 Theory of a Deadman
My favorite part about seeing Theory of a Deadman is how accessible they are, every member of the band does little things to make the fans feel like they are part of the set. Whether it is pointing at a crowd member who is belting out every lyric, or coming to the top of the stage to sing in a fan’s face. I love watching these interactions and seeing the crowd have that memorable experience. That being said I have seen Theory at least 6 times now, dating back to 2009. The first couple times I had seen them it seemed like a hit or miss. But something changed, I saw them again a few years later and they were a different band, their sound was tight, they were more comfortable in their interactions just all around a better band. This night was no different. They came out to one of their first singles, “So Happy” and one by one the band filled the stage. Throughout the set, they stopped to make small talk with the crowd, about anything that came to mind. These guys are great, i’m always looking forward to their next show.
Bush
I was so excited to hear that bush was coming though town, I have seen them twice before, once at a huge festival, Rock on the Range and once acoustic for the premier of Hawaii 5-0 in Honolulu Hawaii. Both shows were drastically different, of course the acoustic show was substantially more tame, but in the same regards showed off their raw talent. So I was excited to see them in yet another environment, a club show. I had an idea of what to expect but excited to see what they had in store. Frontman Gavin Rossdale has a larger than life personally on stage, he is great about moving around the stage with his bandmates and connecting with the crowd. Towards the end of their set, Gavin jumped off stage and into the crowd and preformed a whole song from the middle of the pit, singing and dancing amongst his fans. It was a fantastic experience for the fans, for having to be as accessible as he was. I they put on an incredible show, it was different from every other time I had seen them, and I’m looking forward to see what momentum they gather from the release of they newest album, Man on the Run.
Islander
This is a band I had just heard of about a month ago, I saw them for the first time on tour with Papa Roach and I thought they were incredible. I was excited to see they were on the bill again with Red. These guys have a great sound, it is very bold and very diverse. While they have moments of rap within their lyrics, they still maintain their metal roots and growling vocals. I love how the different styles collide and work with one another. Vocalist Mikey Carvajal loves to get into the pit with the crowd and give them the opportunity to sing with him before crowd surfing back to the stage. I can’t wait to see more of these guys on the road this summer.
Red
Whenever these guys come around I go out of my way to see their show. I think my favorite time I have seen these guys was at an pout door festival, only because that allowed them to spread out more and incorporate pyrotechnics into their set. When I have seen them at club venues they maintain their high energy set but with a little more theatrics. They swap the pyro for a light show and smoke. This night in particular, they filled the stage with smoke before illuminating this bird like creature in a long black robe. The creature pointed at a single fan and ran towards the end of the stage before disappearing into the smoke. The lights went dark again and one by one each band member came out and off they went into their set. Vocalist, Michael Barns is a great ringleader for this circus. He is very charismatic and does a great job of keeping the crowd engaged. Whether you see them in a large festival or a smaller club you’re going to get an incredible show out of Red.
Adelitas Way
This is a band I could watch over and over again. Lead vocalist, Rick DeJesus is the driving force behind this band he has a huge personality on stage and finds every opportunity to engage the fans. Whether it is handing out drum sticks or coaxing people to get up and crowd surf for a high five he definitely keeps the energy up. Another guy I love to watch is guitarist, Robert Zakaryan. He too has a huge persona on stage, he is constantly bouncing around the stage and throwing his guitar up in your face. All around a fun band whether you’re familiar with their music or not. I have seen Adelitas Way may times before and while I think they are a fantastic live band I definitely prefer them in a festival setting. I think they feed so well off the large diverse crowds.
Flyleaf
When I heard that Flyleaf was going to be on snocore tour, I was surprised, I haven’t heard anything from them since before their former vocalist Lacey Sturm left the band in 2012. Though I was very interested to see how their new vocalist, Kristen May would preform. As soon as Flyleaf hit the stage everyone went running in separate directions. Kristen grabbed her mic ran to the top of the stage and kicked off their set with, “Set me on Fire.” One of the first things I noticed was just how much Kristen sounded like Lacey. None the less, Flyleaf put on an incredible show from start to finish. Im interested to see what their next move is, if they decide to continue to go in a completely different direction with their music or stick to the same sound they had established for themselves.
Robb Flynn
I think every time I have seen Machine Head in the past it has been at a festival or a large outdoor concert, never in an intimate club setting, needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to cover their show as soon as possible. While the set list was heavily weighted towards their newest album, “Bloodstone & Diamonds” they still included a healthy mix of some of their old favorites. This was the best I had ever seen them. The instrumentals, the vocals, everything sounded so powerful and crisp, that alone was enough for the crowd to get completely lost in the music. Robb Flynn looked more passionate and more in tune with his band than I had seen him in the past, he has always sounded good, but you can tell he is on top of his game. Guitarist, Phil Demmel is always a blast to watch, he likes to pent up at the top of the stage and get in your face, the crowd absolutely loves it. Newest edition to the Machine Head family, Jared MacEachern fit right in with the rest of the guys, their chemistry with him was flawless. Phenomenal show tonight, the energy on stage and in the crowd was unmatched, definitely a tour to catch.
Islander
Over the past couple of months I had heard a lot of hype around this band, and it wasn’t misplaced. The amount of energy they had coming out on stage was incredible, vocalist, Mikey Carvajal immediately started bouncing around the stage and within the first couple minuets found himself crowd surfing with their fans. They had a heavier sound than I anticipated but they were a good choice to mesh with the rest of the bands on the bill.
Kyng
I’ve been seeing so much of these guys lately and I am so happy to see them making their way on to more and more tours and festival bills. After the release of their latest album, Burn the Serum in 2014 they have been on the road touring almost non-stop. When they came out they wasted no time jumping into their set opening with “In the land of pigs.” In the middle of their set they transitioned into playing Van Halen’s “Hot for teacher” the crowd exploded. The thing I like about Kyng is they seem to love performing, its infectious everyone in the crowd looked like they were having a blast.
Seether
Seether is a very consistently good band, Shaun Morgan’s vocals are on point, he has a strong voice and I prefer them live to hearing them recorded. Though they aren’t terribly exciting. Though they always have a fun stage set up, with a lot of lights and fog, while it isn’t always ideal as a photographer, it does set a mood for the crowd to get into their music. Definitely a band I love to go see, I always look forward to their shows when they come around.
Papa Roach
I have probably seen Papa Roach about seven or so times and I never get tired of them. Vocalist, Jacoby Shaddix doesn’t stop moving their entire set and he always seems to do a good job of making connections with his fans in the crowd. His energy and passion for their music is absolutely infectious and helps to create such a memorable experience for everyone. They had a pretty strong setlist, they covered everything from their classic favorites “Broken Home” and “Last Resort” to their newest single, “Face everything and rise.” Their newest album F.E.A.R. (Face Everything And Rise) is set to release in stores on January 27th.
21 year old singer, songwriter, actor, dancer and former model Tinashe headlined her first tour for her debut album, Aquarius, at Rams Head Live last night. Aquarius debuted at number 17 on Billboard 200.
Tinashe is one of those up and coming artists that I feel will not stay up and coming for long. She has already made her mark on the radio with her single “2 On” featuring School Boy Q, she’s featured on Nick Jonas’ remix of his hit single “Jealous”, and she will be opening for Iggy Azalea’s The Great Escape 2015 tour alongside Nick Jonas.
Tinashe took the stage wearing a full diamond studded cat shaped face mask, not revealing her face until in end of the first song on her set, “Vulnerable”. She is a vocal powerhouse live and her performance was filled with hip hop inspired dance moves and lots of crowd interaction.
As she goes from performing for an intimate crowd of loyal fans on her headlining tour this winter to opening for a sold out arena tour this spring, we are excited to see how her success grows.
Rock On The Range, America’s premier hard rock festival, returns to central Ohio’s Columbus Crew Stadium May 15, 16 and 17, 2015 for its ninth year with a stellar lineup of top rock bands led by multiplatinum band Linkin Park, global rock juggernauts Slipknot and heavy metal legends Judas Priest—who are currently celebrating their 40th Anniversary. The full weekend of non-stop rock will also feature performances from Godsmack, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Rise Against, Volbeat, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Papa Roach, Halestorm, Of Mice & Men, Anthrax and many more of the world’s most exciting bands on three stages over three days, plus the biggest Rock n’ Roll comedians in the ROTR Comedy Tent.
Rock On The Range—part of the World’s Loudest Month festival series—has sold out in advance for two years in a row, with 120,000 concertgoers on hand in 2014. In 2015, ROTR will welcome live music’s top cable channel, AXS TV, to film the weekend as part of their live festival coverage, allowing fans around the world to experience Rock On The Range.
To kick off the ROTR weekend with a laugh, Guitar World & Revolver‘s Roast On The Range returns to Columbus, OhioThursday, May 14. Look for more details to be announced in early 2015 at www.RoastOnTheRange.com andwww.RockOnTheRange.com. The 2014 Roast featured nearly a dozen musicians and comedians who honored and lampoonedSlipknot and Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor in front of a live audience.
The current band lineup for Rock On The Range—fueled by Monster Energy Drink—is as follows: Linkin Park, Slipknot, Judas Priest, Godsmack, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Rise Against, Volbeat, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Papa Roach, Halestorm, Of Mice & Men, Ministry, Anthrax, Tech N9ne, In This Moment, Hollywood Undead, Live, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, Yelawolf, In Flames, Motionless In White, Saxon, Rival Sons, Falling In Reverse, Apocalyptica, Hatebreed, Periphery, Nonpoint, Baby Metal, The Devil Wears Prada, Dillinger Escape Plan, We Are Harlot, Starset, New Medicine, Beartooth, You Me At Six, Young Guns, Dorothy, Crobot, Shaman’s Harvest, Like A Storm, Unlocking The Truth, Islander, Marmozets, Sabatron, Upon A Burning Body, From Ashes To New, Red Son Rising, and Santa Cruz, with more bands and entertainers to be announced soon.
A specially priced pre-sale for Rock On The Range is available now through Friday, December 5 at 9:59 AM ET. Visitwww.facebook.com/rockontherange to receive a code to purchase pre-sale tickets now. The ROTR ticket pre-sale offers a limited number of weekend tickets at discounted prices as follows (plus fees):
- Weekend Field: $169.50
- Weekend Stadium GA: $99.50
- Weekend Stadium 4-Pack (save $100, while supplies last): $299
Regularly priced general admission tickets go on sale Friday, December 5 at 10:00 AM ET and will be priced as follows:
- Weekend Field: $184.50
- Weekend Stadium GA: $124.50
- Weekend Stadium 4-Pack (while supplies last): $349
These prices will stay in place through late February.
A limited number of discounted tickets are also available for active military through Rock On The Range partner GovX.
Monster Energy returns to Rock On The Range 2015 as the main stage sponsor and will be on site conducting giveaways, hosting Monster Energy artist signings, and sampling Monster Energy Drink.
New to Rock On The Range in 2015 will be the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 VIP Lounge which features amenities such as dedicated Wi-Fi, charging stations, private restrooms, premium food options and more. This upgrade will be available for all ticket purchases for only $125 while supplies last.
For full details about all tickets, including Military Ticket discounts, VIP Packages, Hotel and Ticket Bundles, Camping Packages and Layaway Tickets, visit: www.RockOnTheRange.com.
“Our mission each year is to widen the net as much as possible while staying true to the core that is Rock On The Range,” saysGary Spivack, Co-Executive Producer of ROTR for RockHouse Presents. “Take headliners Slipknot, Linkin Park, and Judas Priest as well as heavyweights Godsmack, Marilyn Manson, the welcomed return of Breaking Benjamin, combine that with bands such as Rise Against, Of Mice & Men, Tech N9ne, Yelawolf and a rare appearance from the likes of Ministry, you then get the world that is Rock On The Range. A music festival…where ROCK (of all kinds) lives.”
Rock On The Range is proud to once again be fueled by their partners at Monster Energy Drink. Additional sponsors includeJack Daniel’s, Jägermeister, Crazy Dave’s Music Experience and Zippo, with more to be announced.
Rock On The Range is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, AEG Live, Crew Stadium, and RockHouse Presents. The multi-stage music and lifestyle event features a potent lineup of bands on three stages over three days. The nationally renowned festival that’s centrally located in the heart of the country is proud to be part of the World’s Loudest Month festival series, and annually draws huge weekend crowds since its inception in 2007, including a sold-out crowd of over 120,000 fans in 2014.
I am a huge fan of The Dirty Heads, these guys mix a very popular reggie rock style much like their predecessors in Sublime, it’s definitely a very feel good vibe that just about anyone can dance to, or sit back on the lawn and chill. After releasing their third studio album, “The Sound of Change” they set out on a headlining tour with support from Pepper making their stop at one of my favorite venues in Baltimore, Pier Six Pavilion. The setting is just right for this kind of show, it’s an outdoor amphitheater right on the water and everyone was diggin the regge vibe.
I’ve seen the Dirty Heads at least five or six times, and without a doubt this was the most support I’ve seen come out for one of their shows. They kicked off the night with an old favorite, “Hip Hop Misfits” their setlist weighed a little heavier with songs from their new album but included a healthy mix of all of their favorite as well. Hands down this is one of the best times I have seen them. Dirty J’s vocals were spot on, and he always wonders around the stage and has good interactions with the fans. Their stage production wasn’t over done, it was enough to keep the crowd interested without taking away from the music. Always a great show to catch, go check out their new album “The Sound of Change” out in stores now.
Guns N Roses
This is a band I definitely a band I had on my must see list, when I heard they were coming so close I jumped at the opportunity to cover their show. Unfortunately it’s not the original Guns N Roses, but regardless it was the closest I was going to get. I am happy to say their set started almost exactly when it was supposed to. The lights went down and the backdrop lit up GN’R and a spotlight turned on current guitarist, DJ Ashba playing the opening riff for Chinese Democracy. Then one by one everyone made their appearance and last but not least Axl Rose ran out in time to hit the first verse. My initial reaction was holy shit; Alx’s still got it. While he is an older version of what we all remember, I was pleasantly surprised that he still had the pipes to handle songs like Welcome to the Jungle and Mr. Brownstone. The set progressed without a hitch, Axl’s voice never faltered and the rest of the band worked off one another flawlessly. It was a better outcome than I had braced myself for. His new guitarists Bumblefoot and DJ Ashba were both very talented, I was impressed by their showmanship. Towards the end of the set, there was one song absent on their set list thus far that everyone was waiting for as the notorious screams of the guitar broke into Paradise City, the crowd exploded. This was an absolutely phenomenal show, I am fully aware of Axl’s typical on stage antics and I am so happy to have seen a show where everything went smoothly.
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