The 2023 Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival just took place in Columbus, Ohio, delivering many memorable performances over its four-day run from Thursday (May 25th) to Sunday (May 28th). Headliners included Foo Fighters, Tool, KISS, and Avenged Sevenfold.
Tool had the honor of headlining the first night, with singer Maynard James Keenan trading his headline-making drag outfit from a week prior at Welcome to Rockville for a white dress shirt and vest. His blonde wig remained as the progressive metal band played a 10-song set to close out the evening. Other acts that day included Godsmack, Beartooth, Bullet for My Valentine, Pennywise, Bad Omens, Suicidal Tendencies, and more.
Friday saw Avenged Sevenfold headline with an 11-song set, including three tunes from their upcoming album, Life Is But a Dream. Among the other highlights was Queens of the Stone Age’s first show in three years, as frontman Josh Homme and company debuted their single “Emotion Sickness” from forthcoming album In Times New Roman. Chevelle, Knocked Loose, Converge, Band-Maid, and others also played on Friday.
Saturday marked KISS’ first US gig of 2023, as the legendary rock act played 18 songs, culminating with the iconic “Rock and Roll All Nite.” The band is in the midst of its farewell tour, which is scheduled to wrap up in December with two shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. That day also saw Maynard James Keenan return with his band Puscifer, as well as sets by Rob Zombie, Trivium, and others.
On Sunday, Foo Fighters closed out the festival by playing their third show with new touring drummer Josh Freese, who is filling the shoes of the late Taylor Hawkins. One memorable moment of the set included a medley of songs by Devo, Nine Inch Nails, and Puddle of Mudd to showcase Freese’s long list of bands he’s been associated with over the years. Deftones also rocked the Sunday bill, as did Sublime with Rome, Jawbreaker, The Pretty Reckless, and more.
See our extensive photo gallery of the 2023 Sonic Temple festival below.
2023 Sonic Temple Festival Photo Gallery (click to expand and scroll through):