Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival came to a bittersweet end for the 2024 season on Sunday, May 19. This year’s festival saw over 138,000 rock fans and was Sonic Temple’s biggest year yet, hosting 120 bands on four different stages at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
The festival included artwork created by world-class artists such as Terry Urban, AngryBlue, L’Amour Supreme, Jay Howell, TravMSK, Paul Rentler, Monster Steve and many more. Even Bob’s Burgers artist Jay Howell set up to sketch caricatures of fans in his signature style.
To keep cool and hydrated, lounges and amenities included on the grounds were: The Dive hosted by Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin, the White Claw Refresh Lounge, Bud Light Backyard, Jack Daniel’s, BeatBox Beverages, The Blackened Whiskey Bar, Caduceus Wine Garden, Craft Beer Bar and Craft Cocktail Bars.
On Day 4, concert goers were met with an unforgiving sun that left them spending a lot of time in the shade to try to beat the heat. We started the day by checking out Moon Fever, a rock & roll band from Washington. Lead vocalist Cody Jasper was decked out in his metal attire, wearing all black, black gloves, and an array of chains on his neck. Their high energy set was a great start to the last day of Sonic Temple.
Next up we saw Sleep Theory on the Temple Stage. The rock band played some songs from their newest EP, Paper Hearts like the beat-driven “Numb” and guitar-driven “Fallout.” Fans bounced along in the crowd as front man Cullen Moore interacted with his bandmates on stage.
The Boston, Massachusetts band Dead Poet Society made quite a stir over on the Sanctuary Stage as lead singer Jack Underkofler enthusiastically jumped off of the stage and jumped into the crowd with fans as he sang. The group was full of energy and the fans loved the crowd surfing by the band.
Rising metal star Kim Dracula put on an engaging show on the Cathedral Stage, as they rose from a coffin and opened with “A Gradual Decline In Morale” with a backdrop of a modified American flag. Dracula wore a military style outfit to start the show and at one point came out in a wheelchair to simulate a wounded soldier. They even performed their internet famous cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” and original, “The Bard’s Last Note.” The powerful screaming and quick vocals of Dracula kept the crowd going.
The all-female band Plush took to the Citadel Stage around 1:30pm and looked absolutely badass. Frontwoman Moriah Formica, lead guitarist Bella Perron, bassist Ashley Suppa and drummer Faith Powell wore statement-making bustiers and shredded on their guitars and drums. Fans erupted in cheers as the quartet played a cover of Heart’s “Barracuda.”
Alt-metal band Taproot, hailing from Michigan, took over the Sanctuary Stage with enthusiasm and charisma. Lead vocalist Stephen Richards wore a hockey style jersey with their band name on it, and entertained the audience with his intense emotion and funny faces. The group made sure to play one of their hit singles, “Poem.”
The UK based alternative duo Royal Blood put some energy into the crowd as they performed “Mountains at Midnight” followed by “Lights Out.” Fans crowd surfed and threw around beach balls over the crowd. Front man Mike Kerr, recognized by his constant style, served some looks wearing a dotted black and white button up over a basic black t-shirt. Royal Blood is always one of our favorites to catch on the festival circuit.
We threw it back a bit by going to check out 1990’s band Helmet. The band performed nine songs during their setlist, even adding in their No. 1 hit, “Unsung.” The bass on their songs was louder than life, and their years of experience definitely showed through with Page Hamilton’s signature guitar riffs and clear dedication to their music.
On the Temple Stage at 5:30pm the crowds welcomed on A Day To Remember, a metalcore/punk-rock band from Florida. Aided by pyrotechnics, the band delivered a full showcase of their range of musical abilities with a complete tour of their discography. From harder songs like “All I Want” to the soft acoustic “If It Means a Lot To You,” fans sang along in unison. ADTR is always a fan favorite.
Crobot always brings the energy to every stage live and this weekend was no exception. Brandon is one of the most dynamic front men in the business. Crobot provided one of the highlights of the whole festival. The group was joined onstage for their last song by Jennifer Finch from the iconic band L7 who still has the same spunk she’s always had, sporting pink hair and cheetah print leggings. She joined fellow band Crobot and the band CKY onstage for a performance of “All My Friends Are Dead.”
Later in the day L7 took over the Sanctuary Stage on Sunday afternoon. The 80’s rockers proved that they still have what it takes to deliver some grungy punk tunes.
Our favorite performance of the day goes to the popular 90’s nu-metal band Limp Bizkit. The crowd was going wild and their setlist was full of crowd pleasers. Lead singer Fred Durst wore a bright colored 80’s style tracksuit and a bucket hat, constantly interacting and joking with the crowd. The group opened with the popular “Break Stuff,” which they played twice during the set as fans furiously bounced and sang. Their guitarist Wes Borland wore a new signature mask made with black molded plastic and rosaries as he shredded on the guitar.
During the performance, Slipknots’s Sid Wilson joined DJ Lethal to play a section of “Turn It Up, Bitch”. Durst also pulled a fan on stage, wearing a Slipknot mask from the crowd to sing the end section of “Full Nelson.” Just when we thought there couldn’t be any more surprises, Danny Wimmer, the festival’s producer, jumped on stage after a cover of George Michael’s “Faith” to embrace in a hug with Durst. This was by far the most crowd energy we had seen at the main stage during the weekend.
Rapper and singer Tech N9ne was another fan favorite, performing as the blazing sun finally started to set. The rapper fit a whopping 23 songs into his setlist, even inviting a fan on stage to sing along to “Aw Yeah (InterVENTion).” Wearing a crown and occasionally putting on his iconic mask, Tech N9ne put on a great performance that left fans satisfied.
In the last performance on the Cathedral Stage for the 2024 season, Nebraska native rock band 311 put on an intense show. The band performed favorites like “All Mixed Up,” “Beautiful Disaster,” and breakout single “Down” which closed out the lively set. Vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum sported a bright red guitar and slick leather jacket while Doug “SA” Martinez’s rapped along to their songs.
Rock band Clutch closed out the Citadel Stage with a classic rock & roll sound for guests to enjoy before the final headliner. The group played 10 songs including some greats such as “The Mob Goes Wild” and “Spacegrass.” For an encore, Clutch sang two more songs: “Electric Worry” and “The Face.”
Right at 9:30pm, thousands of guests swarmed to the Temple Stage for the finale of Sonic Temple Festival. Slipknot celebrated the 25th anniversary of their classic 1999 self-titled album, and one of the first shows with their new drummer and former Sepultura member Eloy Casagrande. In celebration, the band wore the same masks they donned in ‘99.
The iconic metal band performed a total of 11 songs, including a three-song encore. In their red jumpsuits and haunting masks, the band played out some great heavy classics including “The Devil In I,” “Wait and Bleed,” and hardcore anthems “People = Shit” and “Spit It Out.” Unfortunately, Corey announced that famous percussionist Clown was not able to perform due to medical issues. Despite missing a key member, the group packed the stadium and delivered a show that was well worth the wait.
We can’t believe this year’s Sonic Temple went by so fast. The line-ups were amazing and the new addition of the fourth stage allowed a lot more bands to perform and fans to have the opportunity to hear more music. This year was truly historical and will go down in history as one of the best Sonic Temple lineups and experiences so far. The 2025 festival dates are yet to be released, but we will be keeping a close eye out in anticipation of what is in store for next year!
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig