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Columbus, Oh -What many rock fans are calling the “show of the shows” so far this year, took place in Columbus, Ohio this past Saturday. The one-day festival included 14 bands, 2 stages, and lots of topless chicks (hey I’m a guy and took in the scenery). This sold-out extravaganza welcomed approximately 50,000 attendees who came in search of some of today’s hottest musical acts, along with Rock legends ZZ Top who closed the show.
The festival started with 2 Cents taking the second stage at noon. I arrived halfway through Breaking Benjamin’s set on the main stage to catch them playing a tight set that included their hits “The Diary of Jane”, “So Cold”, and “We Are Not Alone.”
Following them on the main stage was Buckcherry, playing an early slot (2:20pm), they were definitely one of the most entertaining bands of the day. They proceeded to whip up the crowd with their raucous style of rock and roll that featured “Broken Glass”, “Porno Star”, and their latest single from the million selling “15”record, “Everything.” The crowd went nuts for “Crazy Bitch”, which Buckcherry altered some to include a cool rendition of Billy Squier’s “Stroke Me.” (Editors note: I was luck enough to grab Xavier Muriel for a short interview following their set so stay tuned for that later in the week). Due to my interview with Xavier, I unfortunately missed Black Stone Cherry who went on at 3:00pm on the second stage.
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I did, however, get to see “Three Days Grace”, who are arguably Canada’s hottest band right now. They kept the crowd going with their hits “Pain”, “Never Too Late”, and “Animal I have Become” off their latest CD, One X. Singer Adam Gontier kept the crowd participation going through the entire set by pointing his microphone to them and letting them sing some of the words to their songs. A great overall response to a band who are well on their way!
I had to travel all the way to the second stage to see Puddle of Mudd. With so many people at the show it was a wonder I got to see as many bands as I did. In my opinion, Puddle of Mudd was the BEST band of the day. Singer Wesley Reid Scantlin took to the stage with a beanie and playing a really cool Les Paul. The band sounded fantastic, interacted really well with the crowd and delivered fan favorites “Control”, “Drift and Die”, and “Away from Me.”
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Most sets for all the bands were short so the bands touched upon their hits basically. I didn’t make it back in time to the main stage for Chevelle, but made sure I didn’t miss the second stage’s headlining performer Papa Roach. I had to trudge all the way back to the second stage and made it just in time for the opening track. During “To Be Loved” singer Jacoby Shaddix jumped off the stage and got into the pit and got right up to people pushed up against the barrier. This really sent the crowd into a frenzy, causing lots of pushing and shoving between bodies to try to get to close to Jacoby. They really took it to another level when they played “Getting Away with Murder” and a few other choice selections that provided a very energetic set by the band.
Unfortunately, I was getting something to eat during Chevelle’s performance so I missed them entirely (gotta have fuel to get through the evening!).
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Possibly the hottest band in America right now, Hinder, took the main stage at 6:00pm and was the first band to play an extended set. Before the band came out drummer Cody Hanson appeared first and put his ear to the crowd to let them know he wanted to hear a thunderous response for his bandmates before they would take the stage. The crowd obliged and Hinder was off and running. They opened up with their current single “How Long” off their debut CD “Extreme Behavior.” During the band’s opening number, Austin Winkler jumped in the pit and went to the end of the center of the pit area to sing to the crowd. It was very cool as he was perched over the crowd singing to them. Crowd participation works every time and Hinder capitalized on it at every turn and played it up well. All the band members gestured to the crowd during their strong 45- minute set. It was cool to see some of the band members come out to mingle with the fans by posing for photos and signing autographs. This is something that all newer bands starting out should be doing. It’s a great way to earn fans and keep the ones you’ve got!
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Probably the band most everyone was eager to see was Velvet Revolver. They took the stage at 7:15pm and played a great 50-minute set. I was surprised to see they did leave a Guns and Roses song in the set list by performing “It’s So Easy.” I originally heard that all GNR tunes and Stone Temple Pilot songs would be dropped from this tour, but since the new CD titled “Libertad” doesn’t come out until July 3rd, maybe that’s the reason they are keeping them in? Singer Scott Weiland came out with sunglasses and a fur coat with his pilot hat looking ready to tear it up. VR shied away from crowd interaction except for guitarist Dave Kushner who was constantly eyeing the crowd and playing along with the fans. Slash was playing his trademark Gibson Les Paul while donning his Washburn for a couple of tunes as well. Rumor has it that an American tour with Alice in Chains may be in the works for late summer so stay tuned here for the latest info on that.
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The most interesting band on the bill was Evanescence. There has been lots of buzz surrounding the band recently, including the sudden departure of two of it’s members within the last two weeks coinciding with front woman Amy (Hartzler) Lee’s recent nuptials. After the first song “Weight of the World”, Amy Hartzler Lee did acknowledge the crowd by telling them that a lot has been going on with the band and to welcome drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn - both from Dark New Day to the band. She also informed them that this is the first show she was doing as a happily married woman. Even though it takes time to build a rapport with fellow band mates, I thought Evanescence sounded as good as can be expected. It turned dark during Evanescence’s performance and given the band’s haunting aura, it was a fitting site to see Amy play the piano while the crowd lit up their cell phones and lighters during “My Immortal.” In addition, I thought it was commendable that the band went ahead with the scheduled gig with virtually no time to practice.
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Headliners, ZZ Top, were the only band to take the stage later than their scheduled time of 9:55pm. It was about 15 minutes late when drummer Frank Beard went behind the kit and kicked into “Thunderbird”. The cohesiveness of the band, a result of years of playing together, was apparent as bassist Dusty Hill and guitarist Billy Gibbons really showed us why these rock veterans deserved the top slot on the bill. Their hour set included, “Pearl Necklace”, “Sharp Dressed Man”, and “Tush.” This was the last show for a while as Frank Beard has a benign growth inside his inner ear that is preventing him from hearing correctly. ZZ Top has canceled its European tour so Frank can get proper medical treatment to correct the issue.
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What a great day for rock ‘n roll and all the bands that took part in it. Many people traveled long distances from all over Canada and the United States to be at this show. It was advertised as the first annual Rock on the Range event in hopes that there are many more to follow!!!!!!!!!
We want to thank Anthony Portillo of Gotzim Music and Kristine Ashton-Magnuson and Marcee Rondan of MSOPR for providing credentials for Glam-Metal.com to cover the show.
The bands that played were in order by the stage they were on:
Main Stage:
Breakin Benjamin
Three Days Grace
Buckcherry
Chevelle
Hinder
Velvet Revolver
Evanescence
ZZ Top
Second Stage:
2 Cents
Whitestarr
Operator
Black Stone Cherry
Puddle of Mudd
Papa Roach
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