Concert Review: Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival returns to Columbus with four days of heavy rock performances

Sinéad Brady
Thu, 21 May 2026 02:01:59 +0000
Arts & Life, Events, Instagram Page, News, annual, artist, band, Bring Me The Horizon, Columbus, concert, emo, event, fans, festival, Friday, Historic Crew Stadium, listeners, local, metal, music, my chemical romance, ohio state, punk, recurring, review, rock, saturday, Singer, songs, Sonic Temple Music Art & Music Festival, stadium, stage [and 8 more]

The crowd holding up flashlights for My Chemical Romance’s Sonic Temple music festival performance on Thursday, May 14. Credit: Danny Wimmer Presents and Steve Thrasher

Columbus welcomed more than 140 hard rock and heavy metal bands for this year’s Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival May 14-17.?

Held Thursday through Sunday at Historic Crew Stadium, the four-day festival drew over 184,000 total fans to cheer on massive names in metalcore, hard rock, thrash, emo and more. Founded by Danny Wimmer Presents in 2019, Sonic Temple has maintained a fiercely loyal community of returning fans and artists.

This year’s 141-act lineup was distributed across five festival stages. The Temple Stage within Historic Crew Stadium had a capacity of more than 30,000 and hosted headliners including My Chemical Romance, Shinedown, Bring Me the Horizon and Tool. The stage offered versatile viewing options, with stadium and field seating surrounding a central mosh pit.?

The Cathedral Stage, which featured artists and bands including Breaking Benjamin, Sublime, Marilyn Manson and Megadeth, was the festival’s second-largest event stage, situated opposite the stadium. Immersive art installations and food, drink and merchandise vendor stalls lined the corridors of the main event space.

The combined standing-room area of the Sanctuary and Citadel stages allowed for high-energy sets and large crowds. The smaller Altar Stage, located near the main gates, drew crowds as fans entered and exited with some of the most intense sets on the lineup.??

Thursday?

Thursday kicked off the weekend with picture-perfect warm weather. The Altar Stage featured Fleshgod Apocalypse, Napalm Death, Cattle Decapitation, Dying Fetus, Cradle of Filth and Behemoth. The Cathedral Stage hosted post-grunge and emo royalty with Breaking Benjamin and The Used. The Sanctuary and Citadel stages hosted Dayseeker and Slaughter to Prevail, respectively.

At the Temple Stage, Coheed and Cambria delivered complex, enigmatic riffs before giving way to All Time Low. Pierce the Veil gave a tear-jerking performance, as singer Vic Fuentes brought out a young cancer patient named Priscilla, mid-set, in partnership with F— Cancer — a research and support foundation.

My Chemical Romance was indisputably the festival’s biggest draw, commanding the stadium with theatrical, post-hardcore brilliance and an unforgettable performance led by frontman Gerard Way.?

Friday?

Friday opened similarly with another day of ideal festival weather. The Altar Stage opened at 11:30 a.m. with nu-metal veterans, Flaw. At the Citadel Stage, Simple Plan threw a morning pop-punk party, while the Cathedral Stage balanced Yellowcard’s anthems and Chevelle’s heavy grooves before Sublime began their set. Meanwhile, the Sanctuary Stage hosted Not Enough Space, igniting a wave of energy which carried all the way through Lorna Shore’s closing set.?

The Temple Stage featured a powerhouse of radio-rock royalty. Buckcherry opened the space? before giving way to Daughtry. Stone Temple Pilots then took the stage, followed by Staind’s heavy angst and Shinedown’s headlining set.?

Saturday?

Saturday opened with an hour-long rain delay, but spirits remained high once the gates opened. The Citadel Stage featured emo and alternative legends Citizen, The Wonder Years and Mayday Parade, while the Sanctuary Stage got a metalcore masterclass from August Burns Red. Meanwhile, the Cathedral Stage hosted standout performances from Alter Bridge, Bush and a theatrical return from Marilyn Manson.?

At the Altar Stage, Body Count featuring Ice-T proved rap-metal still rules. Inside the stadium,? the Temple Stage hosted a lineup of modern rock stars, including Palaye Royale, Black Veil Brides, Good Charlotte and Motionless in White, leading up to a show-stopping headlining set by Bring Me the Horizon.?

Sunday

The final day of the festival shifted into a hot and humid afternoon. The Sanctuary Stage saw an atmospheric set from Thrice, and Cathedral unleashed a legendary triple-threat: Suicidal Tendencies, Public Enemy and Megadeth.?

The Temple Stage brought a relentless heavy finale with P.O.D. and Lamb of God before Tool closed out the festival, captivating the crowd with a progressive, visual and naturally sonic set.?

Ultimately, Sonic Temple is a testament of will, with fans persisting through weather delays, blistering heat, spotty service and snail-speed traffic. Following Sunday night’s grand conclusion, the countdown to next year’s pilgrimage has already begun.

The article was updated on May 27 at 1:43 p.m. to correct the festival’s origin and the total number of attendees.?