Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Chicago Open Air Get Rebranded, 2019 Dates Booked


In a major shake-up to the US music festival scene, Danny Wimmer Presents, purveyors of the biggest rock and metal festivals has announced major changes to its spring 2019 lineup. Columbus, Ohio’s Rock on the Range is over after 12 years and being named the Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival. It will debut at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus (traditionally the home of Rock on the Range) on May 17 – 19, 2019. The changes are due to a split between Danny Wimmer Presents and AEG Live, the two companies who have co-produced the event in the past.

Danny Wimmer commented in an interview at Loudwire:

“I feel like Rock on the Range has fallen short on delivering better art installations and better food and drink options. Rock on the Range is the biggest rock festival in America that has no bells and whistles. This show deserves to have better offerings.”

“We’ve built this to 45,000 fans a day, they deserve to get the art and the secondary entertainment. They deserve the best food options. They deserve to have the stadium look different than it does for normal events. They deserve for this to not be just another stadium parking lot show.”

Comparing Sonic Temple going forward to another DWP festival –Bourbon and Beyond Festival that DWP produces in Kentucky, he wants to cater to rock fans and foodies.

“You’ll see a press release on the hot restaurants in a 300-mile radius that we’re going to bring in. There will be better places to sit down and eat, we’re thinking about the whole experience, even the bathrooms. We’re cleaning the whole experience up.”

“When Metallica play Lollapalooza, and then they come back and play Columbus, I don’t want them to think about all the other experiences they saw at the other festival. I want them to go, ‘Oh my god, this is the best experience, this is the best rock festival in America.’ And that’s my mission. And that is why I’m changing the name, and repositioning this.”

Rock will still be the focus of the fests:

Rock and roll has to grow. And the moves that we’re going to make are the moves that will move the genre forward. That’s why it is time now to reposition what this show is, for the future.”

“I’m investing in every one of our festivals. Our shows have been growing year after year.”

DWP announced in a press release earlier today the dates for two other festivals, in addition to Sonic Temple. Welcome To Rockville in Jacksonville Park, Florida, will return next year from May 3-5, and a new, currently untitled festival replacing Carolina Rebellion will take place in North Carolina from May 10-12. Chicago Open Air will return as promised, but also rebranded A Day In The Park at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois during the weekend of May 17 – 19. No word yet on whether Fort Rock is also being retired.

“I want every experience to be the best experience”. I want to compete with all the other festivals out there, I want this event to be the king of all rock festivals. and this audience deserves it. They deserve to have the biggest, the baddest, the best experience. I am tired of hearing that rock and roll is dead, because it ain’t dead.”

For more information, visit: www.DannyWimmerPresents.com

Check out Ghost Cult reviews of Rock On The Range 2018, Welcome to Rockville 2018 and Chicago Open Air 2017.