Rock on the Range slays for the tenth time

If you come away from Rock on the Range unscathed, you’re doing it wrong.

Personally, I have a sunburn, a bad case of “headbanger’s neck,” and I got kicked in the eye by a crowd surfer.

But was it worth it? Absolutely yes.

The three-day music festival took over Mapfre Stadium last weekend, bringing huge acts from all across the hard rock and heavy metal spectrum to Columbus.

Closing out the festival were funk rock giants Red Hot Chili Peppers, who took the stage as day ceded to night and the full moon rose above the east side of the stadium.

A minute-long jam transformed into opening song “Can’t Stop,” while hundred-foot tall screens on either side of the stage showed stylized shots band members Flea, Anthony Kiedis, Josh Klinghoffer and Chad Smith.

It wasn’t long before bodies started flying overhead, as crowd surfers were flung with reckless abandon into the hands of other audience members.

The Chili Peppers played a set of crowd-pleasers, drawing from 20 years of hits like “By The Way,” “Californication,” “Around The World,” “Under The Bridge,” “Suck My Kiss,” “Higher Ground” and “Otherside.”

The crowd sung along carelessly to the ballads and went nuts during the funkier tracks.

By the time they closed out their set, and the festival, with iconic superhit “Give It Away,” they showed Columbus that their age isn’t a factor–they’re still as tight as ever.

Other highlights from Sunday included breakout English rock act The Struts, who pulled out unabashedly Freddy Mercury-esque stage antics, including call-and-response vocals with the crowd and flamboyant attire.

Bands like Wolfmother and The Sword aimed to prove that classic rock isn’t dead, mixing 70s vibes with spot-on musicianship.

Perhaps the most intense act of Sunday night was legendary hardcore punk band At The Drive-In, who reunited almost 15 years after their last studio release.

In classic form, they were constantly in overdrive.

Guitarist Omar Rodriguez played as aggressively as ever, while lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s spastic stage presence had him jumping off amps, leaping into the mosh pit, and singing while twitching on the floor.

For the body shaking bass, the conveyor belt crowd surfing, the guitar solos and screams, the tenth anniversary edition of Rock on the Range did not disappoint.

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