Upon arriving at the venue, I immediately noticed the better parking situation over last year’s three mile backup to get in; this year, the backup barely stretched a thousand feet. But quickly, the familiar sights of a heavy metal parking lot take hold; plenty of Natural Ice and American Spirit cigarettes abound. After looking over the crowd for two days, it's pretty obvious what the eventual cause of death will be for a solid fifty percent of the festival goers, and it's not natural causes.

As the first band on the second stage comes on, you look at how pristine everything still is and you wonder how long it will take for this beer swilling crew to wreck the place- my initial prediction is somewhere in the 4-5 hour range (it only took 2 hours, maybe, for the second stage area to be littered in plastic beer bottles). The first band, Drive A, a Buckcherry-rip off, would be more memorable for giving out the most free stuff during the weekend than for their 25-minute set.

Billy Howerdel’s new band, Ashes Divide, seemed better suited for a darkly lit goth club than the 1 p.m. sunshine. Not bad, but not all that great in their 30-minute set and definitely not the demographic the band was looking for. Finger Eleven was the first band to take to the main stage. The Canadian band was brief, but made the most out of their time. Playing songs like “Good Times” and the massive hit “Paralyzer,” the band was a pleasant early day surprise. It looked as if lead singer Scott Anderson might have started celebrating a little early, but the band had seized their moment.

If there was a band that seized the moment more than any other at Rock on the Range ’08, it was the Australian band Airbourne. The band played to their AC/DC influence, and won the crowd (and myself) over with their half hour set with fun no-brainers like “Cheap Wine and Cheaper Women,” and “Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast.” Lead singer Joel O’Keefe even nailed the high pitched wail of Brian Johnson. Some people may complain that the band sounds too much like their influences, but it’s a brand of rock we don’t see much of these days.

As Airbourne seized the day, Killswitch Engage took their usual spot as the court jesters of the festival circuit. Killswitch gave ROTR a little taste of the full on metal that had so far been avoided at the festival. Armed with a blow up doll strapped to his back, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz taunted the crowd, while lead singer Howard Jones wanted to see “white people collide” during songs like “Rose of Sharyn” and their ripping cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.”

SON OF RAMBOW (EXCLUSIVELY AT THE ROYAL OAK MAIN): This is a hilariously fresh and visually inventive take on friendship, family, film heroes and the death-defying adventures of growing up in the video age.  The story takes place in 1980s Britain, where young Will Proudfoot is raised in isolation among The Brethren, a puritanical religious sect in which music and TV are strictly forbidden.  When Will encounters his first movie, a pirated copy of RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD his imagination is blown wide open.  Now, Will sets out to join forces with the seemingly diabolical school bully, Lee Carter, to make their own action epic, devising wildly creative, on-the-fly stunts, all the while hiding out from The Brethren.

When school popularity finally descends on Will and Lee Carter in the form of, oui, the super-cool French exchange student, Didier Revol, their remarkable new friendship and precious film are pushed, quite literally, to the breaking point. Filmed in a creatively mad-cap, homemade style with a mostly amateur cast and a wry, comic-tinged nostalgia, creative visionaries Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith, a.k.a. Hammer & Tongs (HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY), manage to capture both the agony and the giddy ecstasy of a camcorder childhood with humor, poignancy and a rousing dose of cinematic panache.

Paramount Vantage presents a Reason Pictures/Good presentation of a Hammer & Tongs film, SON OF RAMBOW.  The film is directed and written by Garth Jennings and produced by Nick Goldsmith.  The executive producers are Hengameh Panahi, Bristol Baughan and Benjamin Goldhirsh.  The film stars Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jules Sitruk, Jessica Stevenson, Ed Westwick and Neil Dudgeon.  (PARAMOUNT VANTAGE) Rated PG-13.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN: The characters of C.S. Lewis’ timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment of the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them.One year after the incredible events of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1300 years have passed in Narnian time.

During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy.  The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne.

Starring Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell,Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Pierfrancesco Favino and Sergio Castellitto, with Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, also featuring the voice of Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep.  (WALT DISNEY PICTURES) Rated PG.

Tickets are $18 and are still available at www.tickets.com, or www.romtlive.com.

Sevendust @ Machine Shop - Before heading down to Columbus on Sunday, the long time Atlanta hard rockers make it a couple night venture to Flint. Lead singer Lajon Witherspoon still has one of the best voices in rock and the band recently welcomed back original Clint Lowery, who served time in Korn the past couple of years. The band recently released their Hope & Sorrow album, which features guest spots from Alter Bridge’s Mark Tremonti, and Chris Daughtry (yes, that Chris Daughtery). Back in the day, rumor has it that Daughtry was Sevendust’s superfan and always wanted to do something with the band. Thankfully, he wont be there in Flint and you can hear killer tracks such as “Denial” and “Black.” Also playing Saturday as well. Tickets are $25 and are still available at www.etix.com.

SATURDAY

Papa Roach @ Emerald Theatre - Before the band gets back into the studio to write their fifth album, P-Roach heads to the Emerald as part of a showcase of bands up in Detroit before heading to Columbus. We’re sure the band is gonna play their string of hits, including “Last Resort” to “Forever.” Also on the bill are the guys who used to be in Creed that cant stand Scott Stapp, with Mark Tremonti and the rest of Alter Bridge on the bill. Drowning Pool plays their second show in the Flint/Detroit area in the past three weeks as part of this bill as well. Tickets are $37 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com, or www.emeraldtheatre.com.