Rock on the Range 2010

Rock on the Range

Columbus, OH 5/10

By Mary Richardson

It's that time of year again...Time to rock your ass off for two days straight.  If you're anywhere near Ohio in mid to late May and enjoy a killer rock experience then you owe to yourself to check out ROTR at Columbus's Crew Stadium.  I've had the chance to cover this show two years running, i wouldn't miss it.  Between the 30 plus bands and 30,000 plus in attendance each day; there was something there for everyone.

Like a Storm kicked off Saturday festivities on the Jagermeister stage.   Lead singer Chris Brooks opened by playing a didgeridoo, from their native New Zealand.  Then they proceeded to rock the house with “Enemy” and “Chemical Infatuation”. Oklahoma based Taddy Porter was next up on the increasingly muddy Jager stage.  “Whatever Haunts You” and “Shake Me".  This band has an interesting mix of vintage blues, 70’s style rock.  They always enjoy entertaining and it shows.

The Monster Main stage opened up with Sevendust, Drowning Pool and Puddle of Mudd.  They all had sizeable crowds considering the early start.  Drowing Pool can always be counted on for hits such as “Bodies” and “Feel Like I Do”.  Puddle of Mudd did a nice cover of AD/DC’s “TNT” mixed in with radio fav’s “Schizophrenic Psycho” and “She Hates Me”.

With the rain seemingly gone Adelita’s Way sweated out a set in the afternoon sun.  Rick DeJesus and company played “Last Stand", "Invincible”.  This was their second appearance at ROTR and the fans loved it.  Also back for a return engagement was Halestorm.  Lizzy Hale stopped the show for a moment to raise a wine glass in toast to Ronnie James Dio.  Once the moment of silence was over it was right back to “Familiar Taste of Poison”, “I Get Off” and “What were You Expecting”.

Dio was on everybody’s mind throughout the weekend. Many bands paid tribute either with a moment of silence or in song.  Killswitch Engage covered “Holy Diver”.

Godsmack closed out Saturday on the Monster stage.  “Straight outta Line”, “Voodoo”, “Whiskey Hangover”, you name it…they played it.  The dueling drum sets is my favorite part of the show. These guys were my happy ending to muddy, music filled day.

There wasn’t a cloud in sight for Sunday.  It was hot and muggy all day.  If fans weren’t crowdsurfing or moshing they could be found huddled into any patch of shade available.  Lines at the water fountains were longer than food or restroom lines.

Shaman’s Harvest opened up on the Kicker stage with their new tune “Dragonfly”.  Coheed and Cambria, Mastodon both had the largest crowds of either day for the Kicker stage.  Surprisingly enough Slash had a smaller crowd than I had anticipated.  Singer Miles Kennedy from Alter Bridge didn’t miss a note on classic GNR tunes like “Sweet Child”, “Nighttrain”, and “Paradise City”.  Ahhh the good ol’ days.   Seether entertained the crowd with Wham’s “Careless Whisper” along with favorites like “Gasoline” . Theory of a Deadman would have been better suited to one of the side stages.  I enjoy their music, but the stage presence is just plain dull.  While Limp Bizkit closed out Sunday, many felt Rob Zombie should have had that honor. "Thunderkiss 65", "More Human than Human" mixed with video from "House of 1,000 Corpses" . The stage show, Rob’s antic's, and simply put the music was just way better.

I'll say it again....ROTR has something for everyone.  From the varied musical acts to the endless people watching.  Harley Davidson 's tent with bikes you could demo, Camel's air-conditioned smokers lounge, Monster energy drink tent, the list goes on. Each year the lineup gets bigger and better. Put this two day rock-a-thon on your "to do list" for 2011.  See you in Ohio!

http://www.rockontherange.com/