Tons of Rock Festival 2026: Legends return, Chaos Conquered

Sentrum Scene, Oslo 13th June 2026

IMAGES KENNETH SPORHEIM / WORDS THOMAS KIRKEBY

IMAGES KENNETH SPORHEIM

Summer is festival season, and Tons of Rock is the biggest of them all in Norway. This year, the festival was completely sold out for the first time, with a total of 155,000 festival-goers passing through the gates over its four days. That works out to just under 40,000 people each day, so there is a lot to organise and sort out before an event like this can get underway.

There are three main stages: Scream Stage, the largest, which has the capacity to accommodate all visitors; Vampire Stage, which is somewhat smaller; and Moonlight Stage, which is inside a large tent. In addition, there is a small stage called The Storm Stage, where smaller bands and artists perform. All in all, a fantastic festival and experience for anyone who loves rock and metal in most of its forms.

Wednesday, 24 June

You are always filled with anticipation when walking onto the festival grounds on the first day, and it is a wonderful feeling! Four days (if you have a festival pass) full of great music, sun (hopefully), and that wonderful festival feeling you only get at a festival! The area is packed with stalls selling food and drink in a surprisingly wide variety, an insane variety of other things too, you are handed water bottles to keep you hydrated, and you get sunscreen to avoid getting sunburnt. You feel well looked after at Tons of Rock. There is also a Ferris wheel, for those who do not want to crowd-surf or for those who cannot get enough crowd-surfing.

This year, they had done a couple of things differently; some things worked well and others less so. They had swapped the locations of the Vampire Stage and the Moonlight Stage, which actually worked quite well. What worked less well was the positioning of one of the water stations. The queue for one of the water stations cut across a large part of the square, making it difficult to pass. In addition, there were a huge number of stalls on both sides of the passage between the Vampire Stage and the Moonlight Stage, meaning you had to plow through queues going both ways just to get ahead. You know you are going to spend time queueing at a festival, but this made the experience very irritating.

But that was before the real trouble started.

Cavalera Conspiracy were the first major band due to play, but just a few minutes into the concert, the power went out. Not just on the Vampire Stage where they were playing, but across the entire festival site and also a smaller part of Oslo. A massive disappointment both for the band and for the fans who had gathered to watch. The blackout also affected the concert by President, who were scheduled to play on the Moonlight Stage immediately afterwards. I imagine there was a bit of a crisis backstage among the festival organisers at this point. When could we expect the festival to get fully back underway?

Fortunately, the power was back before one of the bands I was really looking forward to seeing took the stage – American outfit Trivium.

Trivium

The band took the stage to a thunderous reception, not just from the fans gathered in front of the stage, but also because they brought sound back to the music festival! The charismatic singer, Matt Heafy, greeted the audience with 'Hvordan har du det?' in Norwegian ('How are you?'), before ordering the crowd to start 'moshpits fucking everywhere'. Then they launched into the opening track, 'Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr'. The sound was a bit poor at the start, but I think most people were just pleased that there was actually sound and power at that point. The pyro shot high from the stage, and at times it was not easy to tell whether it was the sun or the pyro providing the most heat. But the audience was on board the whole way and even joined in when Heafy asked the crowd to get down on their knees during the final song, 'In Waves', only to spring back up when given the signal. It turned out to be a brilliant concert, and a fantastic second opening of the festival this Wednesday.

Babymetal

It would turn out that the technical problems were not completely over just yet this Wednesday, which led to Japan's Babymetal taking the stage 45 minutes behind schedule. The band started with 'BABYMETAL DEATH', which, with its soft opening, became a perfect start to what was to come. The three girls, Su-metal, Moametal, and Momometal, are fascinatingly cute as they deliver precisely choreographed dances alongside their singing. It is hard to look past them, but the instrumental performance here from the anonymous Kami Band must also be highlighted as impressive. 'From Me to You' is the next song, a track well-aided by Poppy on the screen. This is music that can divide a rock audience, but it seemed as though most people allowed themselves to be charmed and entertained by the girls. I can also appreciate a few songs by the band, but as a father of young children, I experience some tracks as an altogether too hectic children's birthday party, and those are not experiences I necessarily seek out.

Dum Dum Boys

It is a small world at a festival, and we move from Japan over to Norway in just a few minutes as Dum Dum Boys take the Scream Stage. The band is one of Norway’s biggest rock acts from the '80s, and they quickly showed that they have not lost their old magic. Singer Prepple Houmb looks surprisingly similar to how we remember him from the '80s, and his voice is definitely still there too. 'We are Dum Dum Boys. We play rock. Do you want a couple of kilos?' he asks the audience, who cheer back in response. The band served up classics such as 'Mitt Hjertes Trell', 'En Vill En', and 'Slave'. And since the football World Cup is on, they also played 'Bønda Fra Nord' – the official song for the Norwegian men's national football team from 1998, which Prepple also sang back then. This became a highlight for many on this warm and sunny day at Tons of Rock, not least when they closed with the crowd favourites, 'Splitter Pine' and 'Metallic Hvit'.

The Offspring

This was one of the bands I had been looking forward to seeing the most at the festival. Despite rocking out properly to the album Smash back in the '90s, I had never managed to see the band live. It was clear that many others were looking forward to it too. The band takes the stage and kicks off with 'Come Out and Play' – the perfect opening track in the evening sun at Tons. The atmosphere is immediately at its peak! They carry on with 'All I Want' and 'Want You Bad'. A couple of large inflatable skeletons appear on each side of the stage, spewing out smoke. Then, the mood dips slightly across the field. The songs do not hit the mark quite as well, and there is a lot of small talk between singer Dexter and guitarist Noodles. It is only when Noodles starts playing 'songs he knows a little bit of' that the atmosphere picks up again. He launches into 'Electric Funeral', 'Paranoid', and 'Crazy Train', which the audience responds to very positively. Then they play 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift, stating they want to see the biggest mosh pit and wall of death ever done to a Taylor Swift song. It is funny and playful from a band that has probably never taken themselves too seriously. And the cover songs turned the tide of the concert. From then on, the crowd's energy was at its peak. And the audience surely broke the decibel record so far this year during 'Self Esteem', which was the final song of the night.

Bring Me the Horizon

The headliner for this first evening is the deathcore band Bring Me The Horizon, who charm the crowd before the concert with short video game clips in a '90s style, before it is time for the show. It all kicks off with the character 'Eve', who introduces us to what lies ahead. The show tells a loose story, much of which seems to be based on the album POST HUMAN: NeX GEn, and the band opens heavy as iron with 'DArkSide' from it. Singer Oli Sykes immediately has an iron grip on the audience, who swallow whole everything he whispers and screams into the microphone. The stage show is just as impressive as it ought to be when you are the headliner, and the atmosphere reaches its peak when the girls from Babymetal make an appearance on stage during 'Kingslayer'. Another highlight comes when the band pulls someone from the crowd up onto the stage, dressed as Invincible, to help the band through the track 'Antivist'. The show closes with 'Throne', where Oli wears a horse mask during parts of the song. And with that, the first day of Tons of Rock is over – a brilliant conclusion to a festival that had a somewhat troubled start. And worse was yet to come.

Thursday, 25 June

The weather showed itself from its best, and most merciless side on Thursday as well, with brilliant sunshine from a cloudless sky. Some good news was that they had moved one of the water stations, so you didn't have to walk through the queue as much just to get past. Everything was looking up for another perfect festival day – a day that many also felt had the best line-up. However, there were to be new problems for the festival on this day. There was very poor water pressure at the water stations, which led to extremely long queues when people wanted to fill up their water bottles. At some of the water stations, no water came out at all. The low pressure also meant that some of the toilets did not work as they should. It ended with the fire department having to deploy a tanker with 10,000 litres of water to fill up the tanks across the area. But let us get back to the music:

D-A-D

For me, the day started with Denmark's D-A-D, who have delivered fantastic and charming rock for 40 years. It was only about 1.5 years since I last saw them live, and I was looking forward to it just as much now. There is a smell of sunscreen and beer in front of the stage when the band comes on. On stage stands a tilted cow skull, apparently named Molly, and in the middle of it sat drummer Laust Sonne. The band started with 'Jihad', a track that immediately captivated the audience. The immediate eye-catcher, however, is bassist Stig Pedersen, who comes out in a complete silver outfit, with boots, shorts, and a shirt. The man is a show in himself, not least with all his different 2-string basses, which he switches between for every song. We were served humour, charm, and not least tracks like 'Grow or Pay', 'Riding With Sue', and 'Bad Craziness', before the band closed with their biggest hit, 'Sleeping My Day Away'. I imagine many missed the acoustic 'Laugh 'n' a 1/2' for the sake of a sing-along, but everything suggested that the audience was well pleased with the concert regardless.

Suicidal Tendencies

I was introduced to ST back in the late '80s, but had never seen them live before, so I was looking forward to seeing if Cyko Miko was just as I remembered him. And he pretty much was! Wearing yellow shorts, a t-shirt, and a cap, he walked onto the stage to applause and cheers. They launched straight into 'You Can't Bring Me Down' – which was one of their major hits in the early '90s. This is exactly the kind of music people love to crowd-surf and mosh to, and it didn't take many seconds before the pit started. Fun fact: on bass, the band features Tye Trujillo, the son of Metallica's Robert Trujillo, who actually played with ST back in the '80s and '90s. The band delivered tracks like 'War Inside My Head', 'Freedumb', and 'I Saw Your Mommy' with great zeal and energy, and Muir rarely stood still on stage during the songs. Between tracks, however, he gave motivational speeches and urged everyone to 'believe in yourself' and 'don't be part of the fucking system'. It was exactly as I remembered him from interviews in the '90s. During the final song, 'Pledge Your Allegiance', he invited the audience up onto the stage, which caused a bit of stress for the security guards, but was a massive thrill for everyone who got to go up. Afterwards, Muir gave everyone who had come up a hug before they headed down. How nice!

Anthrax

The theme for Thursday at Tons was seemingly bands that have been keeping at it for a while, because next up were the thrash veterans, Anthrax. The band boasts a loyal following, and many of them were here today. The band entered the stage with 'Among the Living' – a track that immediately got the crowd in the mood. Joey Belladonna ran back and forth in his familiar style, delivering the songs just as he should, while Scott Ian – also in his familiar style – stood grinning at the audience. 'Madhouse' was the track where things really kicked off for the first time, but 'Caught in a Mosh' and 'Antisocial' also got the crowd moving. This is, after all, music made for mosh pits and crowd-surfing. The band closed with 'Indians' before thanking the crowd and taking their leave. A brilliant and heartfelt concert by one of the four cornerstones of thrash.

Alice Cooper

Okay, let me start with this, Alice Cooper is my all-time favourite artist. I discovered him through 'He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)' in 1988, and just a few months later, the album Trash arrived and cemented the artist in my soul. This review may be somewhat influenced by that. Alice played on the Vampire Stage, and some people reacted to him not playing on the main stage. I was standing in the front row and was absolutely delighted regardless. I had seen him perform with Criss Angel in Las Vegas just a month prior, but I was looking forward to it as if I were 17 all over again anyway.

The familiar notes of 'Hello Hooray' sound from the speakers as the band takes the stage. One of the henchmen on stage opens a large book lying there, and when he lets the cover drop, Alice Cooper is standing right there. A magnificent entrance!

The band then launches into 'Who Do You Think We Are' from the album Special Forces – a delightful little surprise – before kicking off 'Spark in the Dark' from Trash. And after that, it is just one hit after another: 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', 'House of Fire', 'I'm Eighteen', followed by 'Feed My Frankenstein'. Here, Franken-Alice also comes out onto the stage, stomping around.

The band is so tight and the joy of playing is so obvious. Alice's guitarist of many years, Nita Strauss, is on maternity leave, so now 22-year-old Anna Cara gets her chance to show what she can do. And she is a joy for both eyes and ears, playing as if she couldn't care less about the many thousands standing and watching her.

It is the complete show that you could want and expect from Cooper, featuring diamond jewellery, balloons filled with confetti, straitjackets, stabbings, and a guillotine. After a mash-up of 'School's Out' and 'Another Brick in the Wall', the band closes with a cover of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. If the evening had ended right here, Thursday at Tons would still have been perfect for me.

Iron Maiden

There were huge expectations for Iron Maiden, who were the headliners this Thursday. Maiden must be one of the world's biggest festival bands, and they also headlined Tons of Rock back in 2022. Now they were back, to the delight of both new and old listeners. And what a show it would turn out to be! The tour they are on is called the 'Run for Your Lives World Tour'), where they only play tracks from their 1980 debut up until 1992's Fear of the Dark. These are, in other words, the golden years for the band, from which they have the most hits. The party kicks off already during 'Doctor Doctor' – the UFO track that starts their shows. The band takes the stage to fantastic cheers, and they open the show with 'Murders in the Rue Morgue'. Bruce Dickinson's voice still sounds fantastic as he runs around the stage in his familiar style. The dynamics between Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers are exactly as good as they should be, and right in the middle of it all stands Steve Harris himself, just being absolute boss on his bass. Behind the drums sat Simon Dawson, who has taken over the sticks after Nicko McBrain stepped down in 2024.

The stage is also impressively set up, with a fantastic show on the screen behind. Eddie naturally comes out onto the stage several times as well, looking to pick a fight with the band members. It is difficult to highlight specific peaks because there are just so many of them. 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Number of the Beast', '2 Minutes to Midnight', 'Run to the Hills'. The songs come like pearls on a string, and the band plays fantastically. There are many things that could be pointed out here, but I will rather conclude by saying that you must catch Maiden on this tour if the chance comes along. You will have to look long and hard for a better summary of a 50-year-long career – even if these were only songs up until 1992. The band closed with 'Wasted Years' before leaving the stage, and that is how Thursday at Tons ended, with a concert that surely became the festival highlight for many.

Friday, 26 June

The weather wasn't quite as good this Friday, but since we had been treated to a great deal of sun and heat on both Wednesday and Thursday, it actually felt completely fine. As far as I am aware, the day also passed entirely without any issues regarding water or power, so at least that was good. This day was instead to be marked by a different set of challenges – cancellations.

Queensrÿche

The first band out for me this day was Queensrÿche, a band I had followed since Operation: Mindcrime, and this was the very first time I have seen the band live! Since it was still relatively early in the day, it was far from packed in front of the stage when the band came on. I had hoped for a majority of the catalogue up to and including Promised Land – my favourite period with the band. The band took the stage with singer Todd La Torre leading the way, and kicked off with none other than 'Queen of the Reich'. I was immediately delighted. So was everyone around me. The band continued with 'Operation: Mindcrime' – to even greater cheers this time – before the next song on the setlist: 'The Warning'. Was it really possible? Three songs, and all of them from what was, for me, prime-time Queensrÿche. The entire concert was to be a proper nostalgia trip, featuring songs precisely from the albums up to and including Empire. I had an absolute blast right at the front by the stage, alongside a girl of perhaps 20, who told me she was seeing her favourite band for the very first time. That was very cool, and it would turn out she knew the lyrics much better than me. And even though we were total strangers to one another, it was a fantastic feeling to get to experience the band together for the first time.

Tom Morello

The Hellacopters

It was actually Tom Morello who was supposed to play at Tons of Rock this afternoon, but he had cancelled due to his sick mother. The replacement turned out to be Sweden’s The Hellacopters, who turned things around quickly and gathered their live band together. And the band did a superb job this afternoon. The raw and unpretentious Swedish rock was naturally something completely different from what one might expect from Morello, but it seemed as though the audience thoroughly enjoyed the Swedish rock – the first of several Swedish bands this day. Singer and guitarist Nicke Andersson, formerly the drummer for the death metal band Entombed, led the crowd through a whopping 14 tracks of delightful 'Scandi-rock'. It was far from packed in front of the main stage at this point, but the band delivered as if they were the main attraction this evening. It is also worth mentioning pianist Anders Lindström, who helped make the sound extra groovy and cool. One highlight was during one of the songs when the guitarists and the pianist had a sort of 'call-and-response' duel – a guitar and piano duel. Another highlight for me, as an Alice Cooper fan, was when the band launched into the solo from his song 'Wish You Were Here' during an instrumental section. A delightful and unexpected surprise from a band that was a delightful and unexpected surprise in itself.

Avatar

There was more Swedish action to come on the Vampire Stage when Avatar – fronted by Johannes Eckerström – brought the circus to Tons. This was the third time I had seen the band in a single year, but the band always delivers humour, energy, and heavy-as-lead metal in a fantastic and unpredictable blend. The band also pulled off the most original entrance (spoiler alert) when a gift box was carried out onto the stage and placed on top of a crate. The gift box was opened, and out popped a red balloon. Followed by Johannes himself. Fantastic! The band kicked off with the hit 'In the Airwaves' complete with windmill-headbanging and a wall of sound. Johannes strutted around wide-mouthed on stage in his familiar style, drinking his water (presumably) from a petrol can. The band delivered tracks like 'The Eagle Has Landed', 'The Dirt I'm Buried In!', and 'A Statue of the King' and the audience responded by keeping a massive circle pit going for almost the entire concert. In addition, there was clearly a competition to see who could pull off the most crowd-surfs during the gig, to the delight of the surfers and to the annoyance of everyone else who had to keep an eye out for the next shoe, elbow, or backside about to hit them in the head.

The Hives

It became a hat-trick (to use football terminology in these World Cup times) of Swedish bands this day, when The Hives took the stage on the Scream Stage. As usual, they performed in matching suits, which is a fantastic contrast to the garage punk they deliver with perfect energy and arrogance. Frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist is just as energetic as he is talkative, and he was highly delighted to be playing for an audience with bands like Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, and The Hellacopters as support. The band enjoyed great success in the early 2000s, with tracks like 'Hate To Say I Told You So', 'Main Offender', and 'Walk Idiot Walk', and here they came like pearls on a string, all of them, along with a other energy pills. The crowd seemed to love the swaggering and confident Swedes, even if some (the undersigned included) felt there was a bit too much talking at times.

Yungblud

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Yungblud was originally supposed to be the evening's headliner, but just a couple of days before the concert was due to take place, the announcement came that he had cancelled due to vocal problems. This caused an uproar – partly because a young and up-and-coming rocker was being replaced by a 67-year-old lady (read: icon, legend), but also because Yungblud was scheduled to hold a concert in England the very next day. (Though nobody knew that on this Friday evening.) Personally, I was quite pleased with the change. I had heard a few tracks by Yungblud, but to me, he was far too new an artist with far too few hits to headline this evening. Meanwhile, Joan Jett has had a long career of major and minor hits.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the Scream Stage when Joan Jett and her Blackhearts took the stage, and they impressed with convincing rock 'n' roll. We were served hits like 'Bad Reputation', 'I Hate Myself for Loving You', and 'Crimson and Clover'. She also played the track 'Light of Day', which Bruce Springsteen wrote, but which she performed in the 1987 film of the same name, where she and Michael J. Fox played siblings.

At one point, she pulled out her mobile phone and read out a speech she had written, in which she lamented how things were in the USA at the moment, and that most Americans wanted the same thing as people in the rest of the world – to be safe and live well. Then she continued with the track 'Change the World'. The entire festival sang and danced along to 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll', and at that exact moment, I don't think there was anyone at Tons of Rock who missed Yungblud.

Saturday, 27 June

The sun and the heat were back in Oslo when Saturday arrived – to the delight of most, even though there were quite a few red and sore sunburnt necks and arms around. Almost strange, considering applying sunscreen was free all day long. But it isn't easy to catch everything when new bands and new music are always beckoning from all sides.

Black Label Society

Zakk Wylde and his Black Label Society were the first band out for me on this final day of Tons of Rock. I haven't listened to too much of their music, but I had liked what I had heard. 'War Pigs' plays over the speakers as the band takes the stage, to great cheers from those in attendance. There is hope of getting some Ozzy nods here as well. Zakk was, after all, a guitarist and co-songwriter with Ozzy over many years. Zakk is, as I overhear someone say, the closest thing we have left to Ozzy.

The band started with 'Funeral Bell', which with its heavy sound set the tone for the concert. And it is a mighty sight, the four hairy men on stage. Zakk, not least, has a fantastic stage presence with his long hair and beard, big arms, and a yellow kilt, and the microphone stand built up from skulls, a crucifix, and a rosary. The band continued with 'In This River' (or 'Bleed for Me') and 'A Love Unreal'. Then comes a riff many know to appreciate – it's the intro to Ozzy's 'No More Tears', and the audience sings along at the top of their lungs. During the song 'Fire It Up', lots of beach balls are thrown out into the audience, and the track closes with a fantastic guitar solo where Zakk and his regular partner-in-arms on guitar, Dario Lorina, play in perfect unison with the guitars behind their necks. A fantastic display.

The concert closes with 'Suicide Messiah' and 'Stillborn', where three pictures of Ozzy adorn the screen behind the stage. Zakk puts his guitar down and crosses himself before giving a hug to all his band members. A nice and warm conclusion to a superb and energetic concert.

Leprous

Norway's Leprous are the next band out for me this day, playing progressive and melancholic rock with industrial elements. I am not familiar with the band, but I listened to some of their material to prepare earlier in the day. And it was clear that the band also boasts a solid fan base, because there were plenty of people in front of the stage when they came on in the sunshine this afternoon. The fantastic range of the singer, Einar Solberg, is nothing short of impressive, with superb power in the falsetto parts as well. After the delightful 'From the Flame', the band begins to play a very distinct version of A-ha's 'Take On Me' – where, among other things, they play the famous keyboard section on guitar. The song is well received by the audience, so it's clear that not everyone is tired of that track. The band delivers a highly convincing performance, and undoubtedly wins over new fans this day as well. The only thing I could have wished for to be different, was if the band had played in the dark inside the tent instead, as the music at times is so introvert and emotional that the sound would have worked better in the dark than in brilliant sunshine. But regardless – a very well-delivered and impressive performance!

Twisted Sister

W.A.S.P.

Accept

It was actually Twisted Sister who were supposed to play the next concert, but that was before Dee Snider had to pull out due to health issues. W.A.S.P. were then scheduled to take over, but Blackie & Co also had to cancel due to family reasons. I have never seen Twisted Sister live before, and I have never seen W.A.S.P. at a festival before either, so both of those cancellations were a bummer. Fortunately, though, Accept are always good fun, and there was a fantastic atmosphere when the Germans took the stage to celebrate 50 years as a band. The first song was 'Metal Heart', which immediately contributed to a sing-along and a great vibe. The same went for 'Teutonic Terror', which followed. And that's when I caught myself thinking that even though there is fantastic variation among the bands at this festival, I could undoubtedly have gone for more feel-good heavy metal, which is precisely what Accept delivered. This really created a great atmosphere. And no one seemed to be enjoying themselves more than guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, who was pretty much one big grin on stage. That kind of thing is contagious. At one point, an inflatable shark popped up at the front of the crowd, which you'd almost think was staged, because the next track up was none other than 'Fast as a Shark' – the fastest song I could remember ever having heard when I first heard it in my youth. The band said their goodbyes with the iconic 'Balls to the Wall' and 'I'm a Rebel' before thanking the crowd and leaving the stage.

A Perfect Circle

I must admit that I have never quite got the hang of A Perfect Circle, but I was curious to hear them live. I am well aware that they have a large following, even if I have never devoted much attention to them. The band takes the Vampire Stage, and the atmosphere is good right at the front. The first track up is the low-key and introverted 'The Package'. Singer Maynard James Keenan stands on an elevated section next to the drums (where he remains standing throughout the entire concert), wearing black makeup around his eyes. He is mostly just a silhouette against the screen behind him, and the large screens on the sides of the stage don't reveal anything either, as they only display blurry images of what is happening on stage with graphic elements overlaid. It's not the best way to include curious and somewhat casual new listeners. But like many others, I catch myself standing there nodding my head to the beat. It is, after all, atmospheric and hypnotic rather than a party, and I find myself drawing comparisons to the Norwegian band Seigmen, who share a similar soundscape. And the concert continues in this vein, conveying more of a mood than anything else. But that is exactly what the die-hard fans want, and they are seemingly in another world, closing their eyes and just enjoying it. And perhaps that is the best way to experience

the music.

Limp Bizkit

It was Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit who were given the honour of closing this year's Tons of Rock. A peculiar choice, I felt, as someone who has never been a fan of the symbiosis of rap and metal, and probably hasn't listened to a song by the band since the early 2000s. But it would turn out that I and my attitude were in a clear minority this evening. The band undoubtedly still has old fans in Norway, and not only that – they have managed to acquire many new fans since their heyday. It was impossible to get a spot in front of the stage, and honestly, not a spot with a good view of the stage either, unless you were out early. Fortunately, the screens were a great help here.

The stage was decorated with large copies of old rap cassettes. Fred Durst wore a large baggy jumper and trousers, with a cap and pink sunglasses. In addition, he had a beard, which made it difficult to recognise him from 25 years ago. Guitarist Wes Borland went for a completely different style, looking like a cross between an alien and an Egyptian pharaoh. The band started with one of their newer tracks, 'Out of Style', and right from the very start, it was clear that this would be one of the festival's most intense concerts. The area in front of the stage was boiling, and even though there had been plenty of crowd-surfing at times earlier, it now kicked off completely. There was probably a lot of unleashed energy in fans who have hoped to see the band live before, because this was actually the band's first-ever performance in Norway. It becomes even more energetic when 'Break Stuff' arrives – a song that has made an impact at festivals before. Now, fortunately, things went more smoothly, even if the audience knew how to vent their energy in other ways. It was incredible that people still had energy left (and so much of it) after 4 warm days at a festival, so credit to the band for that. The band also pulled up a fan on stage to sing during the song 'Full Nelson', which was a little highlight in itself. After a short version of The Who track 'Behind Blue Eyes', the band closed with a reprise of 'Break Stuff'. And then I actually think the vast majority were pleased that the concert and the festival were over. What an energy blowout the concert turned out to be, for everyone who chose to take advantage of it.

With that, Tons of Rock 2026 was over – a festival marked by difficulties with water, power, and cancellations. But I saw pretty much everyone who was there having a superb experience, and I'm sure they're already looking forward to next year.

TONS OF ROCK GALLERY