Festival Review: Rock on the Range 2016 Day 1

Simply put, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year. For eight straight years, a contingent from The Music Pill has been traveling from all over the Midwest to meet in Columbus, OH the weekend before memorial day for North America’s biggest rock and metal festival. The weekend features nearly 60 bands on three stages over three days, and boasts a complete sell out audience of 120,000 for the weekend. It’s become the pinnacle of the concert season for me, and provided the setting for some of the most unique, memorable, and amazing shows of my long concert history.

Rock on the Range 2016 was no different – the festival celebrated it’s 10th anniversary this year, and did so in style by putting together their most unique and star-studded lineup yet. Staying true to it’s identity, the ROTR festival featured bands from countless sub-genres, resulting in a weekend that everyone could love. The three day festival boasted headliners of Disturbed, Rob Zombie, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Music Pill was there to capture it all.

As I’ve done the past couple years, I’ll do three separate posts – one for each day of Rock on the Range 2016. My hope is that by reading this, you either get to relive the madness that you experienced a few weeks ago, or you weren’t there, and you get so bummed that it finally convinces you to give ROTR 2017 a shot. If I’ve done that, I consider this coverage a major success.

So lets get rolling! Below is a detailed analysis of which shows were rock solid, which were slightly disappointing, and which ones blew my mind.

Happy Reading!

Concert Review – Rock on the Range 2013

Rock on the Range 2013
Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH
5/19/2013

So, lets be clear. My effort at ROTR 2013 was pretty piss poor. I missed most of the weekend due to a family obligation (which ended up being really fun, so I’m not mad). BUT….due to some luck and circumstance and forcing my in-laws to drive 35 minutes out of their way, I ended up getting dropped off at midnight on Saturday in Columbus OH…and I met with my ROTR groupies, crashed on their floor, and was (the only one) up early and AMPED for Sunday’s shows.

I won’t go into what bands I missed on the other days, because it’s about a thousand amazing bands. But….I did get to see the likes of Skillet, Sick Puppies, Volbeat, Sevendust, In This Moment, Lamb of God, Device, Soundgarden, and Ghost B.C.

So, plenty to see and talk about. ROTR 2013 – You’re on.

Music Pill Update – June 2012

Hello all! Now that I’m finally caught up on concert blogs, I have a ton of exciting music news to pass along. I have been so busy lately that I have been going nuts trying to keep up with everything, so I’m excited to finally be getting this out.

I’m certainly not a news blog, so this isn’t an all inclusive list, but more a list of hand picked facts about bands that I really like and want to share. Included below are new albums and music, other interesting band news, and summer tours that have been announced. Check it out ! (For those that don’t like the variety like I do, skim the red font for bands you like! 🙂 Hope you find something interesting that you didn’t already know!

Random Thoughts: Epics

I’m often told that I’m far too quick to change the song while I’m in the car with other people. Often times, its only one chorus and a verse into a song before I’m reaching for the seek button to head off to the next one. This is ESPECIALLY true when a song is longer than it should be – if it’s longer than 4 minutes, it better be good or it doesn’t have a chance.

HOWEVER, occasionally, I come across one of these long songs that just really blows me away. These ‘Epics’ (a very technical term that I just made up) turn out to be some of my favorite songs, because in order for them to be great AND really long, they have to have something special or something unique about them that makes them really stand out.

So, I threw together a list of ‘Epics’ that I really like, and while they range from metal masterpieces to borderline broadway songs, they have two things in common: They are all really long songs (most 7-8 minutes), and they are all really unique and worth your time. If I’ve done my job, I hope you are intrigued enough to go check some of these out. I’d love to know what you think! (click on the song title for a link to the song on youtube)

Concert Review: Rockstar Uproar Tour Part 1

Rockstar Uproar Tour
Verizon Wireless Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
9/17/2011

I asked my wife what my initial reaction was when I saw the Rockstar Uproar tour lineup – not because I didn’t remember, but because I wanted to hear her perspective of my reaction. She said that I was “completely freaking out,” but I think that’s an understatement. I seem to remember hyperventilating at some point.

Top to bottom, this was by far the best festival lineup I had ever seen. I knew as soon as it was released that I would be going no matter how far I had to drive. The main stage alone, with A7X, Three Days Grace, Seether, Bullet for my Valentine, and Escape the Fate, was enough talent to get me to commit, so the fact that Sevendust was headlining the side stage was just musical icing on my proverbial cake. (We all know I have a creepy obsession with Lajon and their drummer’s hair.) The lineup was so good that I convinced several of my friends, and even a few non-concert regulars, to buy pit tickets. Rockstar Uproar Part 1 – Let’s do this.

Concert Review: Sevendust

Hard Drive Live Tour
Indianapolis, IN8 Second Saloon
10/15/2010

I am a strong believer that Sevendust is one of the most underrated nu-metal bands around right now. They have been putting out very solid albums for over a decade and also put on a great live show. This show, at the hillbilly center of the city, was no exception and another great 7D experience.

The History:
Sevendust and I go way back. I’d be lying if I said that I have been a fan since the self titled original release in 1994, but I’ve been a big fan for a long time. I first started listening to Sevendust when they broke through mainstream rock radio with the song “Enemy” in the late 90’s. At that point, well, lets just say my obsession with music was just developing. I never really dug any deeper than their surface material, and other than those few popular songs, they sort of fell off my radar. However, they came storming back onto my radar when I was in college, and little did I know they never really left. Now, on to a quick story that gives the “real” history of why I am obsessed with Sevendust….