When people think of the state of Ohio, they typically associate it with college football or endless seas of corn fields. For those with a more refined knowledge of the state, they know that Ohio is home to two of the biggest rock music festivals in the country; Sonic Temple (formerly known as Rock on The Range) and Inkcarceration (formerly known as Ink in The Clink). This year was the second run of the Mansfield Ohio festival Inkcarceration and with an estimated number of 45,000 attendees, this almost tripled the amount of festival goers from last year. Inkcarceration is more than a music festival; it’s an immersive experience combining a concert, a tattoo convention, a food truck festival, and a haunted house (in this case, a haunted prison and also the set for the Hollywood film The Shawshank Redemption).
All festival attendees had the opportunity to take part in a self guided tour through the now closed Mansfield Reformatory which is rumored to be haunted. During the Halloween haunt season the reformatory becomes an attraction in itself where people can walk the corridors and experience the prison on a much more spooky level. You can also go on overnight ghost hunts in the reformatory with a larger group to get a real feel for what really lives within, and there’s an option to follow a trail of filming sites from the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
For those in attendance, there was no denying how aggressively hot it was outside. The fest took place in a large open field with one stage in a grassy area and the other off to the side on a blacktop surface. With temperatures reaching well into the mid 90’s, festival goers had to be a little creative when hiding from the sun. I personally chose to take my time doing the self guided prison tour to escape for a little bit. The only shade one could find was dependant upon the position of the sun at any given time; there was also one big top tent in the food area where people could hide out if there was any open space. At one point there was a hose that someone connected to the top of the chain link fence so people could run through as a type of makeshift sprinkler. Any relief from the heat was a small victory (and to those with their shirts off with visible sunburns, I highly recommend seeing a dermatologist in the future for signs of skin cancer, I’m concerned for you).
Though I was unable to go through the tattoo convention, I did have a chance to view the lineup of spectacular artists. A lot of the tattooers were local to Ohio, a few of which I knew personally and can attest to how great they are in their craft. The one major thing that stuck out to me though was the amount of women tattooing at the festival. As someone who works in a tattoo shop, I know how male dominated it can be, so to be able to see how many of these awesome women there were was inspiring to say the least.
The music lineup for any festival is what ultimately makes or breaks an experience for some people. Once a lineup is released, people flood to Facebook and message boards to state their opinion on a lineup and say whether or not they’re going to attend. What one person finds as the perfect bill, others will think is awful, but in the end there will always be something for everyone. This years lineup included an extremely diverse roster, including 90’s alt rock legends Live and Smile Empty Soul, the hard rock likings of Seether, Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch, metalcore groups Motionless In White, I Prevail, and Issues, the party rocker Andrew WK, as well as many many others.
The diverse lineup seemed to catch the eyes and ears of those who were let down by the changes made to Sonic Temple (Rock On The Range) or have become tiresome of the weather patterns that follow that weekend year after year. Having bands that also span throughout multiple generations of music lovers helped make the festival that much more of a unique experience. Parents could bring their children who love the newer and up and coming bands while they enjoyed acts that have been around for years.
The energy of the weekend was endless; Motionless in White’s set seemed to have constant crowd surfing while the band played crowd favorites as well as new tracks off of their most recent release “Disguise”. Motionless in White is a band whose sound transcends genres, mixing both metalcore and nu-metal-eque stylings. Motionless has a very macabre aesthetic, wearing dramatic to match the themes or their music. The heat of the weekend didn’t limit their act either, still sporting a MIW letter jacket, vocalist Chris Motionless was able to keep the crowd going.
Red Sun Rising is another crowd favorite that was able to set the bar high for Saturday. Being from Akron, the band wasn’t too far from home, making this appearance even more special. Though there were some technical difficulties during the first song “Veins”, the band was able to pick right back up and play all of the crowd favorites. Red Sun Rising is a band that has such a range of songs and never disappoints during a live set. Starset is another band local to Ohio that graced the stage this weekend, changing up their costumes from the typical astronaut style and lasers to more of a rustic druid look. Still bringing with them the live stringed instrumentals, Dustin and his band were able to captivate the audience; for those who don’t yet follow the band, be sure to check out not only their upcoming album but the graphic novels he cowrote for Marvel.
If high energy is your speed, bands I Prevail is a band to watch out for. I Prevail brings a hardcore punch to the metalcore scene with songs such as “Deadweight” and “Scars”. Their amps had flames being projected off of them which only further reminded us of the heat being brought outside and on stage. The most energetic performance from this weekend though had to go to Andrew WK; a man who came to party and will make you party with him. High jumps, spin kicks, air punches and even a lengthy crowd count down from 100, Andrew WK sported his notorious all white outfit for possibly millionth time in a row. The bands guitar player even managed to do a few guitar flips during a solo. This was a mosh pit and a dance party all in one. All great bands throughout the day, warming the crowd up for the evenings headliners.
On Saturday the crowd got the best of both worlds, nostalgia and hard rock with Live and Godsmack. Live is a band that anyone can appreciate; their guitar parts mixed with the clean vocals can bring you back to a time when life was more simple. Kicking off their set with “All over you” the band was able to keep that nostalgia momentum going with covers from REM and The Rolling Stones all the way until their final song “Lightning Crashes” which absolutely makes me think of those Buzz Balad commercials from the early 2000’s. This band was able to bring so much joy to the audience by simply being themselves. This was a mellow introduction to what would be the most electrifying performance of the day, Godsmack.
Godsmack are in a league of their own when it comes to performing. Drum solos on spinning risers and a light show that blows everyone away; truly a production that is a cut above the rest. Godsmack is a band that has proven to stand the test of time, playing favorites such as “Voodoo”, “Keep Away” and even newer hits “When legends rise” and “Bulletproof”. The crowd was compelled jump and cheer the entire time.
On Sunday when South African rockers Seether took the stage, you could see how the crowd quickly kicked their excitement up a notch. Charging their way through crows favorites such a “Let you down” , “Fake It”, and “Remedy” there was no doubt that Seether was one of the best choices to open up for that nights headliner.
Five Finger Death Punch seemed to be the stars of the weekend, having one of the largest selections of merch at the merch booths not to mention the largest crowd of the weekend; I spent all weekend running into countless people Saturday and Sunday that couldn’t contain their excitement for seeing the band. 5FDP is a band that seems to bridge that gap for heavy music fans that want more out of a hard rock band without getting into all of the crazy technical sub genres that exist. Charging their way through their set, paired none other by an insane light show that kept the pace going. They kicked off their set with a flash bang, leading into their song Lift Me Up; a few songs later they set off a massive cannon of confetti during their hit “Sham Pain”, a song which was everywhere last summer. During their set vocalist Ivan Moody called for festival security and police to come on stage for some recognition for their hard work and service to the community; the band is a huge supporter of not only the police but the armed forces as well and often takes the time to recognize those that serve. A 5FDP show is something you would have to experience at least once in your lifetime. Everything from their fans, their music, the overall energy; it’s intoxicating.
Overall, Inkcarceration is a unique experience for most concert goers. Even with three days, you never really come across a dull moment. The two stages alternate with very little down time between bands. The tattoo convention will leave you with inspiration for a new tattoo if you were unable to get one at the prison. You can fill your belly all day long with the food trucks (although there may be a line, it’s worth the wait). If you’re lucky enough you can run into your favorite bands while walking around. (I got to see Godsmack inside the prison while they were taking some promo pictures).
Photo Gallery Day 1
Photo Credit: Orock Photos
Photo Gallery Day 2
Photo Credit: Orock Photos
Photo Gallery Day 3
Photo Credit: Orock Photos
