DOWN Pics from Rock on the Range 2012
May 25, 2012
Rock on the Range 2012 highlight number one for me came at 4:35pm Sunday when Down lit up the FYE stage. I’ve always been a huge Pantera fan so the weekend for me started on Saturday when I went to the Alrosa Villa and paid my respects to Dime. Then I finished my Pantera weekend by being in the photo pit for Phil Anselmo and the guys from Down. Watching Phil, Pepper, Kirk, Jimmy, and Pat brutalize the stage was a surreal moment for me. Kirk and Pepper are two incredible guitarists and damn did they sound amazing as the set kicked off with “Hail the Leaf”. The crowd went ballistic and Phil worked the stage like it was the UFC octagon, stomping and pounding as he ruled the song. “Stone the Crow”, “Rehab”, “Bury Me in Smoke, and “Lysergik Funeral Procession” brought the beast out of each fan in the crowd but the icing on the cake was when Phil dedicated “Lifer” to Dime. The emotions on his face told the story of how much he missed his bandmate and then he unleashed hell on stage as he stomped around like a possessed demon. Bashing the microphone on his forehead and raging around the stage was a pure gutteral release for him it seemed. Down took over Columbus, Ohio for just a short period of time but I’m sure the band left a long lasting impression on every freakin’ person there.
