Show Recap: This Year’s Rocklahoma Was One Hell of a Weekend
(Editor’s note: In a bid to get more U.S. festival coverage on the site, we’ve got Sean Matthews out and about taking photos and documenting his experience at various shows. This go around, he attended this year’s Rocklahomahe. Here’s his experience, complete with photo galleries.)
In a small town, in Northeast Oklahoma, lies a roadside shed inlaid amongst the rolling hills just off the freeway. It looks almost out of place, surrounded by what looks like a campground. That is, until Labor Day Weekend, when the massive doors open, and the seemingly inconspicuous shed turns into a fully functional precast stage. More than 70,000 fans found themselves surrounded by their peers during the 2024 Rocklahoma Festival this past weekend.
Never being at this festival, I wasn’t sure what to expect. And honestly, at first glance, I was questioning the motives that brought me to the small town of Pryor, Oklahoma. Most of Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) festivals are in major city areas, with exception of Inkcarceration (which in its right is cool because of the prison backdrop), but a stage, in a field, surrounded by pastures, and churches is not what I’m used to… but it works!
There’s a hometown feeling rolling through main street on the way out to the festival grounds, where people walk through small shops, and sit on benches streetside talking with one another. Something I’ve really only seen in the movies. A small-town feeling, with a monstrous party just minutes away.
Friday
The venue is very spacious, with three stages (one being permanently cemented into the ground) there is still plenty of room for everyone, and the main stage layout, while unusual, definitely works. There’s multiple layers, a standing room only sunk into the ground a foot from the stage, a seating area that heavily resembles an amphitheater, and then grassy knolls where fans could post up in lawn chairs or stand if they preferred.
Atlanta based group Liliac opened the Renegade Stage like seasoned vets. Powerful vocals from lead singer Melody Cristea, gave off a young Lzzy Hale type vibe with some lower growly vocals at times, it was clear that Melody has a great vocal range, and isn’t afraid to use it. Playing mainly original songs from their own catalog, they strayed only once, with a strong cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver” which only amplified the crowd singing along throughout the set.
Just as their set ended, Mother Nature decided to attend the festival, and we were warned that we might have to evacuate to our vehicles. Within 30 mins, the call came through and we had to shelter in our vehicles, for more than three hours. This felt like an eternity really. Time does not pass well when you’d rather be watching a concert.
Once the rain passed, the festival grounds were opened back up, and after a brief schedule rearrangement, Halestorm was chosen to re-open the show, as well as start the main Freedom stage for the day. Walking out to an empty seating area as fans were just starting to come in, Lzzy Hale didn’t let that phase her, as she welcomed everyone back and apologized for their name, insinuating Halestorm gave the karma to shut down the rock show. What transpired next was nothing short of amazing. A setlist comprised of hit songs, a drum solo by Arejay, and a stomp like drumline performance by all four members was more than enough to entertain, but Lzzy Hale and her powerful vocals brought the house down. During a rendition of hit song “I Get Off” we saw her transition into Heart’s “Crazy On You” and then back into “I Get Off” to finish all while kneeling, bending backwards, and screaming out to the heavens.
As night fell upon us, Australian native Kim Dracula walked out on stage donning a military style uniform and paused… listening to the crowd scream. Giving that brief moment before tearing into a set that looked like a whirlwind onstage, Kim danced and ran back and forth letting out primal screams intermixed with fast rapping which is as eclectic of a sound as it comes.
Evanescence brought us back to rock, with drawn out vocals from lead singer Amy Lee, intermixed with guitar solos and even melodic piano tones, Evanescence always reminds us why they’re still relevant and continue to preserver year after year. At moments Amy Lee would pause, and just let the crowd sing back to her, just basking in the connection her songs have with the fans.
Wage War, still hot on their latest release “Stigma” was poised to close the second stage tonight, and that they did. Tornado on stage is really the only way to express the sheer chaos that ensued from the moment they sauntered onstage. Cold blasts were followed by pryo, continuously throughout their set, like an onslaught to the senses that accompanied the music seamlessly. The crowd intensified with every song, with crowd surfers turning into a constant waterfall of bodies over the barricade, which at times was more than 45 degrees off the ground due to the sheer magnitude of rocking by the front row. Wage War left everything on the stage tonight, and the crowd reciprocated it tenfold.
Headliner tonight, Avenged Sevenfold needs no explanation. Over the years I’ve seen multiple stage shows where they were surrounded by fire, a stunt man hung himself, and even a huge floating spaceman. Tonight, nothing was needed but their instruments. Showing us why they’ve been in the game for as long as they have, M. Shadows and the rest of the 5-piece let their instruments make the show. For more than an hour fans were treated to face melting solos, that guitarists Zacky Vengeance, and Synyster Gates made look easy, while drummer Brooks Wackerman’s technical skills on the drum kit shined through in songs like Nobody and Unholy Confessions.
After more than an hour and a half, fans walked out with a small sense of redemption. A day almost lost to the skies over Pryor, Oklahoma savagely saved and brought to a close by a band who proved they need nothing more than the instruments they love to play an amazing show.
Saturday
With a small chance of rain the forecast, it wasn’t apparent by the skies as fans arrived at the venue. By the time Badflower took to the Freedom Stage, you could fry an egg on the concrete. Lead singer Josh Katz poke fun at the fans in the back with umbrellas saying he thought it was funny to see at a festival but to stay under them because it was hotter than hell up on stage. With the sun blasting directly upon them they took no time leading off with newest single “Teacher Has A Gun” followed by as many hits as they could fit into their 45 minute set.
Shortly following a burst of weather that saw rain come down for 30 minutes Skillet greeted the fans who waited patiently, with an energetic performance that saw both lead singer John Cooper and his wife guitarist Korey Cooper work the stage, dancing to the beat, letting the music control them. One large sing along always happens with Skillet onstage, possibly caused by John’s infectious aura that just invites fans in and allows them to connect with lyrics like only Skillet can.
Detroit natives, Pop Evil walked casually onstage, with the crowd erupting in applause, before toying their way into the opening song “Paranoid (Crash & Burn) that had lead singer Leigh Kakaty walk out to an almost instantaneous eruption of chaos. Followed by “Deal With The Devil” and “Let The Chaos Reign” the crowd amplified song after song, and the bodies started heading for security once again giving almost no time to breathe.
A Day To Remember, who are known for creating total chaos on purpose with their set, walked out to A Space Odyssey as usual, and lead singer Jeremy McKinnon called to the crowd, if you know how this goes… sing along. Immediately following the opening dialogue of “The Downfall Of Us All” the breakdown saw streamers shooting from every available space in the venue, covering everything from the rafters to the grass. Over the hour-long set, fans were treated to more streamers, and enough pyro to fuel a small town. Hit singles like “Miracle” and “All I Want” had not a single person sitting down, while “Paranoia” and “All Signs Point To Lauderdale” saw the crowd drown out the group, singing so loud, it almost overpowered the instruments.
In an interesting turn of events, and musical style, self-proclaimed “Stoner Rockers” Clutch took to the stage after an original version of “We Need Some Money” by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers rang out in the air. In another drastic contrast, lead singer Neil Fallon works the crowd and stage not standing still for even a minute throughout the set, while his bandmates almost statue like concentrate on the musical side of things allowing him to be in the spotlight. I’ve come to notice that either you love them and are part of the cult like following… or check them out once and say “I’m Good”. Either way, it’s an experience to say the least, and tonight was no different as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of hit album “Blast Tyrant” by playing it in its entirety only swapping out “The Mob Goes Wild” for “Mice and Gods” leaving the rest in album running order.
Bringing us back to heavier rock and closing out the second evening was Disturbed. Over the past 30 years, these Chicago natives have mastered not only their nu-metal genre, but also stage presence towards fans. With a venue as unique as Rocklahoma that has a general admission photo pit straight up the middle, members would often pose for fans to take photos all without missing a beat. Song after song, fans were treated to a barrage of hits like “Ten Thousand Fists”, “Hey You”, and “Stricken” as well as covers done like only Disturbed can do. Genesis’s “Land of Confusion” was a quick beginning before slowing it right down with Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” which brought some of the crowd to tears and had everyone singing. Latest single “Don’t Tell Me”, had guest singer Royale Lynn, to the stage to sing opposite of David Draiman, a part originally done by Ann Wilson.
Sunday
Straight out of Queens and into the country, Oxymorrons brought their unique hip hop/rock fusion to open the Freedom stage on the final day of Rocklahoma. Lead singers “Deee” and “KI” ran the stage, taking in the crowd, as their fans sang along, and skeptics roamed overhearing the enticing bass drops, and heavy riffs.
As the sun hit peak time, and beat down upon us, thrash metal god Kerry King and his band of misfits walked out to a packed house, and delivered almost an hour of face melting riffs, combined with string shredding solos. With songs from his newest release, “From Hell I Rise” Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda blended seamlessly in and out of latest hits “Where I Reign” and “Idle Hands” before treating the crowd to fan favorites like “Raining Blood”.
On stage direct following was progressive metal group Mastadon. Much like Clutch, you either love their music or don’t. They can blend genres flawlessly, with technical precision, and prove that musicianship stands the test of time as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of 2004’s Leviathan. Performing hits from the album like opener “Blood and Thunder”, “Iron Tusk” and “Megalodon” the crowd was treated to a unique 45-minute set.
Taking a small break, I roamed to the third stage to see an American icon in rock, Winger. Forged in the 80’s when hair metal was strong, this all-original membered group still plays as though time never passed. A fan base, overflowing out of the tent, singing along for over an hour, crowd surfing and headbanging galore, it was definitely a treat to witness Winger live.
Texas country rock group Giovannie and the Hired Guns gave the crowd a modern take on traditional country music with a Spanish flare. Given only 35 minutes, lead singer Giovannie Yanez and the rest of his five-piece band wasted no time getting the crowd going with songs splashed with Latin pop and sprinkled with an alt-metal flare. A bit of a break in the monotony of a day based mainly on heavy hitting heavy thrash music.
After a momentary switch to lighter paced music, we dropped right back into the heavy with Richmond, Virginia’s own Lamb of God. With the four-piece shredding through the setlist, lead singer Randy Blythe, worked the stage as he usually does, pacing back and forth, climbing stage gear, and jumping off anything that could support his weight. With fan favorites like “Omerta” and “Ashes of the Wake” all the way to double mega hit set ending “Walk with Me In Hell” and “Redneck” there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.
Closing out the Renegade Stage was Nothing More, The quartet from San Antonio, Texas walked out to somber music, took their place on stage, and as lead singer Jonny Hawkins stood on a riser, looking over the crowd he took a deep breath, and then dropped into hit single “House on Sand”. Resembling the previous night with Wage War, the crowd went absolutely insane! Crowd surfers came pouring over the barricade so fast security had trouble keeping up. Playing only 9 songs in their set, Nothing More touched on hits like “Angel Song”, “Jenny” and “Don’t Stop” before leaving it all on the stage closing out with “This Is The Time (Ballast)”.
They were the perfect choice to prep the crowd for tonight’s headliner, and overall festival closer… Slipknot.
The juggernaut that is Slipknot, knows no boundaries. Opening with “(sic)”, “Eyeless”, and “Wait and Bleed” the 9-piece from Iowa, donned in throwback jumpsuits and masks made it clear why they were the chosen group to end the weekend. After the three-song intro, lead singer Corey Taylor took a moment to address the monster in the venue… stating that “casual” Slipknot fans would not be impressed with the setlist, and that their performance was meant for the longtime fans, who have been with the band since the start. Promising that no single song would be performed that was written after 1999, he welcomed the entire fan base back to the 90’s.
Stripping everything down to basics, gone were the fancy risers and heavy pyrotechnics that we’ve grown accustomed to and in came the raw energy filled show that terrorized smaller clubs as Slipknot was on their come-up all those years ago.
Rocklahoma started more than 14 years ago as an 80’s & 90’s rock festival and has since grown into the festival that we’ve grown to know today. With various makeovers to the venue over the years to enhance the guests’ experience, almost everything has been thought of in an attempt to fulfill every need a fan might need. For anyone on the fence about purchasing passes to Rocklahoma, it is worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime, as it is drastically different than any other DWP festival I’ve ever been to.
