Are you ready to rock?
It's time for the 2008 Rock on the Range
By UWeekly Staff
“The time that we’re about to spend together is a true celebration,” said Stone Temple Pilots’ guitarist Dean DeLeo. He was talking about his band’s upcoming performance at Rock on the Range. He was excited, why shouldn’t he be? After all, the performance in Columbus would be the first of newly reunited Stone Temple Pilots, who haven’t played a show together in over seven years.
Then, as is so common in the world of rock and roll, something unexpected happened.
“Scott Weiland Check Into Jail,” blared the headline Monday on People Magazine’s website. Weiland had previously pled no contest in April to his second DUI and had been ordered by a judge to serve eight days in jail as punishment, along with being ordered to complete an 18-month alcohol education class and $2,000 in fines.
Checking in to jail for an eight day sentence would seem to be decidedly inopportune for Weiland, the once and future lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, who are one of the main headliners at Rock on the Range at Crew Stadium this weekend. Assuming Weiland were made to serve his full sentence, he would not be released from custody until Tuesday morning.
Luckily for rock fans, the rules of the game don’t usually apply to celebrities. Stone Temple Pilots have yet to release a statement to the contrary that they will be doing anything but entertaining tens of thousands of fans in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday night, meaning the band is either banking on an early release for the rock star because of good behavior, or, more likely, because of overcrowding in the Los Angeles county jail system.
Ironically, Weiland also performed at last year’s Rock on the Range, albeit with Velvet Revolver. Last month, Velvet Revolver announced Weiland would be leaving the band, citing his “erratic onstage behavior and personal problems.”
However, save for the minor inconvenience of the headlining band’s lead singer being in a jail three time zones away, things appear to be full steam ahead for 2008’s Rock on the Range. Last year’s one-day festival was such a success that the stadium sold out of its approximately 40,000 tickets. This year, organizers of the rock concert decided to expand the number of bands that would play, and split them up over two days instead of one.
Last year some fans complained that it was difficult or almost impossible to hear every band because of the tight schedule and turnaround time between each act at the two different stages.
“While we accomplished a great deal by selling out the show in our first year, it was imperative to listen to patrons’ comments as to how we could improve the event in 2008,” said Rock on the Range co-producer Joe Litvag. “Year one was incredible, but we’re about to raise the bar again with these additional elements and these incredible artists.”
In addition to the Stone Temple Pilots, Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down will also receive top billing at this year’s Rock on the Range. STP is scheduled to take the stage Saturday night, while Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down will close out the festival on Sunday night.
Additionally, several upgrades have been made to Crew Stadium since last year’s Rock on the Range that should improve this year’s edition. For starters, large LED screens have been added to the main stage. Crew Stadium has also added a permanent main stage and roof structure and increased capacity from last year’s show. Crews have also been working all week at the stadium making preparations for the tens of thousands of fans who will visit over the weekend.
Our advice? Pack a poncho… it’s supposed to rain this weekend, but that won’t stop the rock.
Originally Published: Issue 648 - May 14, 2008
 |
Share on Facebook |
