Overheated rock fans laid sprawled on the grassy knoll by Jägermeister stage. Sunday’s 80-degree heat took its toll on some, while others seemed unfazed by the scorching sun as they moshed and crowd surfed to some of their favorite bands playing on the Monster and f.y.e. stages at Day 2 of Rock on the Range 2012.
General admission tickets sold out to this year’s festival, which was held in Columbus Crew Stadium over the weekend and featured 44 bands.
Sunday’s, Day 2, headliner Rob Zombie, whose real name is Robert Cummings, former frontman of White Zombie, gave the last performance of the festival. Taking the stage at 9:45 p.m., the band had an elaborate stage setup including three large LED screens that showed clips of old black and white monster movies at the beginning.
Some attendees said they were excited to see Zombie, who last played at the festival in 2010.
“I saw Rob Zombie a couple of years ago, and he blew my mind,” said Jonathon Hritz, 30, of Columbus.
The show also featured animatronic robots, red and white fog, a metal robot with flames shooting out of its shoulders, skeletons and other pyrotechnics, including fireworks.
With its members’ faces painted black and white, the band received a zealous response from the crowd when it played old White Zombie hits such as “More Human Than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ’65.”
During the show, Zombie asked males to hoist females up on their shoulders amid the mosh pits and crowd surfers. The request resulted in hundreds of females balancing on males’ shoulders, some losing their tops, during Zombie’s hit song “Living Dead Girl.”
At the end of lead guitarist John 5’s, who’s real name is John Lowery, solo, he played the “Star Spangled Banner” on his guitar with his teeth.
Marilyn Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, took the main stage at 8:15 p.m. With his face painted, Manson wielded a butcher knife, brass knuckles and LED-lit microphones during the set.
The crowd surged forward when he opened with “Disposable Teens,” and it jumped and moshed during classics such as “The Dope Show,” “Tourniquet” and “The Beautiful People.”
It sounded like F-16 jets were about to fly over the stadium as Manson exited the stage and fans in the stadium seating section pounded the stands. He gave in to an encore and played “mOBSCENE,” and climbed atop a podium, which had his signature red circle with a jagged arrow on the front.
At one point in the show, Manson sprayed photographers in the front row with a fog gun, preventing them from taking photos.
Fans traveled from places ranging from Arizona to Canada to attend Rock on the Range.
“The next seven bands are why we are here,” said Ryan Heindl, 28, from Kersey, Colo., which is about 60 miles outside Denver. “Where else can you see Down, Mastodon, Anthrax, Megadeth, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie?”
Black Stone Cherry opened the Monster stage at 12:05 p.m., Aranda opened the f.y.e. stage at 11:30 a.m. and Ghosts of August opened the Jägermeister stage at 11:30 a.m.
At 2:30 p.m. The Darkness played the main stage. Singer Justin Hawkins said the he was “feeling ill” so his voice wasn’t up to par, but he exuded enough energy to do a spread eagle toe touch off of the drum kit and a handstand during the performance.
Westerville, Ohio, metalcore band Attack Attack! played at the f.y.e. stage at 3:15 p.m.
On the main stage, Volbeat played at 3:50 p.m. featuring a punk rock version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
Some people came to see bands they haven’t heard live.
“I have never seen Down before, so I am here to see them,” said Brad Ginther, 28, from Pittsburgh.
Down, an American heavy-metal band, played on the f.y.e. stage at 4:35 p.m. Singer Phil Anselmo dedicated a song to the late Pantera guitarist Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott, which brought the crowd to a roar of cheering.
Lacuna Coil and Anthrax played the final time slots on the side stages at 6 p.m.
Megadeth performed on the Monster stage at 6:45 p.m. After its set, the crowd chanted “Megadeth,” until the band came out to play an encore, after which band members threw guitar picks and drumsticks, before lining up to take a bow in unison.
After Zombie’s set, which ended around 11:15 p.m., a fireworks display filled the sky with pink light, while the crowd made its way out of the stadium.
