Event: Inkcarceration Festival 2024
Dates: Friday July 19th to Sunday July 21st 2024
Venue: Ohio St. Reformatory in Mansfield Ohio
Headliners: Shinedown, Godsmack & Breaking Benjamin

Inkcarceration 2024 marked my second year going. I once again did the camping as I had numerous friends playing in the campsite area. The camping is a real party vibe every night. The first night they had a Karaoke party w/ people dressing up and drinking of course. Freddy Kruger made an appearance. Personally, I suck at camping so We’ve moved to a hotel but I do recommend trying the camping situation at least once.
Friday, we started our day over at the Informatory stage as it featured past 717E performers like CULTUS BLACK and VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE. The stage started off w/ some technical difficulties which is super rare for a DWP festival as they are 100% on top of their game. CROSSBREED started the day off w/ a high energy set of electro metal. The main stage kicked off a bit late because ill Nino had trouble making it to the festival. AFTERLIFE was very impressive kicking us off. It was a good way to start the weekend. There was a real clusterfuck heading to the Informatory stage once early afternoon started. The design didn’t seem to work as it got very crowded and hard to get back there so I honestly didn’t go to that stage the rest of the day.

Chimaira lighting up the Yard stage at Inkcarceration 2024

The Offspring perform at Inkcarceration Festival 2024 at The Ohio St. Reformatory.

Closing out the Redemption stage was the mighty MACHINE HEAD. These guys are one of those bands that I admittedly don’t listen to a lot but damn do they put on a show. Fire and metal for 50 straight minutes w/ Robb Flynn serenading everyone w/ his vocals. The songs tend to be a tad longer so they only busted through 8 but it was still a full onslaught from beginning to end. There were some who headed for the exits after the head played but 95% headed back to the yard for the Day’s main act, that being BREAKING BENJAMIN. Featuring guest vocals from Ben Burnley’s son throughout the set. The band never misses a beat on stage as they are as tight as they’ve ever been. 19 songs and I’d be surprised if the common radio listener hasn’t heard at least half of them . Sure their is the notable tracks like “Red Cold River”, “So Cold” and set closer “The Diary of Jane”. I personally feel like they shine w/ earlier tracks like “Polyamorous” and “I Will Not Bow”. Its really great to see a band from Scranton Pennsylvania headlining festivals such as this.

I Mentioned the campground party and bands. I didn’t attend each one but I did watch the entire set of our buddies in HEATHENSUN. The rap/rock style these guys bring is pretty refreshing as its not the recycled kind. It’s their own brand of it and I think that’s what sets them apart. They put on a full fledge show for the crowd and then stick around the whole time afterwords slinging merch. You can catch numerous members mixed in with the crowd during the set as they sing, mosh and dance with the campers.

She was another one that was everywhere. They had a super energetic set and met with fans for what seemed like hours after the set. They went up the front row of the crowd signing autos and taking pictures. What I found very respectful was they faded back into the back when the next band came onstage. Now this was an interesting portion of the day as you had LIONS AT THE GATE on this stage as the Yard featured ILL NINO. Lions is a newer and featuring former Ill Nino vocalist Christian. The exit wasn’t the friendliest. I split my time with the two and honestly found Ill Nino to be reaching a bit to be what they used to be and Lions really seem to have something special about them. Now I still love Ill Nino and hearing those songs was amazing. The other interesting thing is Filter had to cancel and Ill Nino who postponed the day before took their spot. The main stage really came alive when SEVENDUST took the stage. You want to talk about a band that just controls a crowd these are your boys. They played one track from 7 of their albums to split it evenly. They came out as heavy as can be, threw in some sing along chorus’s and then closed with “Bitch” and “Face To Face” a combination of the heavy and sing along. If Sevendust is the in-your-face sing a long’s then HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD is the party songs portion of the day. Coming right out to “California Dreaming” the bands concerts feel like a frat party on steroids. Every song gets the crowd moving, every bit of banter in-between gets the crowd laughing. The band not only is a stellar live act but they have some real personality. By the time they closed with “Undead” you honestly felt drunk even if you havn’t drank a drop. The nice thing about a Hollywood Undead drunk is there is no hangover.

Unsaid Fate featuring Jackie Laponza at Ink on the Smaller Stage.

Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale wow’s the crowd at Inkcarceration 2024

We headed back out to watch the rest of the show with the normals. ha. Killswitch is incredible. As we headed to the crowd they were playing CM Punk’s old theme “This Fire Burns” which was fun. They blasted through a full headline worthy set and closed out w/ their cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver” before leaving the stage for the evening. The Saturday headliner was Boston’s finest GODSMACK. Kicking off their set w/ “When Legends Rise” and hitting all the singles including “Keep Away”, “Voodoo”, “Cryin like a Bitch” among others. They to had a very pyro heavy set. To be honest we headed back to the campground after about 25 minutes. It’s a long ass day and we heard so many “he’s a dick” comments about Sully backstage that we didn’t mind dipping out early. For what we saw they did sound as good as ever and he was his usual self controlling the crowd very well. I didn’t take part in the camp bands on Saturday as I decided my old ass needed some sleep for Sunday, as our plan was to drive home after the show that evening.

Danny of From Ashes To New offering Free Hugs at Inkcarceration.

The first band that really caught my attention that I wasn’t familiar with at all was HOLY WARS. They played the Redemption stage around 2:15 and really brought the energy. Lead vocalist Kat Leon was just a bundle of excitement the whole set even getting in the crowd towards the end of it. I highly recommend these guys. Following them on the Redemption stage was Ohio’s own MUSHROOMHEAD. You know when they are coming through because it gets packed in that area. The band w/ one of their vocalists being Jackie Laponza (Who pulled double duty as her band Unsaid Fate performed Saturday). Both vocalists are all over the place, on stage, in the crowd. The band live debuted a brand new song as well called “Fall in Line”. It always feels like you saw a car crash when they are done playing. We had to leave a few minutes early as it was time to get over to the big main stage they call “The Yard”. One of the bands we were most excited to see was the returning CHIMAIRA. They were the first band announced and it brought huge traction right away as the band had not been active for many years. They picked up right where they left off and had the pits going w/ “Pure Hatred” right into “Power Trip”. Vocalist Mark Hunter was screaming like he was pissed during the songs but his excitement for being back on stage was something he couldn’t hide in-between songs. Many times mentioning his gratitude that people still cared. Raging through a blistering set they closed it off with “Resurrection”. It was hard to come down off that high and honestly The Yard seemed a bit tame for CHEVELLE, who came up after Chimaira. I think Chevelle is amazing but for some reason havn’t ever gotten into them live. Probably the most fun act of the day was the 7:30 slot band THE OFFSPRING. Playing a 14 song set that included fan favorites like set opener “Come out and Play” along w/ “Bad Habit”, “Gotta Get Away”, “Why don’t you get a job” and of course set closer “Self Esteem”. Dexter and Noodles bantered the entire set and had more fun then anyone all weekend it seemed.

Saturday came and it is always a big day for festivals as it typically features one of the bigger acts of the weekend. We got there in time to see HUNT THE DINOSAUR slay the smaller stage w/ their relentless stage show. Moving on quickly over to the Yard for some good old Texas Metal with UPON A BURNING BODY. Some of the biggest pits of the weekend were underway for these guys. I found these fella’s to be a group that could have fit in even later in the day. They have that kind of draw and appeal. Directly back to the smaller stage I went to see the second performance of Jackie Laponza, this time w/ her outfit UNSAID FATE.

We were lucky enough to make it backstage for a bit after Hollywood Undead. The backstage area is not the big party you’d expect. Its very lowkey, bands and crew relaxing and drinking or eating, readying their sets or coming down after their sets. Lots of friends seeing old friends or catching up with past tour mates. We sat at a picnic table and just watched most the time as we saw many of the acts walking through. I was able to speak to a few people like the guys in Uncured and an agent or two that I’ve worked with. We headed down to the redemption stage to watch TRUSTCOMPANY on stage. This was the first time I’ve ever stood on stage at a big festival like this. It was really cool seeing the crowd from that perspective and also see the other acts up there enjoying the show. The sound is definitely not the best from there as your behind everything but even that is interesting to see what it sounds like from that angle. Trust Company was another band that was coming back after many years off and playing a few select festivals so they were a great act to see. I’m sure everyone remembers their hit song “Downfall” and damn was it cool to see that live. We weren’t allowed onstage for I PREVAIL so we headed to front of house to watch them. It was ok but the view wasn’t that great imo. I know many would die for that but its not as great as it seems I don’t think.

The band was fantastic though, so much pyro (the reason we weren’t allowed on stage). They even brought out Lzzy Hale to sing “Can you See me in The Dark” which was unique I felt, although they are on tour together and I’m sure they do it every night. I Prevail seem to find themselves on almost all these festivals and now having seen them I understand why. We skipped as I lay dying and once again just kinda hung out and watched as the crew and bands chilled in the back. The coolest part of the whole weekend was getting to stand on the main stage to watch HALESTORM. This band has come so far and its absolutely incredible to see. Lzzy is a force in the Music world, not just the metal or hard rock world but the music world. Also it was cool standing on stage next to Ink creator Daniel Jenson, Machine Head vocalist Robb Flynn and a few others. For their part Halestorm brought that place to its knees w/ their set. The 12 song set featuring songs like opener “I Miss The Misery”, “I Get Off”, “Freak Like Me” and set closer “The Steeple which showcases the vocals that Lzzy possesses. They also performed “Can You See Me in The Dark” w/ I Prevail vocalist Eric. Her brother A.J. showcased his drum skills w/ his drum solo which led to a drum circle featuring the entire band. They just never cease to amaze me and hit on all cylinders. Upon the conclusion of their set we headed over to the Redemption stage for Killswitch Engage. Tried to get onstage for them but there was no room on that stage on either side which proves the respect these guys have in this industry in my opinion.

Just like that it was Sunday already. For the second year in a row FROM ASHES TO NEW brough their family and rap / rock style to Ink. Playing a short set and leaving the crowd wanting more to a tee. They hit the majors like “Barely Breathing” and closed out with their breakthrough track “Through it All”. For Sunday our plan was to rotate between The Yard and Redemption stages. So next up was Redemption for COLD. This is a band I’ve seen a lot but it had been many years since I had seen them. They opted for a head bobbing rather then head banging set as they opened with “Happens all The Time'“and built towards the raucous closer “Just Got Wicked”. Tight as ever. One thing I noticed was Scooter smiled more then I think I’d ever seen before. I wasn’t able to catch much of Sleeping with Sirens, I can’t recall why but I may have stayed at Redemption to get a good spot for STABBING WESTWARD. I was curious how they would go over with their industrial type sound. The crowd ate it up, though there was a lot of sound issues for them. Vocalist Christopher Hall seemed to be constantly asking the crowd if we could hear him. He did a real great job of keeping everything fun and steady during all the technical difficulties. “What Do I Have To Do” sounds as good now as it ever has. It was back to the yard for the DROPKICK MURPHYS. They had a very upbeat happy set that was highlighted by “Shipping up to Boston”. They didn’t shy away from politics as they gave a “Fuck JD Vance” out to which the crowd ate up.

SHADOWS FALL was next up on Redemption stage. Holy shit this band is good live. The floor length dreads of vocalists Brian Fair flying in the air as he headbangs his way through the set. They also spent some time away from the scene and were just coming back. They did not miss a beat as the pits were open and the bodies were flying. Next up on The Yard was PARKWAY DRIVE, who trumps everyone when it comes to the pyro in a set. The band is more fun in the dark but they still crush it. The 9 song set closed out with “Wild Eyes”. I managed to catch a bit of Of Mice and Men but I spent a lot of that set getting recharged w/ some food. The Direct support slot on the The yard was a rising band BAD OMENS. Not many bands have gone from opening the show to this slot in less than 8 years. They relied heavily on the album “The Death of Peace of Mind”. “Artificial Suicide”, “Nowhere to Go” and the mega hit “Just Pretend” had the crowd surfers heavy and the voices of the people loud. Headlining the Redemption stage for the weekend was SKILLET. Opening up with “Feel Invincible” and packing that stage for the entire duration. The band has a lot of positive speech moments throughout the hour-long set. It was a great way to close down that stage. This left one final band to take the stage for the weekend. SHINEDOWN came out to blasts of fireworks and hit song “Devil”. Vocalist Brent Smith is a master of crowd participation and emotional words. If he wants lighters, he gets lighters. The band played an absolutely brilliant set and announced the attendance was the single day largest in Ink history. Sadly for us we had to leave early as we faced a 5 and a half hour drive home over night.
So that was our weekend. Despite only seeing 30 Minutes Shinedown was one of the strongest points of the weekend as we standing onstage w/ Halestorm. Hollywood Undead, Shadows Fall, Sevendust, the mighty Chimaira and Sevendust were other highlights. Holy Wars was probably my favorite band I discovered. For our part we had everything packed up so we got off the bus and right into the car and headed home.