If you read anything I write or actually know me then you know that Rock on the Range is not my thing. However it seems they always have enough bands that I actually like or bands that I would never see on their own. So I go. This was my fourth Rock on the Range and by far the best one I have been to. It was a mixture of bands and friends that made this one to remember.

Over the years this event has become my kick-off to the festival season. And if this was any indication, my festival season is going to be phenomenal. This adventure started last year on the last day of ROTR. I left on Sunday night before Rise Against started to attend a Tuned Up show at Donato’s Basement, yes I left before a main stage band. That seems to be my pattern. More on that later. But anyhow as I was leaving all I could think about was the line-up for this year as it was the 10 year anniversary of the festival. Over the next months this was a common topic of conversation with friends and on message boards. The topic of Rock on the range’s ten year anniversary line-up. Would this be the year they finally got TOOL or what about System of A Down or Foo Fighters (that was my pick) or what about the almighty METALLICA? I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a festival line-up announcement.  Finally the day came and it was not what I expected. It turned out to be a very diverse line-up. One that pleased this writer very much. And the big headliner was a band that was number one on my list of bands I wanted to see that I haven’t yet, The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS! As for the other headliners I knew I would leave before them, much like past years. The headliners are generally bands I don’t listen to, as I said at the beginning of this article, ROTR really is not my cup of tea. But this year’s line-up was good, really good. I feel they did a good job of making sure there was something for most rock fans.

Much like last year I had to leave work early on Friday in order to make it on time for the first band I wanted to see. Sevendust played at 2:15 on the main stage. This is a band I have seen many times. At this point the only band I have liked longer is Blink-182. I have followed Sevendust since 1998. So this was a set I was looking forward to. Musically they did not disappoint, as they never have but this was not one of my favorite sets by them. As I was explaining to a buddy last night there is something about the main stage. It never sounds good to me. After Sevendust we headed over to stage 2 to catch Trivium. This is a band I have wanted to see for a long time. They put on a good show. Matt Heafy is truly a talented guitarist and it was cool to finally witness that live. Next we headed back to the main stage to catch Bullet for my Valentine. This was a band I saw at ROTR a few years back, I think 2011. I just remember thinking this band sucks. They were actually good on this day and I enjoyed their set. Probably the best sounding I heard on the main stage. Next up for us was Machine Gun Kelly back on stage 2. I will say I was looking forward to his set. Boy did he disappoint. It was pure garbage. This was not the same MGK I saw on the 2013 Warped Tour. The breaking point was when he tried to cover “All the Small Things”. He needs to stick to rapping. Next we headed back to the main stage to catch A Day to Remember. Now this is a band that does not disappoint. Their set was flawless. It even sounded good. Jeremy McKinnon is hands down one of the best front men in all of music. I love seeing him perform. This set made ready to see them at the APMAs and their tour with Blink-182. I highly suggest if you have never seen them, go!!! We ended the day with Megadeth on stage 2. This was my third time seeing them and the third time was a charm. They were really good. I enjoyed their set a lot. One of my favorites all weekend. No Shinedown and Disturbed for us.

Saturday started out awful. I wore a pair of old chucks that has a hole in the sole. It just happened to rain that day and it was like I wasn’t wearing a shoe on that foot. It sucked big time. I was miserable the first half of the day or most of it. I started my day with P.O.D. on the main stage. Another band I have seen numerous times. Nothing too special. They are a good live band. They played the hits and that’s that. After that set we walked around for about an hour or more. The next band we saw was Issues. I had no intention of seeing them. I was going to walk around more but my buddy really likes them and he has good taste in music so I went and wow! They killed it!  They are in my top 5 performances of the weekend. I would see them again. Afterwards it was more walking around as I had no desire to see Pop Evil. I eventually made my way back to stage 2 to see Parkway Drive. Really good set. The vocalist has amazing stage presence and they were high energy. The next band I saw is a band I avoided for a long time because of their image and so on. Just isn’t my cup of tea. I never even gave them a listen. Finally a friend who loves them was ranting and raving about their latest album. So I finally caved and listened. I was blown away by what I heard. They became a regular listen. I would even say I became a fan of them. So I was stoked to see them live. This particular band did not let me down. They put on an amazing show. Their front man is what a front man should be. I was left wanting to see more of them. Who is this secretive mystifying band I speak of? It is none other than Ghost. I WILL be seeing them again. The next band that played was one that I did not see but lots of people was excited for this set. Hell Yeah was up on the main stage. The reason there was excitement for this set was because it was the first time Vinnie Paul had played Columbus since the death of his brother Dimebag Darrell. The next band I saw was Lamb of God. Yet another band I have been a fan of for a few years but never had seen live. WOW! That’s all I got. As one that really doesn’t listen to metal, they were really good. The next band on the main stage was one that I absolutely do not like. The only reason I stayed was because of my buddy. So I sat in the stadium playing on my phone while thousands of people rocked out to Five Finger Death Punch. Next up was Rob Zombie.  I’m not a fan but I wanted to see his stage show. We stayed for 3 songs then left.

Sunday, day 3 was the day I was looking forward to since they announced the daily line-ups. I did not arrive until 3:45. The first band, Anti-Flag I wanted to see went on at 4:10. It was really refreshing to see some punk rock after two days of metal and rock. Really great set.  Next up was Pennywise, more punk rock. YAY! First time seeing them and they were good. SoCal punk at its best. Highlight of their set was finally hearing “Bro Hymn” live after all these years. Such a great song. They also covered Bad Religion. That made Ray very happy. After that set we walked around for a second and made our way up front for the next band. This is the band we came for. The band we had been excited to see since the line-up was announced. At The Drive-In is a band that my buddies and I all love. A band that we all missed seeing live when they were a thing back in the late 90s, early 2000s.  A band that broke up way to soon.  From the very first note I knew we were in for the best show we would see all weekend or all week or all month or all year. Boy did they exceed any and all of my expectations. So much that I’m strongly considering going to NYC to see them next month. The energy that came from that stage was uncanny. Cedric Bixler-Zavala was born to be a front man. He was amazing. The only front man that comes even close to him is Geoff Rickly from Thursday.  Omar Rodrigues-Lopez is one of the most underrated guitar players of our generation. It’s Tuesday and I’m still thinking about how amazing that set was. Afterwards all I could do was turn to my buddy and saw wow and sit down. After catching my breath (lol) we made our way to the main stage to see The Deftones, one of my all-time favorite bands. This is a band a few friends asked about throughout the weekend. Simply because they all heard they are hit or miss. I told them I had seen them 4 times before Sunday and never saw a bad show. Streak over! Damn main stage. I really am not a fan of the main stage at ROTR. After Deftones it was time for the festival headliner.  Like Sevendust The Red Hot Chili Peppers sound good musically. They are no doubt good at what they do but man the sound on the main stage was not the best. I will say it was really awesome to see Flea do his thing. I can’t fathom how a man his age moves around like he does. The same for Anthony Kiedis. The energy was there and that was awesome. The highlight of the set was hearing “Suck my Kiss”. We left before the encore naturally to beat the crowd. But I could hear the first song and crowd from a distance and it sounded like a good time.

Overall I will say this is the best Rock on the Range I have been to. The bands I saw all were amazing and played their heart out. I don’t think there was a single band that half-heartedly played and that’s awesome. They all seemed to be having a great time. You know how sometimes you go to a show, especially a festival and the bands look miserable, well that was not the case here. The other aspect that made this weekend great was the fact that I got to spend it with so many friends. Even if it may not be your thing I would recommend this festival to anyone. Even if you are like my roommate whom only went to see At the Drive In. This is something to be experience, even at least for the people watching. HA! Until next year Rangers, get in the pit and try to love someone!