Top 10 Moments of Sonic Temple

In its inaugural year, Sonic Temple brought some of the largest names in rock music to a sold-out crowd at MAPFRE Stadium for three days of live music and arts May 17-19. Though organizers Danny Wimmer Presents battled constant weather concerns and t-shirt misspellings, the weekend was an absolute blast. The rock n’ roll was bloodthirsty, and the fans had the energy necessary to make the three main stages come to life throughout the weekend.

Check out our list of the top 10 things we saw at Sonic Temple.

10. Fever 333’s Zippo Session

We started day two of the festival by checking out an acoustic set from American rock band Fever 333 at the Zippo Sessions experience. Jose Mangin, the host of Octane on Sirius XM, described them as a band he plays “all the effing time” and as one of his absolute favorite young rock bands on the scene.

Lead singer Jason Butler used his breaks between songs to crack some jokes, thank Mangin, and talk about their journey of being accepted into rock culture. He told a story of a time they played in Georgia, and there was a man in the crowd who taunted the band by holding up hand signals supporting Neo-Nazism during their set. Instead of responding to the man physically, he decided in that time to use his music to open their minds and try to meet them in the middle with their music. “I used to be out there whoopin’ ass… but it is a new day for us. We’re trying to open people’s minds, and we want to have these conversations”.

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9.2 Pussy Riot Makes America Great Again

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest punk rock group based in Moscow, and they probably have the most notorious criminal record out of any other band on the Sonic lineup. They have only been a collective for the past eight years and have been shaking the patriarchy ever since.

Just a week prior to performing at Sonic, Veronika Nikulshina was arrested when her home was raided over suspicion of damage to government property. This is the second time in a month she has been arrested. One of the most memorable arrests for the group was in August 2012, when three Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism and religious hatred” for performing a song that protested against Russian president Vladimir Putin. On the opening day of the festival, they rocked the Wave Stage, sporting their usual balaclava ski masks and baggy pants. They were a sight to see while they played crowd favorites like “Bad Girls” and “Make America Great Again.”

9.1 Halestorm Meets a Young Fan

Midset, Lzzy Hale, lead singer of Halestorm, asked their “coolest fan” to come out from backstage. As she did, out walked Clarissa, a girl who is maybe twelve years old. Lzzy introduced her to the crowd, and everyone cheered. In the same moment, Hale removed her guitar and handed it to the girl. Like a rock star, she said, “I’ve got a lot of these.” The girl, clearly in awe, said thank you multiple times and scurried off the stage.

8. Smoke Dude

Butch Locsin, aka Skeleton of Color, a Los Angeles-based performance artist, appeared around the festival grounds with brilliant and colorful smoke bombs. Check out his Instagram @butch_locsin_from_la.

7. The Crowd Sings to Linkin Park

Between the sets of Papa Roach and Disturbed Saturday evening, the crowd jammed out to the filler music that was being played. At one point, Linkin Park‘s “In The End”‘ played, and the crowd sang in unison. It was a sweet moment and felt like an homage to Chester Bennington. The crowd sparkled with the glows from lighters and cell phones. Finally, the song ended, and there were rumblings made throughout the stadium from those stomping their feet and banging on the metal seats.

6. Papa Roach Plays Tribute to The Prodigy’s Keith Flint

Originally, The Prodigy were scheduled to perform at Sonic Temple, but with the recent passing of Keith Flint and the cancellation of their tour, DWP filled their schedule hole with Papa Roach. Papa Roach expressed the honor they felt in performing in their spot. The band performed with a printed image of Keith Flint on the drum set. Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix took a moment to speak about what it’s like going through dark times and suffering from depression. With that, they went straight into performing their hit “Scars.” They also paid respect to Flint by performing the hit Prodigy song “Firestarter.” In closing, Shaddix said to the crowd, “Instead of a moment of silence for Keith Flint, Sonic Temple, we need you to scream at the top of your lungs for Keith,” to which they obliged and screamed ferociously.

5. SOAD Dedicates Song to Melania Trump

Historically, System of a Down has been known for being vocal with their political views and being at Sonic made no difference. In a simple one-liner, Daron Malakian, dedicated a song to the First Lady then ripped the stadium open with their platinum hit “Lonely Day.” The crowd went absolutely wild.

4. Tom Morello Slays Alongside Serj Tankian

Tom Morello had the crowd reeling the entire time during his sun hour set Friday. He brought tons of fans on stage and rocked out to some of his biggest Rage Against the Machine hits. However, what took us completely over the edge was when he brought Serj Tankian of System of a Down out. The duo played tribute to the late Chris Cornell by playing “Like a Stone.” The crowd wholeheartedly sang along in unison. It was a moment of a lifetime.

3. Killswitch Engage Packs It In

Killswitch Engage took the Echo stage Saturday around 6 p.m. and easily had the largest and most intense crowd for a non-headlining slot. Logistically, it’s tough to say why they weren’t on the main stage. The crowd extended from the rail of the Echo Stage all the way to the parking lot. The entire set was nothing short of a crowd-surfing sea and land of mosh pits. Through the clouds of aggression and fierce energy, out came a double rainbow across the horizon.

Action Bronson had been scheduled to perform at the same time as Killswitch. However, in typical Bronson fashion, he canceled his show last minute. This could also be a factor to the overwhelmingly large crowd, but we still think it’s due to their massive fandom.

Killswitch Engage at Sonic Temple – Photo by Lelia Cotton

2. The Crowd-Surfers and Moshers

Not a specific moment, but just want to let all the crowd-surfers and moshers out there that we love you.

1. Taylor Hawkins and Luke Spiller Cover Queen

From front to back, Foo Fighters played a ton of their biggest hits. Their set was full of long instrumentals, amazing Dave Grohl ramblings, and a dedication to Pauly Shore‘s late father with their tune “My Hero.”

Let’s be real: Foo always puts on a show to remember. This time was no different. For a change of pace, Grohl stepped behind the drum set, and Taylor Hawkins took the mic. Hawkins hyped the crowd up and taunted Grohl a bit. Eventually, he introduced Luke Spiller, the lead singer of The Struts. Together, they covered Queen’s “Under Pressure.” Unexpectedly, Taylor has some major pipes, and Luke does a really great Freddie Mercury impression. At one point, Taylor said to Spiller, “You could have been in that Queen movie.”