JUNE 21st 2023
TONS OF ROCK FESTIVAL
DAY 1

Review & Photo Gallery By: Polina Kulikovskikh
Day 1 - http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/tons-of-rock-day-1/

In 9 years, Tons of Rock has become Norway's largest festival and the major annual gathering point for all rock and metal fans in Norway. Known for its impressive lineup and electrifying performances, the festival attracts music enthusiasts from around the world.

It takes place at the Ekebergsletta, a large outdoor location not far from the heart of Oslo. The scenic surroundings and open-air setting create a vibrant atmosphere for the festival. It’s a comfortable location easily reached with a variety of public transport. 

Tons of Rock boasts an impressive lineup with both national and international acts. The festival invites well-established bands as headliners, as well as emerging talents. Past editions of the festival have featured notable artists such as Iron Maiden, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard, Slayer,  and in 2023 - legendary Guns’N’Roses. Apart from well established foreign bands Tons of Rock is a great place to discover cool Norwegian bands you may not have heard of before despite their local popularity.
Tons of Rock has 3 stages, each with it’s own atmosphere - Scream (main stage), Vampire (medium) and Moonlight (a smaller stage under a large tent). Due to the large number of bands playing and the festival being held close to housing areas, the bands’ playing time overlaps as the last band should finish playing around 23:00. However if you are not aiming to see each song of each band you can see a lot of bands quite well just moving from stage to stage.

The festival offers more than just music. It provides a wide range of food and beverage options, merchandise stalls, and interactive areas for attendees to explore and even a Ferris wheel. There are also opportunities to meet and interact with artists through autograph sessions or special meet-and-greet events.

What must be mentioned though - this is not the cheapest place to attend, even for the locals. On a plus side - no people dead drunk on cheap beer, very civilized crowd, kid friendly, great quality of food,  drinks and service. On a negative side - if you really wish to enjoy the festival at it’s fullest - prepare to spend quite a lot of money (though I must say it is totally worth it). What is extra convenient - you can pay with your card everywhere (which is generally normal practice in Norway).

This year the festival was opened with a speech by Jonas Gahr Støre (Norway’s prime minister) accompanied by a circle pit flash mob - it even had it’s own Facebook event and it was great to see quite a lot of people taking part. By Støre’s own admission, he never had such a reaction to his speech before.
The opening band this year was Black Debbath - a Norwegian heavy metal band known for their humorous and satirical approach to music and politics. The band was formed in Oslo in 1999 and has gained a loyal following both in Norway and internationally. Their music style is a blend of classic heavy metal and hard rock, featuring powerful guitar riffs and catchy melodies. Black Debbath's lyrics often humorously critique and parody various aspects of Norwegian society, politics, and popular culture. They use a mix of witty wordplay, satire, and social commentary to address serious topics with a lighthearted and humorous approach. Their songs have covered a wide range of themes, including environmental issues, the oil industry, political scandals, national identity, and more. If you have never listened to this band before - start with the album "Welcome to Norway" - that will give you a good idea about their music and maybe you will even learn something new about their homeland.

Next up on the Scream stage was an Australian hard rock band Airbourne. The band is known for its energetic and adrenaline-fueled live performances, featuring intense guitar riffs, powerful drumming, and Joel O'Keeffe's electrifying stage presence. They have delivered an authentic and unapologetically old-school rock and roll experience, captivating audiences with their raw and energetic sound as the clouds gathered over the festival grounds and it started to rain (by all festival traditions - it’s either heavy rain or scorching heat and this year’s Tons Of Rock was a bit of both).

Next stage I went to was the Moonlight stage where Swedish band Smash Into Pieces was just about to start playing. Smash Into Pieces' music can be described as a mix of alternative rock, post-grunge, and electronic rock. They seamlessly incorporate electronic elements and synthesizers into their sound, creating a unique and contemporary style that sets them apart from traditional rock bands. One of the band's defining features is Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye's powerful and emotive vocals. His ability to deliver heartfelt and passionate performances adds depth and intensity to the band's music. Combined with the dynamic instrumentation, Smash Into Pieces creates a sound that is both captivating and infectious. The setlist largely consisted of the bands’ most popular hits such as “Wake Up”, “Six Feet Under”, “All Eyes on You”.

After that it was time to check out the Vampire stage and see another Swedish band - At The Gates - melodic death metal band that is considered one of the pioneers of the Gothenburg metal scene. Their influence can be heard in the music of countless modern melodic death metal bands, making them a significant and enduring presence in the metal community. The setlist this time opened up with "Spectre of Extinction", "At War With Reality" and "To Drink From the Night Itself" and after that they played the entire "Slaughter Of The Soul" album.

As the weather finally started to improve, Generation Sex hit the Scream stage. The project is a kind of tribute to Generation X and Sex Pistols. The band members are Billy Idol on vocals (also a former vocalist of Generation X), Paul Cook (former Sex Pistols drummer), Steve Jones and bassist Tony James. The setlist consisted of popular songs of both Sex Pistols and Generation X - “Pretty Vacant”, “Problems”, “Ready Steady Go” and, of course, “Dancing With Myself” and “God Save the Queen”.

Next I returned to Vampire stage to see the legendary Skid Row. The band was formed in Toms River, New Jersey, in 1986 by bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave "The Snake" Sabo. They were later joined by lead singer Sebastian Bach, guitarist Scotti Hill, and drummer Rob Affuso. Throughout their career, Skid Row has faced challenges and lineup changes, but they have remained an iconic band in the hard rock genre. Their early albums, especially the debut and "Slave to the Grind," are considered classics of the late '80s and early '90s metal era, and their songs continue to be staples in rock and metal playlists. In 2022 they have been joined by vocalist Erik Grönwall who did a great job this evening performing all the great hits of the band such as "18 and Life", "I Remember You" and "Youth Gone Wild" as well as "Time Bomb" and "The Gang's All Here" from the latest album.


The main headliner of the festival and the first day was Guns N’ Roses playing a 3 hour set. There are a lot of opinions regarding the quality of this legendary band’s recent live performances - some say it’s all great, some say completely the opposite. I personally would put it this way - it can be very hard for a musician to stop doing what they have been doing all their life, but… They played all their hit songs and the covers, of course, but it was obvious that their high time had long passed. The poor quality of sound, unfortunately, didn’t help it either.

Nevertheless the day ended in good spirits, the weather forecast predicted 3 sunny days ahead and the festival program promised a lot of great bands.