The 2024 edition of Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival is officially in the books, but we’re still not coming down from the high that was this past weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
This year, Sonic Temple expanded to four stages that played host to 120 bands over four days at Historic Crew Stadium — as well as over 138,000 fans of heavy music. Going day by day, the following is a list and short recap of our favorite performances at Sonic Temple in 2024.
Day One
August Burns Red put on a powerful performance on the opening day of Sonic Temple. (Maurice Nunez/Danny Wimmer Presents)
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes: We interviewed these guys many years ago at Rock on the Range, so we knew what to expect when seeing they took the stage. Playing the Sanctuary Stage at 5:25 p.m., Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes played to a massive crowd that gathered not just in front of their stage but also the adjacent Citadel Stage as well. At one point, Carter ran from the back of the Sanctuary to the Citadel and back, getting fans on both sides of the soundboard divide on their feet. Carter took it up a notch when he jumped into the crowd and performed in the middle of the pit. As more fans continued to gather in front of the Citadel Stage, he ran around the soundboard through the crowd with security and joined those of us on the other side, many of whom were gathering for Electric Callboy — coming right up next to us in the pit there. A real rock star, that Frank Carter. They set the tone for what was to come on the adjacent stage next.
Electric Callboy: This was my first time really experiencing this band and their catalogue, and they did not disappoint. The moment the German electronicore band started playing, the crowd started going nuts. Their setlist featured just nine songs but featured “Spaceman,” “Everytime We Touch” and “We Got The Moves” as the closer. Fans were on their feet jumping, dancing, crowd surfing and singing throughout the entire set. Little did we know it at the time, but Electric Callboy really set the tone for the weekend when it came to being in the thick of it.
August Burns Red: For about 16 years, August Burns Red has been prominent in my playlists. Among the top three bands I wanted top see over the weekend, these dudes never disappoint. Another nine song set beginning with “Thirty and Seven” and “Defender” got things started as a circle pit formed in the middle of the crowd in front of the Sanctuary Stage. This set was mixed with newer material and the classics, as August Burns Red played “Composure” — my personal favorite — and “Mariana’s Trench” before ending on “White Washed.” During their set, I was up against the barricade to the left of the stage just where the soundboard divide happened, so while not in the pit itself, I had a great view of the entire set. The only negative I can give is that the band didn’t play my other favorite, “Ghosts.” After their set, drummer Matt Greiner and vocalist Jake Luhrs jumped off the stage and greeted everyone along the barricade, taking selfies and just chatting. Greiner came my way while Luhrs went down the right side, but I absolutely grabbed selfies with them both.
Day Two
Deryck Whibley thanked the crowd for their boos when he mentioned the performance at Sonic Temple was amongst the last for Sum 41. (Lexie Alley/Danny Wimmer Presents)
Sum 41: Truth be told, I was never a big Sum 41 fan having grown up on heavy metal and rap music. And clearly, I have been missing out for the past 20+ years. I knew nearly every word to nearly every song they played outside of their newer material, and they had the fans on their feet and crowd surfing during the entirety of their 11-song set. We were in the crowd but not very close to stage or the barricades, yet we still had people crowd surfing from behind us and getting tossed up all around. This would be a continuing theme, as you’ll learn. Sum 41 started their set with “Motivation,” “The Hell Song” and “Over My Head (Better Off Dead)”. At one point, frontman Deryck Whibley mentioned how this performance was part of their final tour as Sum 41 will be hanging it up soon. The crowd responded with boos, resulting in Whibley telling fans to keep it up because he loves the booing. The eighth song of their set was a cover of “We Will Rock You” by Queen which saw the massive crowd join in signing. Sum 41 ended with the classics “Fat Lip,” “Still Waiting” and “In Too Deep.” This set and performance blew me away, as they had a giant inflatable skeleton flipping the bird, pyro, smoke and just a stellar on-stage presence. If you’re like me and never gave these dude’s a chance, check them out before it’s too late!
@thepitmedia “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours first…” @Rise Against absolutely smashed it at Sonic Temple! #swing #riseagainst #sonictemple #sonictemplefestival #columbus #ohio #dwp #music #rock #alternative #fypシ゚viral #fypp #fyp ♬ original sound – The Pit Media
Rise Against: I’ve seen Rise Against once or twice before, but this one specifically created memories that will last a lifetime. It’s been a few years since I last listened to them and even longer since I seen them live, so this performance brought back a wave of nostalgia. We got to the Cathedral Stage early and took a seat about 20 yards from the barricade as we waited for the band to take the stage. With the opening notes of “Re-Education (Through Labor)” the chaos begun. After Electric Callboy the day before and Sum 41 earlier in the day, we were only somewhat prepared. A mosh pit opened up just to our right as I served as part of the wall. TPM’s Don Woodman and his wife were nearby, forced to deal with the influx of crowd surfers that seemed to never stop throughout the 12-song set, except for during the acoustic performance of “Swing Life Away” eight songs in. Just before that acoustic performance, the band had played “Prayer of the Refugee” which is when I realized the crowd, between pit and surfers, had pushed our group all the way up to the barrier. As I attempted to assist crowd surfers, I realized I was essentially among the last line of fans before the barricade and security could catch them. It was a wild set that ended on the ever-popular “Savior.” As the band left the stage, I fell to my knees and hung off the barricade, exhausted. Was given a guitar pick and a bottle of water by security before I worked up the energy to leave for the night.
Day Three
Slaughter to Prevail: One of my favorite things about covering Sonic Temple and its predecessor over the past 12 years has been discovering new bands or finally giving bands I have heard of a chance. Slaughter To Prevail falls into the latter category as I have heard of the band but never truly listened. The crowd for these guys was massive, the music was heavy as it gets and the atmosphere was simply metal AF. We didn’t get a chance to watch the full set much to the group’s disappointment due to some real life security issues back home.
Sleep Token: So, TPM’s Don Woodman was suppose to supply a recap of Sleep Token as he watched the full set. But Mr. Half-Baked Potato hasn’t done his part so we’ll publish without or update when he gets to it. All I witnessed was the massive crowd size at the Cathedral Stage, which they closed out, and they made the case for a main stage booking next year.
Pantera: Headlining on Saturday night was Pantera. This was the first time all weekend I had stepped foot inside of Historic Crew Stadium to check out a band on the main stage. Truth be told, I didn’t stick around for the full set but needed to see it for the sake of nostalgia. I am planning on seeing them later this summer with Metallica in Chicago, and this was a good teaser for what’s to come. Because of some personal memories with Vinnie Paul, seeing Pantera live without him or Dimebag just doesn’t sit right, but it’s still Pantera!
Day Four
Tech N9ne closed out the Sanctuary Stage on the final day of Sonic Temple. (Maurice Nunez/Danny Wimmer Presents)
Crobot: Crobot is one of those bands I discovered at Rock On The Range years ago and fell madly in love with. Their style and sound is so much fun. That said, I showed up during the fifth song of their seven song set on the final day of Sonic Temple, but even that did not leave me disappointed. They wrapped up “Gasoline” and jumped into “Low Life” which vocalist Brandon Yeagley climb onto the shoulders of guitarist Chris Bishop for a part of the song. Crobot was then joined on stage by L7’s Jennifer Finch and CKY for their set-closing performance of “All My Friends Are Dead.”
A Day To Remember: This was the second and last time all weekend that I saw a main stage performance. A Day To Remember was the one band I had circled as must-see and even though I only had stadium access, I found my way onto the field and front-and-center for their performance. I haven’t seen A Day To Remember since Rock On The Range 2013, which is a damn shame considering they are among my favorite bands of all time. This set spanned their entire catalogue, beginning with “The Downfall Of Us All” before jumping to “All I Want” and then “Paranoia.” Like with August Burns Red, I have but one negative and that’s that the only song they played off Common Courtesy was “Right Back At It Again.” That said, the crowd went nuts from start to finish, mimicking the Rise Against performance but in broad daylight and 90-degree weather. The set featured pyro, smoke, crowd surfing, crowd surfer surfing and more. They played “If It Means A Lot To You” just before ending the set on “All Signs Point To Lauderdale.” Maybe a second negative could be there was no disrespecting of our surroundings, but, I was well and done dead by this point in the weekend.
Tech N9ne: Story time. Tech N9ne performed at Rock On The Range 2015, which was the last year TPM was credentialed to shoot photos at the festival in Columbus. While I didn’t shoot Tech that day, I did see him in a photo pit later on. During Linkin Park’s headlining set, Tech N9ne appeared next to me in the photo pit with a drink in each hand and each arm around a lady. Wild. The now sober Tech N9ne returned to Historic Crew Stadium and drew a large crowd to the Sanctuary Stage despite competing against Limp Bizkit on the Temple Stage for crowd share. Tech performed a 23-song set to close out the stage for the weekend, including some of my favorites: “E.B.A.H.,” “Am I A Psycho?” and “Midwest Choppers.”
Other notables
The Ghost Inside: This was my first time seeing these guys live, and the second song of their seven-song set was my favorite — “Pressure Point.” 10/10 would see again.
Cypress Hill: We didn’t stick around for their full set but this was definitely one act we had circled for the weekend. Cypress Hill is one of those old school hip-hop favorites and they did not disappoint.
Miss May I: Haven’t seen these guys since 2012 and they were every bit of fun and heavy as I remember them being.
Enter Shikari: This was fun. I’m not overly familiar but I know many who are and it was well worth my time checking out.
Atreyu: I’ve been a fan of these guys since 2006 but this was my first time seeing them. I wasn’t sure what to expect after the 2020 departure of Alex Varkatzas with Brandon Saller taking over, moving out from the drum kit. They played some of my favorites but it was all over the place for me.
Taproot: Loved these guys back in the day and they were so much fun to see live. “Poem” and “Calling” were the fan favorites that got the attention they deserved.
Of Mice & Men: I’ve seen these dudes a bunch over the years and as always, they do not disappoint. Didn’t stick around for the full set this time but always recommend.
