Standing in the crowded audience at the Columbus Crew Stadium watching Five Finger Death Punch perform, Rebecca Deraddo, 30, removes her purse from her side and decides to succumb to the peer pressure of her friends. She leaps on top of the crowd in her first ever act of “crowd surfing.”
Deraddo said she had seen the band once in Buffalo, New York and being close to the stage helped others crowd surf.
“I really didn’t have a choice this time,” she said. “I wish that I knew it wasn’t as scary as I thought it was my whole life because I would have been doing it all my life.”
Derrado was at the annual Columbus rock festival Rock on the Range for her first time and after her experience, she said she’ll be back again.
“It was awesome, I will never miss another year again,” she said.
The sixth annual Rock on the Range, was held Saturday and Sunday, as well as Friday for the “Friday night 4play,” at the Columbus Crew Stadium.
The event featured a total of 44 bands throughout the weekend, who performed on either the main stage, titled the Monster stage, or one of the two side stages, titled the f.y.e. and Jägermeister stages.
Saturday, Day 1, consisted of six bands on each side stage, in which the first band on both started around 11:30 a.m., and eight bands on the Monster main stage, in which the first band, Adelitas Way, started at noon.
Five Finger Death Punch took the stage around 6:40 p.m. after the 86-degree weather had started to cool down.
The band used its set to interact with its fans. Front man, Ivan Moody, pointed out that he saw a lot of kids in the audience and asked them to come up on stage with him.
“I don’t want them getting hurt,” Moody said. “‘Cause you guys are f—ing crazy.”
Moody also brought up a memory from his last visit to Rock on the Range 2010 when his performance was shut down after he asked audience members to crowd surf up to the stage and shake his hand.
“I’m not going to make the same mistake this time,” he said. “So instead, I’ll just tell you if you’d like to come and shake my hand I’d love to f—ing meet you.”
Some in attendance were impressed with this year’s list of performances.
Nancy Kramer, 50, said that this year was one of the best lineups the festival has ever had.
“This year was hands down the best,” she said. “Usually if it’s crappy bands, we’ll wait to come in, but we came on time today and we even came Friday this year.”
Others were not so impressed with the lineup.
Richard Kramer, 23, Nancy Kramer’s son who has been to every Rock on the Range since the first one in 2007, said this year wasn’t his favorite.
“They have yet to top the first year with the line up,” he said.
The first year of Rock on the Range featured acts from Evanescense, Hinder, Three Days Grace, Buckcherry, Breaking Benjamin, Papa Roach and Puddle of Mudd, to name a few.
For Michael Mathias of Columbus, the main stage headliners were not the only bands that were impressive this year. He said he came to the festival to see Chevelle and Incubus, but enjoyed seeing Halestorm on the main stage, earlier in the day, and was intrigued by the lead singer, Elizabeth “Lzzy” Hale.
“I’ve never seen Halestorm. They were really awesome,” Mathias said. “She has a lot of energy, and I’m like in love with Lzzy now, she put on a hell of a show.”
“It was awesome, I will never miss another year again,” Deraddo said.
Shinedown then took the stage at 8:10 p.m.
“We can’t stand up here on stage and do the whole hardcore thing,” frontman Brent Smith shouted to the crowded stadium. “Quite honestly, we’re in way too good of a mood and haven’t stopped smiling all day because all of Columbus showed up.”.
Before leaving stage, the group stressed its love for rock ‘n’ roll music and asked the fans to keep the music alive.
“Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t a genre of music, it’s a way of life,” Smith said. “So tonight as you leave the venue, promise all the bands that you will keep your fist in the air and you will never let rock ‘n’ roll die.”
Incubus finished Day 1, taking the main stage at about 9:45 p.m. It performed mostly older songs to the completely full stadium. The crowd sang along to almost every song lead singer Brandon Boyd belted.
The festival left some fans completely satisfied at the end of the night.
Kelly Hollis, of Powell, Ohio, said Incubus was her favorite of the night.
“I love them, they’re fabulous, they’re melodic, and he (Boyd) is a great singer,” she said.
Gary Johnson of Columbus, who has been to the festival three years in a row, said Slash, who performed at about 5 p.m., was the highlight of his night.
“He brings tears to my eyes when he plays ‘Sweet Child of Mine,'” Johnson said.
Johnson also said he will continue to attend the festival because it is such a good deal to be able to see so many great bands.
“To see over 40 bands for the price is great,” Johnson said. “You go to most places and you’re paying $40 or $50 to see one band and here I’m paying around $100 for three nights.”
Check The Lantern Tuesday for a full recap of Sunday, Day 2, at Rock on the Range.
