After a three year pause due to COVID, Sonic Temple Festival (formerly Rock on the Range) made a triumphant return to Columbus last spring. Not only did the festival pack MAPFRE stadium all weekend, but they did it for a ground-breaking 4 days, vs the standard 3, which is how the festival had run for years prior.
Once again, festival-goers are gearing up for an incredible weekend, highlighted by a combination of some of the biggest acts in rock and metal, as well as some of the most exciting up-and-coming bands. My personal highlights this year include The Original Misfits, Pantera, Evanescence and Limp Bizkit (none of whom I’ve personally seen at this festival, and I’ve been attending since 2014.
There are dozens of other really exciting bands to check out this year as well. Judas Priest are touring a juggernaut of a new album (‘Invincible Shield’). Sum 41 just released ‘Heaven :X: Hell,’ slated to be their last. Kerry King is back with an all-star band and the new tunes sound amazing so far! This year also sees Machine Head return to the festival circuit for the first time in ages.
As if this wasn’t enough, Sonic Temple has added a fourth stage this year! How’s that all going to flow? I’ll let you know in my review afterwards, but I’m confident the DWP team will continue to run the best festivals in the country, once again.
For anyone who attended last year, you were sure to notice the major changes in the layout of the festival. Rather than supporting the stadium with a stage on either side, one of the stages is now “in front of” the stadium, meaning that the festival grounds have now pushed into the parking lot. This looked a bit odd on the map, but once inside, it proved to be an excellent layout and a nice improvement over what was in place for years prior.
In prior years, I’ve always supplied the annual “survival guide,” which I’ve linked to HERE.
The most important take-a-ways from it are really the following:
- Sunscreen and fluids are a must
- Explore the grounds. Don’t just run up to the rail and camp all day. You’ll burn and burn out, not to mention miss everything.
- Pace yourself. Four days is a lot and I’m ten years older than I was when I started this. Sit down every once in a while. It does wonders for your feet in the morning.
- Enjoy the city of Columbus while you’re in town. There is so much to do in the city, but be sure to get in to the festival early every day. Those afternoon bands are future headliners and you’ll want to be able to say “I saw them when.”
It’s hard to imagine this festival (or any for that matter) getting much bigger than 4 days and 4 stages, but here we are. This is an adventure I look forward to every single year and this one looks like it just might be the best yet!
If you've had your tickets for months, then you've likely been counting down the days for some time. If you're still waiting though, head over HERE and grab your tickest today!
