SONIC TEMPLE 2023 RECAP

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival made its triumphant debut in 2019, replacing the heavily-branded Rock on the Range after it ended a 12-year run. It went on without so much as a hiccup and was ready to return in 2020 until the planet shut down for COVID. I can’t speak for all of the tens of thousands of music fans in attendance at Historic Crew Stadium this past weekend, but I think the majority didn’t take this opportunity for granted. Fans can gather in masses safely, mosh, crowd surf, hug, high five, sweat on each other, spill beers they’ve already sipped out of on fellow rock fans, and have a DAMN. GOOD. TIME.

Sonic Temple exemplifies an absolute return to what once was. There was ZERO resemblance to a time when the pandemic was occurring. Outside of the occasional mention by artists who had not performed since pre-pandemic, this felt very much like everyone was back to normal. Security was pretty thorough, yet simultaneously laid back. Once everyone got through the (long) line, it was a green light to have a good time. While the presence of the security teams was felt and available if necessary, the crowd was made up primarily of young adults who were appreciative of this. The absence of masks and the ability to see the smiling faces of neighboring rockers is something this writer never take for granted ever again.

As a Cleveland-centric outlet, tomatoes would be thrown in the direction of my head if I even joked about Columbus stealing the “heart of rock and roll” title away from the city where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum reigns supreme, so I’ll just note that the Columbus was a tremendous host for the festival. Where to start? Ohio’s capital city is central to so many surrounding and music-loving metropolitan areas. While densely populated with enough rock fans to fill a stadium on its own, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Lexington are all just a short car ride away! At least 1/3 of the people I spoke with were from outside the area. This is incredible considering that Columbus isn’t the first city that comes to mind when deciding on a weekend getaway destination.

Columbus SHOULD BE a destination city. It’s not only the home of Ohio State, but it’s a real gem of the Midwest. Columbus has everything one could want: arts, culture, restaurants, thriving local pride, and, of course, a thriving music scene. While visiting over the weekend, the city hosted a parade one day, an Asian festival, and a mega Country Festival happening 10 miles down the road. The city was very ready for Sonic Temple. Signs all along Interstate 71 warned people of traffic and provided exit suggestions. Police directed traffic and did a phenomenal job of keeping everyone moving. Columbus has a wonderful public transportation system, helping everyone get where they need to go.

The more clever concertgoers (including this transportation-savvy writer) took Lime and Spin-branded electric scooters. The stadium is near a lot of small restaurants and residences that have accessible parking. Those who pre-planned could grab a meal and then scoot to the entrance of the venue for half of the cost of an Uber! (Keep this in mind for 2024!)