Rock on the Range 2009
Ryan Book


PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 1 The third annual Rock on the Range music festival will take place at Columbus Crew Stadium this weekend.

The festival, which has brought many prominent rock musicians to Columbus over the last two years, has gathered its largest lineup yet. Nineteen bands of various genres will play on three stages Saturday and Sunday. Headliners include Motley Crüe, Slipknot, Alice in Chains and Avenged Sevenfold.

Gary Spivack, co-executive producer for Right Arm Entertainment, the company organizing Rock on the Range, said it was important to get Ohio State students involved in the act.

"We want to cater to OSU students," Spivack said. "This is your festival as much as anyone's."

His plan for attracting students to the festival included offering tickets for nearly half-price at the Ohio Student Union, and offering entertainment beyond the music.

"If the music isn't perfect for OSU students, we want to provide the complete festival experience," he said. "Between the three stages, the vendors and the village, we want Rock on the Range to be the ultimate party."

The music is the big draw for fans and artists, however. David Draiman, vocalist from the band Disturbed, was impressed with the show last year.

"It was truly a sight to behold," Draiman said. "Definitely one for the books."

One the additions to Rock on the Range this year is the third stage, the Jagermeister Music Stage. This stage was added to highlight up-and-coming bands that haven't gotten mainstream attention, such as local band XFactor1. They get the chance to play alongside fan favorites such as Static-X and Clutch, who will headline the stage.

"We want to give headliners, obviously," Spivack said. "But we also want to expose fans to new bands who could be the next headliners."

The second stage will function similarly to the Jagermeister Music Stage, but will feature seven bands each day, as opposed to Jagermeister's five. This year the second stage will feature punk-icon Billy Talent, metal band Atreyu and The Used. The bands on the second stage will finish in time for fans to catch the headliners on the main stage.

The seven bands taking the main stage on Saturday represent the last 20 years of rock 'n' roll. Bands like Saliva, Flyleaf and Chevelle will warm up the stage before nu-metal mainstay Korn plays. Grunge legends Alice in Chains will follow Korn and then metal band Slipknot will headline for the night.

Spivack said making the decision to place Slipknot over Alice in Chains was not easy.

"We go through ticket sales, album sales, merchandise sales and history," he said. "It's a delicate process."

He said that although Alice in Chains is a big name by itself, the decision rested mainly on the band's recent return to music. The band had been inactive after the death of original vocalist Layne Staley, but returned to touring after adding William DuVall as vocalist. Slipknot also cemented itself as headliner when its album "All Hope Is Gone" rose to the top of album sales charts last year.

But Spivack said that choosing Motley Crüe as Sunday's headliner didn't require any deliberation.

"We view Motley Crüe as one of the great iconic live rock 'n' roll bands," Spivack said. "They will put on a heck of a show."

Motley Crüe is renown for its elaborate stage setups, which often involve pyrotechnics.

Sunday's openers on the main stage include recently popular bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry and Shinedown.

Rock on the Range added an entirely new location this year, Winnipeg, Manitoba, but Spivack said Columbus will always be the festival's headquarters.

"Columbus is a great town to hold a festival like this," he said. "Ohio State University is a big part of that."

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