2014-05-16 Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH

Rock on the Range 2014 lineup unveiled

Guns N' Roses, Avenged Sevenfold and Kid Rock top bill of over 60 acts

Following last year’s expansion to include three nights of music, America’s premier rock festival -- ROCK ON THE RANGE -- has once again upped the ante by growing to three full days of music for this year’s annual event, May 16, 17 and 18 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH.

Featuring headlining sets from Guns N’ Roses, Avenged Sevenfold and Kid Rock, the lineup includes more than 60 of the World’s hardest rocking acts including: Five Finger Death Punch, Slayer, Staind, Motorhead, Seether, Chevelle, Alter Bridge, Mastodon, Black Label Society, Killswitch Engage and many more (the full line-up is below). Beyond the expanded musical offerings, this year's festival will include the return of ROTR Comedy Tent, featuring Jim Breuer, Jim Florentine and many up-and-coming comedians.

Weekend passes including Field GA, Stadium GA, hotel and VIP packages and a stadium 4-pack go on sale Friday, January 24 at 10:00 AM (ET). Additional details about the variety of ticketing, hotel and camping packages can be found at RockOnTheRange.com. Visit the website, www.facebook.com/rockontherange and www.twitter.com/rockontherange for the most up-to- date information.Some of the ROTR 2014 artists weigh in with their thoughts on performing this coming May:

“We are so honored to be headlining Rock on the Range. We take pride in our show and always try to outdo ourselves from the time before. Rock on the Range will be the perfect place to celebrate with our fans from all over the world and put on the killer show that they have come to expect from us. We are pulling out all the stops.”
--M. Shadows, Avenged Sevenfold

“We have had legendary shows at ROTR. We always try to arrange our tour schedules so we can be part of this festival. It's just a must do. Rock On The Range has become a destination event where people travel to from all over the country, if not all over the world.”
-- Zoltan, Five Finger Death Punch

“Super excited to be a part of Rock On The Range this year!! I think it's awesome to have an edgy band like Slayer on board for this round. Can't wait to hit the stage!!!”
-- Kerry King, Slayer

The full ROTR 2014 Line-Up: Guns N’ Roses, Avenged Sevenfold, Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Slayer, Staind, Motorhead, Seether, Chevelle, Alter Bridge, Mastodon, Black Label Society, Killswitch Engage, Bring Me The Horizon, Theory of a Deadman, Down, Black Stone Cherry, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Pop Evil, Of Mice & Men, Adelitas Way, Trivium, Gojira, Suicidal Tendencies, The Pretty Reckless, We Came as Romans, Fuel, Redlight King, Miss May I, Reignwolf, Thousand Foot Krutch, Texas Hippie Coalition, Rev Theory, Skindred, Kyng, Fozzy, Heaven’s Basement, Butcher Babies, Nothing More, Exodus, King 810, Devour the Day, We As Human, We Are Harlot, Kvelertak, Jim Breuer Band, One OK Rock, Twelve Foot Ninja, Avatar, WERM, Monster Truck, Wilson, Crobot and Truckfighters with comedians Jim Breuer, Jim Florentine & more.

“Sure it’s important to do this festival for the bands, but mostly we do it for the incredibly loyal rock fans...They truly are the lifeblood of Rock on the Range, and it’s really all about the value proposition to them,” commented Joe Litvag, Co-Executive Producer of ROTR for AEG Live. “So now we come with GnR, Avenged Sevenfold, Kid Rock and more than 60 other amazing bands starting at $99 to deliver on our commitment of ‘value’ to rock fans everywhere...It’s going to be an unforgettable weekend!”

“When ROTR sold out last year we knew the bar had to be raised. With these headliners along with Five Finger Death Punch, Slayer, Motorhead, Staind, Seether and so many more, there is no doubt now that Rock On The Range has become THE #1 rock festival.” said Gary Spivack, Co- Executive Producer of ROTR. “And since year one, Monster Energy has been a partner at the festival and we are excited to announce their expanding support; their dedication to the genre as well as breaking new artists is second to none.”

“Rock on the Range has emerged as a powerhouse event for our organization, the City of Columbus and rock fans from around the country,” said Columbus Crew President Mark McCullers. “We have invested in some significant facility improvements that will add to the Ranger experience and this year’s event will be another blockbuster show.”

Presented by Danny Wimmer Presents, AEG Live and Crew Stadium, ROCK ON THE RANGE is a multi-stage music and lifestyle event featuring a potent lineup of bands on three stages and is proud to be sponsored by Monster Energy, who return as the Main Stage sponsor; Crazy Dave’s Music Experience (an interactive exhibit that features all the elements that are involved in making music in in a professional band setting); the Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands Contest (launching this Spring for your chance to play the stage at ROTR).

The nationally renowned festival, part of the World’s Loudest Month Festival Series, is centrally located in the heart of the country and has annually drawn huge weekend crowds since its inception in 2007, including a sold-out crowd of over 103,000 fans in 2013.

www.RockOnTheRange.com

www.facebook.com/rockontherange

www.twitter.com/rockontherange



www.thecrew.com/news/2014/01/rock-range-2014-lineup-unveiled

Guns N’ Roses to transform 'Rock on the Range' fest into ‘Paradise City’

A decade ago, anticipation surrounding the delayed Guns N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy reached a fever pitch.

The makers of Dr Pepper pledged a free can of the soft drink to every American if the long-awaited release came out by the end of 2008.

A blogger who leaked the tracks online was met by FBI agents at his front door.

China, naturally, banned the record.

Production costs reportedly eclipsed $13 million over 14 years.

For the biggest rock band of MTV’s golden age — who took us to paradise city, extolled the jungle’s deviant delights and mourned a loss (for just shy of nine minutes) in the cold November rain — the fuss seemed appropriate.

But the arrival of Democracy was met with so-so sales and critical reception. Frontman Axl Rose remained notorious for starting concerts late — or failing to show up. New music hasn’t surfaced since.

Was the extended silence a career-killer?

“That record came out when it was ready to come out; that’s all there is to it,” said longtime keyboardist Dizzy Reed, 50. “We did the best we could. I think as time goes on, people will see that it was, in fact, an amazing record.”

Time, turbulence and competitors’ talent have affected the Guns N’ Roses brand. All other founding members (Slash and Duff McKagan among them) have either quit or been fired. Bitter from past disputes, Rose refused to join his peers in 2012 when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Still, there’s an appetite for reconstruction: Change, Reed said, has “always made me better."

He spoke in advance of the band’s Friday-night headlining set at Rock on the Range in Columbus Crew Stadium.

Q: How is Axl doing these days?

A: The guy is singing his a-- off. He sounds better than ever. He can still command a crowd. In so many ways, it doesn’t matter who’s behind him. When he sings those songs, it’s Guns N’ Roses.

Q: You’re the band’s longest-serving member other than Axl. Does a rotating cast affect how you perform?

A: We’ve been so lucky to have some of the greatest musicians around in this band. If things get a little tough, which they do sometimes when you’re on tour, I just tell myself when I get onstage: This does not suck. This is awesome.

Q: How did you join the group?

A: I had been living on people’s couches for five years, just out here (in Los Angeles) trying to make it happen. I had met everyone in Guns N’ Roses and became friendly with them long before they got their first record deal.

When I did get the call, it was magic. The realities of what it takes to play music on that level sank in real quick. It was a very exciting time to be in Hollywood, to join a band at the peak of the whole music scene. It was one of those fairy tales.

Q: How do you process playing for audiences who weren’t alive when, say, Sweet Child o’ Mine ruled the charts?

A: I’m just glad it’s living on, man. I think it’s great. Every once in a while, a little flash of nostalgia will go through my brain, and then I’ll wake up and realize I’m in the present.

We do whatever it takes to put on the best show, deliver and do the songs justice.

Q: Fans might put less weight on Democracy cuts. Does that bother you?

A: I still think that it’s a record where you can’t sit down and listen in one sitting. I’m very proud of it. I grew a lot as a musician, as a writer, a creator. It was a good experience.

Q: Many music festivals are heavily rooted in electronic fare. What is rock’s place in 2014?

A: The main source of rock ’n’ roll music has obviously changed. It’s not the radio anymore; it’s not music videos. It’s the Internet. In so many ways, that’s great because now there’s endless choice.

Think of all the bands we never heard back in the day. Maybe someone at the label didn’t like the way the guitar player looked.

But you can get lost in this endless wave. To get your point across, you still have to go play in front of people. That reality is never going to change. That makes it real.

Q: As a rocker, you took unlikely inspiration from another keyboard player: your grandmother. Did she ever get to see you succeed?

A: I remember one of our last conversations. She couldn’t speak very well at that point. She was in a hospital and had a picture that was in one of the rock magazines hanging up on the wall. She pointed to it and gave me the thumbs-up.

I don’t think she had seen my tattoos yet; I’d put on long sleeves.

Q: We just had Cher in town — supposedly on her farewell lap — and Motley Crue is booked here in July touting its “final tour.” Is your own retirement ahead.

A: No, man, I’m going to do this as long as my body and my mind are able to do it. I’m not forging steel; I’m not a coal miner.

Guns N’ Roses is my No. 1 thing, as long as people will have me.

kjoy@dispatch.com

@kevjoy

www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2014/05/15/guns-n-roses-to-transform-festival-into-paradise-city.html