MANSFIELD — After setting up my car camp to sleep, and a wild goose chase for the media tent (that happens to be surrounded by geese. So. Many. Geese.), the first day of Inkcarceration 2022 began.
I made my trek to the front, preparing to photograph bands I’ve listened to since childhood and soak in all the feelings of nostalgia. Immediately, the music pounded through the ground, to my feet, sucking me into its vortex.
“Sour Blood” kicked the festival off at 11:30 a.m., as “Inkmates” made their way to the barriers closest to two of the three stages that lie right next to each other. “Oxymorrons” brought impeccable energy, exiting the stage to take pictures and chat with fans, giving boatloads of hugs and handshakes.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no singular “type” that attends the festival. Any person you could dream of is in the audience with a smile on their face, supporting those next to them. Just keep hitting “randomize” until you create 75,000 people.
I frequently walked along the grounds, asking audience members who they were most excited to see. Each answer was different, but almost everyone threw in “Korn” or “Disturbed.”
The energy remained the same for each band, whether observers knew them or not. Screaming, smiling, and head-banging. Everyone was just overjoyed to be listening to live music with strangers, who to most, felt like family.
Many seemed prepped to stay awake as long as they possibly could, not wanting to miss a single beat or strum of a guitar.
Moshing is loving here. When someone falls, there is a hand upon them immediately, helping them up. Crowd-surfers fall into the arms of security guards and run through the barriers, high-fiving the audience that cheers them on.
Blankets and towels cover the grass, a mosaic of fabric and people stretching across the grounds of the historic Ohio State Reformatory, with varieties of food from vendors on hand. The assortment of outfits is incredible; every hair color in the book and band t-shirts and fishnets galore.
I highly anticipated “Three Days Grace,” a band near and dear to my heart for years. To be in a community of people who feel the same way is a heart-warming feeling that returns with each concert I attend.
I watched as the words to songs I had memorized were sung back to the band, the members still in awe that there were people listening and singing their creations.
With each song and each person I interact with, I become more excited for the next, and the following two days. After “Korn” blew the minds of myself and many (unfortunately, they only allowed one publication to photograph them), I laid my head in my car, a bed created in the backseat a year ago, made for moments like these, anticipating each second of Saturday.
Look out for more of my coverage of Inkcarceration over the next couple days, as well as a full gallery.
