The rock got started at high noon on Saturday. (5.17.08) The second stage was already packed at the starting gun, an oddity for any festival. The beer flowed early and never slowed for the duration of the festival. Bring it on, Milwaukee. No doubt about it, the assembled came ready to rock, and rock hard.

The hidden gem of the festival, Ashes Divide, took the stage almost immediately, manning the second slot of the day at three quarters past noon. The confusion of the "band" name lies in the fact that Ashes Divide is not actually a band, but rather the alias for guitarist Billy Howerdel. Perhaps not many of the Rangers were familiar with Ashes, but I’m sure with very few exceptions, all were familiar with Billy Howerdel’s other project, A Perfect Circle, which included bandmates (Tool frontman) Maynard James Keenan, and master studio drummer Josh Freese. With A Perfect Circle on hiatus since 2006, the solo arena is the perfect outlet for Howerdel to step into the spotlight where his talents can shine. And shine they did, with one of the most impressive performances at Rock on the Range. Early on in his set Howerdel drew the crowd in with one of his most rockin’ numbers, “Enemies,” the sixth track off of his debut album, ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright.’ (Released April 8th on Island) Despite being unfamiliar with the music, the crowd, already 1/8 drunk, really digged the set. Ashes Divide closed with “The Stone,” the album’s first single, and for the first time, the masses had a song they could sing along to. [Check out CleveRock.com's exclusive interview with Ashes Divide after Rock on the Range]

After Finger Eleven got things kicked off on the main stage and made the audience move, (because they were standing still) Shinedown took over at 2:30. The Jacksonville, FL natives opened their set with “Devour,” the lead track off of their forthcoming Atlantic Records release, ‘The Sound of Madness,’ due out June 24th. The band mixed in some new material, including the title track from their yet to be released album, along with Shinedown classics including “Save Me,” "I Dare You," and the controversial “45,” the song about suicide, except that it isn't. The sound guy got it right. Everything sounded as it should for an outdoor rock festival. With two solid back-to-back sets from Finger Eleven and Shinedown, the main stage was now officially in full gear. [Check out CleveRock.com's interview with Shinedown from 2005]

After some time well spent people watching and taking care of business in the media tent, it was back over to the second stage for the 3:15 show. In a sea full of sinners, the saints on hand at the festival were Nashville, Tennessee’s Red. With all the profanity flowing from the stages through lyrics and between song banter, it was refreshing to see a band at the festival take a more wholesome approach. Red didn’t use the stage as a pulpit and preach like most Christian rock acts, which earned them the respect of the diverse crowd. Instead, they got their message across through their hard rock with songs off of their debut album, 'End of Silence,' including “Let Go,” “Already Over,” “Pieces,” and “Breath Into Me,” the later which has enjoyed major secular success, peaking at #15 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The tune also took home a Dove award. No matter what your religion or creed, it’s always a pleasure to see a band spreading something they are excited and spiritually passionate about. The heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums had the pit working overtime. With the Christian scene struggling hardcore in recent years to find a legitimate rock powerhouse, or for that matter, a band that can breakthrough into the secular market, the search finally ends with Red.

Later on in the festival there will be a whole lot of reuniting going on with the artists, but as I make my way from the second stage back to the media tent, I see several reunions almost equally as fascinating. Disgustingly sweaty hugs are exchanged between friends that have found their needle amongst a haystack (with the help of a cell phone) that made acquaintance at last year’s festival, or perhaps via Rock on the Range fans’ strong online community. It’s neat to see people from across the country gather together for one weekend, for one time in a year, for one cause: to rock out. Jack Bateman of Darylville, North Dakota made the long flight eastward to Columbus for Rock on the Range, where he met up with a fellow Ranger from Canada, Rob Kenny. The two met at 2007's ROTR and have kept in touch via MySpace. "Seeing Rob again is totally kick ass," said Jack, "he's 5/4 my brother in rock."

After finally making it through the cattle herding and back to safety in the media tent, I had the opportunity to sit down with Richard Patrick of Filter. This was my second time of having the pleasure of chatting with Patrick, as I had already done so once before when he fronted Army of Anyone. [Watch CleveRock.com's backstage interview with Filter's Richard Patrick here]

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