Crowd surfing is the rock ‘n’ roll version of the trust fall at a company retreat – but it’s an act we may take for granted in America.
“That would never happen, crowd surfing would never happen in Colombia,” festival attendee and Columbia native Juan said. “I mean, this is the first time I’ve seen someone crowd surf, and it’s just, like, everyone doing it at the same time!”
The final hours of the four-day fest were counting down, but those who had traveled far for the live music, food, people-watching and art were still going strong at Historic Crew Stadium.
For Colombia friends Juan and Charlie, it was not only about seeing the bands they had been listening to their whole lives – but being able to compare and experience, in live time, how different cultures shared the same passion.
“The music scene in Colombia is very influenced by American music,” Charlie said. “So we have all the metal bands, even from the ’80s, the British bands. So it’s not very different from Sonic Temple, actually. I came [here] because I grew up with all these bands, like in Colombia.”
“We are friends from the last 30 years, so we have heard the same music,” Juan said. “I think that in Colombia, many people like to go [to events like Sonic], but it’s very crowded. Here, you can respect the space but also have the mosh pit.”
The groove metal of Lamb of God was playing on the main stage as temperatures sat in the 80s and a cloudless sky and sun reddened the shoulders and backs of metalheads.
It wasn’t just fans who traveled thousands of miles but music acts as well, like Bloodywood from India.
I’d actually been waiting two years to see the New Delhi nu-metal band as they were on the bill but didn’t end up playing Sonic before.
Although the band originally started out doing metal covers of pop songs, they soon found a real musical hybrid blend of folk metal and metalcore influences. All with a positive message of overcoming, as the band told the fans to acknowledge fear and to “take hold of it.”
A kid that looked around 10 years old didn’t have to travel far to get on stage during the DevilDriver show. Lead singer James “Dez” Fafara told the crowd he had met the child earlier and that it was the kid’s dream to be on stage at a festival.
“Kingston” took his own drumsticks up with him and watched as DevilDriver delivered a great set. A fan in a Casey Jones hockey mask tore up the pit.
From New York, it was hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy getting everyone to jump and dance at the Cathedral stage.
“Where the Cavs fans at?” Hip hop legend Chuck D asked in relation to the Game 7 NBA playoff game that was about to start between Cleveland and Detroit. “We got people [here] from Ohio and Michigan. We from New York and we [Knicks fans] waintin’.”
Formed in 1985 in Roosevelt, New York, Public Enemy had great rap tracks but also a political foundation that helped put them in the spotlight.
In relation to gas prices and the current administration, Chuck D said the American people “****** around and found out.”
The other half of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav, was still rocking his iconic clock chain around his neck and getting the crowd to chant as he yelled, “Yeahhhhhh, boy!”
In 2006, reality TV peaked with Flav’s show, “Flavor of Love,” where women competed to win the affection of the rapper at a house in southern California. If you were around back then, either you know about when contestant “Pumpkin” spit on “New York” or you failed to watch true trash.
Keeping with the SoCal theme, Josh O’Brien traveled across the U.S. to experience Sonic Temple.
“I came from West Hollywood,” O’Brien said. “I love DWP [Danny Wimmer Presents], great festivals. I like Aftershock, I love going to Louder Than Life, but this is my favorite because the layout is so simplistic.”
It’s not just about the music for O’Brien (who helps out at Golden Apple Comics in LA and noticed my Wolverine #1 tattoo and came up to talk to me about it).
“This time I was fortunate enough to go through Artists for Trauma to help some of my veteran friends get here,” O’Brien said. “And at Aftershock, I’ll be there helping out the Taylor Foundation, hanging out with Mary and those guys.”
In some deep full-circle metaphor, the band Apocalyptica was playing a set right before Megadeth. The Finnish symphonic metal band used cellos and drums to replicate guitar riffs and song sounds. They were doing Metallica-only covers.
In 1983, when Metallica was in its infancy, they kicked Dave Mustaine out of the band. Mustaine went on to form Megadeth. And now, four decades later, purists still argue over who is the founder and true god of thrash metal. And at Sonic, the deep metaphor is that Metallica is more popular, they won the metal war, but maybe they are more cello parody of real metal and Megadeth is still on the side stage, playing the best guitar riffs.
“The best band I saw is about to play – they’re my favorite band,” Xander Bowers, who was at the festival with his dad, said.
The last metaphor of the day came from a deep philosophical take from a possibly inebriated fan.
“People love to hug, but some don’t,” James “Thorn” said. “But I don’t force it, but I’m just like, well, **** you too then.”
The end of the fest and performances was capped off by Tool, which is kinda like the jam band of metal. So much drum intricacies, slow buildups, trippy background projections and some of the most iconic bass guitar lines in the scene.
As we all limped back to our cars after four days of ingesting life, a man in a torn shirt asked, “When can we buy tickets for next year?”
****Shout out to Dirty Franks vegan hot dogs, I ate like two Chicago dogs a day for the whole fest. And to my son who is a little music dork that’s full of metal-guitar knowledge and corrected and helped me be less cringe on a lot on niche things.
SATURDAY DAY 3 BAND AND HUMAN GALLERY:
SUNDAY DAY 4 GALLERY:
