Shinedown have already headlined ROTR and wouldn’t take a step backwards. Regardless, this is a great group of bands.)
Top Tier Bands
In my opinion, this is where the Rock on the Range 2016 lineup starts to set itself apart. In addition to many great repeat bands, this section is littered with first-time as well. Rookies to ROTR include Hell Yeah (featuring Vinnie Paul from Pantera), At the Drive In, and Pennywise. Sixx AM is also playing ROTR for the first time, and this is one of the shows that I’m most excited about. They don’t tour much, but have some really fantastic songs, and I’m stoked to see how their live show is. Lamb of God returns to follow up a fantastic set at ROTR 2013, and is sure to play to an absolutely packed crowd. Bring Me the Horizon also plays, and they are feeling the ROTR love already, as ROTR featured BMtH’s song “Happy in Song” on the lineup promo that just came out. A Day to Remember (no doubt accompanied with tons of beach balls and confetti) and the mighty Megadeth round out the top tier bands.
Mid Tier Bands
The mid tier is absolutely stacked with high quality bands, and should meet the needs of every rock fan. Bands like Trivium, Parkway Drive, and Between the Buried and Me should be attractive to older metal fans, while a healthy metalcore contingent (including Memphis May Fire, We Came as Romans, Asking Alexandria, Miss May I, Issues, and Crown the Empire) should keep the younger generation engaged. Rock fans will enjoy performances from Sick Puppies (post Shimon Moore, which should be interesting) and Sevendust (who remain one of my favorite bands due to the energy they bring to their performances). Steel Panther will have the entire crowd laughing and screaming at the same time, which is no easy feat. The Sword will play, and surprise a lot of people due to their technical ability. Pop Evil will play a show as well, and once again I’ll go into that show expecting it to be mediocre and it will be surprisingly high energy and awesome. Possibly most excitedly for me, Clutch will play and probably headline a side stage. Clutch is no stranger to ROTR, and performed arguably one of the best ROTR shows to date in 2009 on the old-school Jager stage.
Point to Prove
ROTR also gives the bands the chance to prove that they are worthy of huge crowds and big stages. These bands (in my opinion) have something to prove in May, and I look forward to seeing if they are up to the challenge.
- Saint Asonia certainly has the skills to succeed. Ex-Staind and Three Days Grace members have countless #1 hits behind them – but will their new music hold up? Or will we all just wish their original bands were here instead.
- Butcher Babies have taken a while for me to warm up to, but they opened for an Amaranthe show that I recently wrote about, and showed major major improvement. However, I believe that improvement was largely due to the fact that they were on a small stage. Can they scale their show up without losing musicianship?
- New Years Day is an up and coming band with a pretty great sound on their album. However, this will be my first foray into their live show. Can they keep up with the huge crowds at ROTR?
- Ghost (formerly Ghost B.C. in the United States) is a really unique band that can be extremely polarizing. I like their albums, but both times I’ve seen them live, their music didn’t translate well to the stage. After a couple more years of touring, will they be able to deliver?
Don’t Miss
The single best thing about Rock on the Range is that it gives you an education in bands that you have been completely missing out on. There are so many bands that I now love that I’d never heard of before I saw them on a side stage at Rock on the Range. (Shaman’s Harvest and Crobot, to name a couple of my favorites). Here are a few absolute “Don’t Miss” bands for fans out there that may not know the bands at the bottom of the bill.
- Avatar puts on an absolute monster of a show. Their music is rock solid and really unique, and their show is theatrical and exciting. They bring just the perfect amount of weird to their music, and I love it. You want proof? They absolutely killed it at ROTR 2014, and they also were one of the most memorable shows of Louder than Life 2014 in Louisville. Do not miss this show.
- Aranda is another must see, especially for fans of great rock with exceptional vocals. Aranda brings a little funk and a little groove to their sound that I absolutely love, and the two brothers that anchor the band are incredibly talented. I will be in the front row for this band, and I hope you will be to.
- Monster Truck is another great band that doesn’t get enough credit. Fans of bands like Kyng and Clutch will really dig these guys from Canada, and their southern sound. Definitely check them out!
- Texas Hippie Coalition, with their unabashedly abrasive rock, belongs on this list as much as anyone. It is literally impossible to watch a THC show and not smile. This band doesn’t take itself seriously at all, but the show is seriously a blast. They’ll make it clear that they are a band of outlaws from Texas, and when they ask “Who’s drinking with me?” you are going to want to be there to respond.
There are so many more that I didn’t cover, but I’m going to stop there. Hopefully this gives everyone a great introduction to the bands that they will see in May, while gleaning on some insight from my many years of experience at Rock on the Range. For those that are disappointed in this lineup, all I can say is….dig a little deeper. There is SO much here. I promise if you go that it will be one of the best weekends of your year.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. What bands should I have covered that I skipped? What do you agree with, and where am I totally wrong? Who are you most looking forward to seeing?
Most importantly – can’t wait to see my ROTR brothers and sisters.
Cheers to May!!
One last thing – I’ve grown this site from the ground up for over five years. One of my dreams is to see a stranger in a The Music Pill t-shirt in Columbus. If you want to make that dream come true, check out the new shirt that I just put up for sale. I’m selling them at cost, so it’s not about the money, and I can promise you that if I see someone in the shirt, I will be buying the first beer.