Returning to the Rocklahoma festival after two years of complete abstinence is the highlight of the festival season. It is hard to discern the suddenness of the blue-and-white grounds when the Rocklahoma stage once again lights up. An immense, palpable huddle, a low rumble of the mainstage’s subwoofer, and reminiscences from days gone by flaunted the remission of deeply entrenched feelings concerning music due to the grand spectacle.

Navigating the rows of chairs that come out of the main stage at the Main Freedom Stage was a new experience for me, but has been a standard part of the Rocklahoma experience. During the day, they presented local performances as well as acts on the main festival stage and on smaller stages variously spaced along the grounds. At night, they swapped between the “Freedom” and “Renegade” stages.

While the two smaller stages were a free-for-all, as one moved toward the amphitheater, there was an increasingly clear line of access levels. Lawn chairs gave way to rows of benches, and eventually to the concrete grandstand. The rigor of this approach exceeded the expectations of many, but this component occasionally placed a barrier between the artists and their fanbase. Crowds surged enthusiastically with no impediments for viewing on the barricades during Diamante’s performance.

Shock rock’s king Rob Zombie killed a performance set to ten songs, screaming like a wildman throughout the performance, which included the tracks Living Dead Girl, House of 1000 Corpses, and Dragula. While fantastic vistas made the dancing look like it was part of the performance, the concert hall’s limited amount of space hindered the audience’s ability to move freely. Rob Zombie quipped more than a couple of times about the fans’ lack of engagement in the pit.

“Is weed legal here in Oklahoma? Are you all high?” When that was met with cheers, he chuckled and replied, “Well, that explains it.” It just showed that at the height of the level of the performance the lawn seats were having a blast, even though concrete seating seemed to be more rambunctious than the audience in front of the Freedom stage.

On the flip side of things, in the second act, Chevelle did not appear to have the very same problem of response possibly since they did not provide it, but rather let it happen naturally. There were a number of tremendously applauded sing-along choruses to be had, but they came from the audience and not from the band.

Day two was halted almost before it began. The first act of the afternoon, Los Angeles rock band All Good Things, was pulled off stage before their final song as a result of a sudden thunderstorm. Though tornado season was long over, a short but very fierce storm descended upon the grounds and forced audience members to get inside. A few brief moments of rain brought about my meeting a couple of friends and counting to when I saw the storm had passed. Right about that time I had the joy of watching John 5 do his sound check. As I hung around the photo pit. John 5 even put on a little show for all of us that were already inside the stage being covered by the massive tent. It was quite the sight to see if you ask me.

As the crowds were still managing their way through the now re-opened lines, I began to take notice that people were starting to pile towards the Freedom stage for Jellyroll’s set which was coming up next. As a fan of Jellyroll, who has watched him come up from selling mixtapes to him now selling out arenas. It was very satisfying to see the big man get the respect that he deserves. The crowd soulfully took to his set singing back every lyric in unison. Jellyroll is one of a kind and his music has such a nostalgic feel to it, I can see why people love him so much. It was also very touching to see the security team interacting with the crowd and making sure they were kept safe whilst still allowing them to enjoy themselves.

Up next was the legendary and iconic Big Four thrash band Anthrax. The legendary Anthrax has not lost their mystique even after all these years, and they reveled in the Rocklahoma amphitheater with that youthful effervescent nature they settlers into their music. Bassist Frank Bello and vocalist Joey Belladonna were both immersed in pure energy, thrusting their heads and bodies in a headbanging motion and inciting calls from the various festival-goers at midday.

I don’t know what it is about camerapeople, but Belladonna becomes a pest with them, as usual. This time he grabbed the video camera from one of the cameramen on stage and displayed his face up on the big screen. Why? Nobody knows, but Belladonna seemed to get a kick out of it, and the crowd was into it, so what the heck? It was also super weird seeing a Big Four group play during the middle of the day but hey who’s really complaining. They rocked the hell out of that set and made things really easy for this photographer.

However, a couple of bands were let off the bill (Badflower among them) to make sure the headliner show performed in their full, epic set at the right time planned. Slipknot was still performing forty years after their previous show. Then a breeze stirred the ground, scattering dust and evaporating heat until the ground was again comfortably warm. Once the guests were back inside the venue, it was like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Slipknot is an individual experience all their own, and they are undoubtedly the reason why the festival sold out as quickly as it did. They delivered a punishing, 14-track, 90-plus-minute set list that showcased over the course of their career, including rare songs like Eyeless and Left Behind along with all nu-metal classics viewers expected.

Corey Taylor, the center through frequent explosions of pyro and the clanging of bats on beer kegs, generated a stir when he announced his new mask onstage. The facepiece resembled a human skull put together from patches of decaying skin, with an eyepiece set at mid-forehead like a miniature light. The new interior design of the new Slipknot album lived up to Taylor’s claim of being uncannily uncomfortable. All in all, Slipknot’s return to the main stage could not have been more conclusive proof of why they are possibly the biggest metal band in the world.

As much as I wanted to stay for Day three, I was unable to due to limited availability for flights back to Austin. However, this was my first year there and all I could do was keep telling myself how Rocklahoma would end up being one of my yearly go-to festivals. Alongside SXSW, ACL Fest, the Gathering, and now AEG’s Rocklahoma. The people that were camped around me took me in as family immediately. The embrace was real. I’m already looking forward to next year’s Rocklahoma festival