Rock On The Range 2013 Sells Out with 105,000 Tickets Sold ~ And We Were There!
In just seven years, Rock On The Range (or ROTR, to those of us who know and love the festival!) ~ America’s premier destination rock festival ~ has grown to a sold-out, three night music celebration/extravaganza with more than 50 bands performing this past weekend (Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19) at Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio on three stages. The pumped up crowd came from 49 states and three countries for this year’s ROTR ~ presented by Right Arm Entertainment, AEG Live and Crew Stadium and sponsored by Monster Energy, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Jägermeister, Old Milwaukee, and f.y.e. ~ which generated an economic boon of $17 million to the Columbus metro area.
Now granted, numbers and dollars are good-to-know barometers for promoters, managers, labels, PR firms, etc. to judge the success of a festival, but when the performers and media can’t stop raving about the event, well, that says even more.
Here’s what some of the 2013 Rock On The Range performers had to say about their experiences:
Jonathan Davis of Korn: “The fans at ROTR have always been great to us, but this year…when we stepped out there…with their biggest crowd yet…that shit was just sick!! What a rush!”
Corey Taylor of Stone Sour: “Rock On The Range was THE best show we’ve had in years. The energy was insane, the crowd was Bedlam unleashed and the moment was gone all too quickly ~ we could have played another HOUR haha! It was a long time coming ~ we were supposed to play there the year Roy had his stroke ~ but it was so worth the wait, and we can’t wait to do it again!”
Photo of Stone Sour by SethM
Gavin Rossdale of Bush: “We had a brilliant time at Rock On The Range. The crowd was spectacular and I want them at every show we do.”
Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach: “As far as rock festivals in America go, Rock On The Range is #1 in my book. Straight fuckin’ epic! The line ups are always great and the fans are insane. Thank God for Rock On The Range! In my opinion, it’s exactly what rock needs right now, a festival that is fun for both the fans and the bands. Can’t wait to do it again and again and again!!!!!”
A Day To Remember: “The whole show was just really impressive. There aren’t a lot of well-done U.S. festival shows, and this one was handled like one that competes with the best on the planet.”
And here’s some early media acclaim for ROTR 2013:
“What it wasn’t: a fringe gathering. The festival sold a whopping 105,000 tickets over three days, selling out Crew Stadium for the first time in Rock on the Range’s seven-year history. Bolstering turnout was a lineup of powerhouse ’90s rock bands, each with a new album–but also a willingness to polish and present old hits. Seattle alt-metal foursome Soundgarden, which reunited in 2010 after a 13-year hiatus — and still early into its closing set as of press time last night–projected its noise with full force…Alice in Chains, also of Seattle, offered a performance packed with the band’s best…An oncoming sunset enhanced the warbling guitar riffs of ‘Rooster’ that straddle major and minor keys.” ~ Kevin Joy, Columbus Dispatch, May 20, 2013
“Sometimes, a sound can move the earth. It can bring people to their feet. It can make them scream. It can cause cathartic euphoria of the highest degree. That’s the only way to describe Korn’s triumphant headline set at Rock On The Range in Columbus, Ohio last night (May 17)…The Pumpkins closed out the second night of Rock On The Range with a rapturous set…Corey Taylor [Stone Sour] commanded the capacity crowd like he only he could sending a shockwave of epic proportions through the city…Rock is alive and well…” ~ Rick Florino, ArtistDirect.com, May 18/19, 2013
“…a truly historic event for the city of Columbus. Not only did it finally become a full-blown three-day affair, it was also sold out for the first time ever…While the roster of bands on both Friday and Saturday were tremendous, Sunday performances provided a stunningly epic finale to the weekend festival.” ~ Jason Bodak, Examiner.com, May 20, 2013
Flashwounds was lucky enough to be invited to cover the entire festival and to interview Gary Spivak, co-founder of Right Arm Entertainment, so check back here for photos, Gary’s interview, and a first-hand recap of ROTR 2013 by our own SethM.
www.facebook.com/rockontherange
www.twitter.com/rockontherange
Very special thanks to Kristine Ashton-Magnuson/Ashton-Magnuson Media