May 2019.
That was the last time rock and metal fans ventured to Columbus for perhaps the pinnacle of American heavy music festivals.
The 2020 edition of Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival was unknowingly doomed from the start. That weekend was going to feature two unique and separate headlining sets from Metallica as well as many other bands. But Metallica dropped out of the festival that February to focus on James Hetfield’s sobriety. A month later, the coronavirus shut down the world.
In 2022, many of the festivals produced by Danny Wimmer Presents made their comeback, but Sonic Temple was conspicuously left off the calendar. This worried fans that the newly named/long-standing festival would not be making a comeback at all, especially as many festivals in 2022 were forced to cancel and bands faced financial strains when touring.
Turns out, all everyone needed was a little patience.
Sonic Temple will make its long-awaited return to Historic Crew Stadium in the Ohio capital this May over Memorial Day weekend. Much like 2019, Foo Fighters will also be making their return as they headline the final day of the weekend. Other headliners include Tool and Godsmack (Thursday), Avenged Sevenfold and Queens of the Stone Age (Friday), Kiss and Rob Zombie (Saturday), and Deftones on Sunday.
Notably, this will be the Foo Fighters’ second appearance at Sonic Temple and first at the festival without longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins after his untimely passing in March 2022.
Many bands are making a return to Sonic Temple such as Beartooth, Suicidal Tendencies, Chevelle, Dorothy, Trivium, Avatar, Sublime with Rome, The Pretty Reckless and many more. Likewise, bands like Sleeping with Sirens are appearing for the first time.
Tickets, packages and more information can be found at Sonic Temple’s website. Stick with TPM as we provide in-depth preview coverage, editorials, and reviews of Sonic Temple.
