Consequence of Sound reports that Danny Wimmer Presents were trying to book Foo Fighters and System of a Down for 10 years prior to getting them for the 2019 Sonic Temple festival. 90’s alternative rock legends including former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan and ex-Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello are also set to play.
After the Sonic Temple lineup announcement was made, Consequence of Sound spoke with Gary Spivack, the Executive Vice President at Danny Wimmer Presents and one of the major players in booking the talent. In asking him what sets apart Sonic Temple from Rock on the Range, which was a massive fest itself, Spivack told us, “There’s a great legacy with Rock on the Range, and we always need to honor that, but I think with Sonic Temple, we’re now able to move rock forward into the next 10 years by continuing the evolution of casting a wider net, curation-wise.”
He continued, “Foo Fighters and System of a Down are two bands that we’ve coveted for 10 years, and to land them on the same weekend alone should show all past Rock on the Range fans that we mean business. If we’re going to do a name change, we’re gonna have to step up and bring our A-game. And that was first and foremost at the top, to have Foos and System together on the same weekend, along with Disturbed and The Prodigy, and Ghost and Bring Me the Horizon, etc. That was really important.”
“If you look at the lines [on the poster] below the top bands, you’ve got things that have never been done before in Columbus, such as Pussy Riot or Tom Morello’s new project, or having Andrew Dice Clay headline the comedy tent,” remarks Spivack. “That along with Henry Rollins, which is introducing our spoken-word segment. So, we’re introducing new things while really staying true to what we are, which is at its core, a rock ‘n’ roll festival.”
