We began our 15 hour journey to Rock on the Range expecting to have our asses rocked off, I mean, c'mon, its Rock on the Range, right? By the time we got back in the car on Monday to drive home, we were full of adrenaline, AND exhausted with swollen feet and no voices. Rock on the Range 2010 FAR EXCEEDED what we were expecting!!
..............Real And Wild Rockers
SHAMAN'S HARVEST
An amazing set by this up and coming SELF RELEASED band. C'mon what a HUGE accomplishment to be a totally independent band, with no label, playing at one of the biggest festivals of the year. They proved themselves at ROTR with an amazing set. You can totally feel the energy from this band. They opened up the Kicker Stage on Day 2 of ROTR and kicked some serious ASS. Front man, Nathan (Drake), has some seriously soulful pipes and an extremely sexy stage presence!!! The band itself is a combination of pure rock n roll with a southern flair. Their chart climbing single "Dragonfly" was amazing live and the crowd really embraced them. Definitely the way to start off the Kicker Stage! We had the pleasure of meeting Shaman's Harvest and did an interview with them as well. I have to say, really just a great bunch of humble, rockin' guys who really know where they came from!! Definitely keep your eye on these guys!!!!
HALESTORM
The energy that this band puts out is like no other.
A seriously rockin chick heading up this amazing band. Her vocals are something to not be reckoned with. Opening up with "Its not You" Lzzy Hale captivated the crowd with her beautifully haunting voice and didn't let go. The entire band amazed the crowd while jamming out on drum trash cans. Another highlight was Lzzy effectually drinking a glass of wine in honor of the late Ronnie James Dio.
SKILLET
This Christian Rock band was incredible live. Definitely one of the shockers for me. From the moment they came out playing Hero to the end of their set there was just pure adrenaline, pumping through their veins. Front man John Cooper rocked out and pumped the crowd to their set. But in my opinion, the real show stealer was drummer Jen Ledger. That chick is mesmerizing on the drums, I actually found myself just staring in awe at the amazing talent that this chick has!! Definitely someone to keep your eye on!
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
With Howard back with the group, he truly brought his "A game" to ROTR which brought this incredible crowd to the dark side. Killswitch was the headliner on the Kicker Stage and packed the area with crowd surfing, moshing fans, who, quite honestly, scared me a bit. It was insane watching the crowd move the way it did. The fans loved every single minute of this amazing band. Luckily I was able to safely watch Killswitch from the stage. They ended their set with their cover of Dio's Holy Diver. The devil horns were up and everyone sang in unison with the band. It was an amazing end to Day 1's Kicker Stage!
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
Opening up with "Burn it Down" this band got these kids to go WILD and it lasted through their entire set. FFDP front man Ivan Moody made sure that bodies were gonna be surfing, dropping, rolling and flying. He announced that he wanted everyone to crowd surf to the front so he could shake their hands. Well, he certainly followed through on his word, grabbing, slapping & shaking every persons hand that he could get. I have NEVER in my life seen crowd surfing as I did during this set. I have to say, personally, I thought this was the coolest thing any performer can do with their fans....and I had the opportunity to meet Ivan backstage and I felt the need to tell him. He humbly thanked me and explained that security was being tight and he wanted to "give back" to their fans in the best way that he could. Defiantly a highlight of ROTR and for all Rangers!!
GODSMACK
This band opened up and kicked our asses with "Awake". God, Sully never looked sooo good!!!! "Cryin Like A Bitch" was amazing live and the crowd was hangin on to every note. ...Hey, im wondering if Nikki Sixx stuck around to catch that!! The most awesome part, I thought was the drums spinning across the stage...It was so intense and made the crowd go wild. Godsmack was an incredible end to day one of Rock on the Range.
SLASH
With his signature long curly hair and black top hat, Slash came out whaling his guitar to "Dirty Little Thing". Alter Bridge singer, Myles Kennedy, brought back old school GNR to Rock on the Range. Actually I was in the backstage area for the first half of Slash's performance and I had to run to the pit because I was so convinced that Axl Rose was at ROTR. It was incredible. The crowd also embraced the throw backs from Slash as well as the songs from his current solo album, with fists in the air, and feet off the ground.
ROB ZOMBIE
Whoa! His name should be Rob MuthahFuckin Zombie. Pure dark, intense, kickass metal twisted with giant robots, pyrotechnics, video screens, fire and colorful balls!!!! Opening their set with "Sawdust in the Blood", the crowd was intense and crazy for ZOMBIE with his ghoulish and yet sexy presence. The crowd was extra pumped when Zombie announced that he was going to use the crowd at ROTR for his "Mars Needs Women Video". Following after was "Sick Bubblegum" in which dozens of colorful balls were being shot out at the crowd. Zombie ended their set with "Thunder Kiss '65" and John 5 jammed out with an amazing guitar solo which proved why he is a legend in his own time.
LIMP BIZKIT
Although 20 minutes late in starting their set, Limp Bizkit proved that a reunion tour is far long overdue. While I had the pleasure of hanging out with Limp Bizkit, I was also able to watch their set from the stage. Opening up with Willy Wonka's "Pure Imagination" intro music and quickly changing to "Hot Dog" the crowd was flying high as bodies were being thrown to the stage. During "Take a Look Around" Fred Durst instructed the crowd to sit and take a break from the long day the Rangers had, which, in unison, people actually just crouched down on the ground, until the music exploded again and sent the crowd into a jumping frenzy. It was truly a unique and awesome sight to see. Limp Bizkit closed Rock on the Range with their George Michael Cover, "Faith" complete with fireworks and explosives and sent the crowd off covered in gold confetti.
Review by Lisa Ann
Mother Nature was not Columbus' friend during the week of ROTR. The annual campground party was a big ol mud puddle, but it didn't stop anyone from the festivities that these Rangers plan for all year long. The party went on regardless of the rain/mud and it was just as wild and crazy as it would have been if it was a clear night. Now, due to the torrential rains that blanketed Columbus, the parking area of Crew Stadium also was a big ol mud puddle. Saturdays traffic to get into Crew Stadium was a nightmare. Cars were getting stuck due to the conditions which backed traffic up for hours. We were stuck in traffic for over 3 hours trying to get in to park. Our hotel was a mere 5 minutes away!!
As its quite difficult to check out each and every band playing, RAWR Magazine would like to give you their top faves - IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!!!!
RAWR MAGAZINE
Real And Wild Rockers.......................BITCHES!!!
