Rocklahoma 2015: Day 2

by Zane Cash
– Photojournalist –

May 23, 2015 in Pryor, OK.–

After raining most of the night, it was time for Day 2 of Rocklahoma 2015. Due to the amount of rain that soaked Pryor, Okla., throughout the night, most everyone began calling the festival “Rainlahoma” or “Mudlahoma.” More rain and a strong chance of severe weather were in the forecast, but a killer lineup kept fans hoping that that the severe weather would somehow miss Pryor. Fans knew that the music would continue in the rain, as long as there was no lightning or severe weather.

The gates opened on time, and, under very cloudy skies, everyone made their way to the Hard Rock Stage to enjoy the sounds of Sons of Texas, who played songs off their debut album Baptized In The Rio Grande. These guys put on a great show and brought a lot of energy to kick off the day right. They were heavy enough to take everyone’s mind off the weather.

It was now time for the difficult task of making our way through the mud from the Hard Rock Stage over to watch Candlebox on the main stage. This band has been around since back in the day, and the band still continues to put on a great show, night after night. The band played a lot of crowd favorites, such as “Far Behind,” “For You,” and “Cover Me,” which is exactly what the crowd had been waiting for.

Next, it was time to get muddy again and head back over to the Hard Rock Stage for Crobot, which hails from Pottsville, Pa. This band is so much fun to watch live because the band members bring an energy to the stage like you’ve never seen before. It was their Crobot’s first time at Rocklahoma, but with the performance the band put on, we are sure it will be invited back.

The rain started to fall, right as it was finally time for the crowd to get its Taylor fix (no, not Taylor Swift). The Pretty Reckless and Taylor Momsen made their way onto the main stage in a hurry, as the weather was starting get worse. Momsen hid her eyes behind dark glasses, which went perfectly with the rain and music she was playing. The Pretty Reckless played songs, such as “Heaven Knows,” and “Take Me Down To The River,” which had fans screaming along in the rain.

The show then went on with a performance from Starset, which brought something different that was worth checking out. Starset hit the stage with very cool lighting, visual screens on both sides and costumes that made the members seem like they were from outer space. If you weren’t tripped out from the costumes and stage show, you probably were when the singer told the crowd, “We are members of the Starset society, and we believe technology may harm us in the future.”

Finally, it was time for the moment that a lot of the crowd had been waiting for – Joey Belladonna and the boys of Anthrax were up next on the main stage. These guys honestly have never sounded better. With more energy than some of the younger bands, Anthrax made it very clear to a younger audience why they were on the main stage. The band even gave tribute to Dimebag Darrell and Ronnie James Dio, with large pictures of their faces, behind the band as it played.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot across the Pryor sky, and Anthrax was rushed off stage. At this point, Eddie Trunk came on stage and asked everyone to remain calm and please exit the venue. He asked several times, but a lot of people just continued to stand where they were. After about 15 minutes, Trunk came back on stage and thanked everyone for their cooperation, and Anthrax returned to finish its set.

It was back across the mud again that, at this point, literally was eating your shoes. With each step, the mud would try and take your shoes away from you. It was well worth it though when Periphery hit the stage. The band had one of the largest circle pits that we have ever seen at Rocklahoma. The mud surfing (crowd surfing) was insane, and Periphery had to have made a lot of new fans that day.

The last band of the night was Halestorm, which played what seemed to be a very rushed set because there was severe weather headed toward the venue. Fans got to enjoy a killer drum solo from Lzzy’s brother, Arejay Hale, as well as crowd favorites, “Freak Like Me,” “I Get Off” and “Love Bites,” before severe weather caused the festival to be evacuated for the remainder of the night. It was a somewhat scary night while riding out the strong winds, flash flooding and strong storms that seemed like they would never stop.