Festival Review: Rock on the Range 2014 – Day 1

Festival Review: Rock on the Range 2014 – Day 1

Another year, another great Rock on the Range. Last week, a group of us headed to Columbus, OH for our sixth consecutive Rock on the Range – North America’s biggest rock festival, and an epic three day event featuring 3 stages, over 30,000 fans a day, and some of the most incredible performances I can remember. The thing that makes ROTR great is it’s variety – there’s hard rock, old school metal, metalcore, and everything in between, and it’s all on stage at the most well-planned, well-executed, and affordable festival in North America.

This is the first of a series of posts that I’ll write about the weekend – because of the number of bands, the nature of the three day festival, and the amount of awesome that they cram into one weekend, one post simply won’t cut it. This one in particular will focus on Friday and the bands that kicked off the weekend strong. Keep in mind that I can only write about the bands I chose to see at the festival – set times do overlap, so there are bands that I missed, but I like to think I make pretty good decisions on which way to head. 🙂

Concert Review – Rock on the Range 2013

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.

Concert Review: Rock on the Range 2012 Day 2

Concert Review: Rock on the Range 2012 Day 2

Rock on the Range 2012
Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH
5/19-5/2012

I’m just going to come out and say it. As I get older, it’s getting harder and harder to get up in the morning on the second day of Rock on the Range and be anything but exhausted. After drinking and sweating in the sun for about 14 hours on Saturday, we got about 6 hours of sleep before we got up, showered, and started all over again. But, if there’s anything to get me excited enough to overcome that exhaustion, it’s a day packed full of music. By 9:00 am we were back in the parking lot cracking our first beers and getting ready for the show.

The lineup on Sunday was much more exciting, as it featured considerably harder bands and seemed like it would be much more intense. The shows that day really did turn out to be fantastic, and as I look back on it, I could easily pick a top ten shows, but I again identified the best five in my opinion and gave a snapshot of them below.

Concert Review: Rock on the Range 2012 Day 1

Concert Review: Rock on the Range 2012 Day 1

Rock on the Range 2012
Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH
5/19-5/20

For the fourth year in a row, a big group of us headed to Columbus Ohio for Rock on the Range. For those that don’t know, ROTR is a two and a half day festival held each year that features over 40 bands, three stages, and averages about 70,000 in ticket sales for the weekend. This year’s lineup was as good as ever, and was true to the typical ROTR strategy of bringing in pretty much every type of band imaginable.

Hour of Music: Rock on the Range 2012 Edition

It’s been way too long since I’ve written a blog. These past few months have been crazy – they’ve seen me finish a master’s degree, my wife and I finish the nursery, and my job continue ramp up in activity. I regret that I didn’t get more content out in the past month, but that just means I have a ton on my mind now.

Primarily on my mind is the highly anticipated yearly four day music festival called Rock on the Range. In two short days, a group of 9 of my close friends and I will be heading to Columbus, Ohio to see almost 40 bands.

So, while I’m stranded in the Kansas City airport on a work trip, what better way to reintroduce myself to the world of blogging than a ROTR version of the Hour of Music that I debuted in March? This hour will help me frame some the questions that will be answered this weekend, and give me a last minute chance to brush up on the bands that I can look forward to.

I have 72 minutes until my plane leaves. Let’s do this kids!!

Note: For a list of bands that will be at Rock on the Range this year, check out this link. To hear the song being described on YouTube, click on the album image.

Concert Review: Rock on the Range 2011 Day 2

Concert Review: Rock on the Range 2011 Day 2

Day 2. The previous entire day was spent drinking, pushing, screaming, singing, and standing for about 14 straight hours. We woke up tired, sore, sun-burned, dehydrated, and with our ears ringing. Usually, after a day like that, I’m usually debating whether I will ever step foot at a concert again. But not this weekend. This is ROTR baby.

Let’s do this.”

While Sunday’s entire lineup was really good, my excitement for Day Two was really focused around three bands: Bullet for my Valentine (an all-time favorite), A Day to Remember (a new and upcoming favorite), and All that Remains (some Phil Labonte redemption). However, I was also bummed because at the last minute Stone Sour had to pull out of the lineup (and got replaced by Puddle of Mudd, blegh) because Ray Mayorga had a stroke a few days before ROTR (he seems to be doing fine now).