A soaked Saturday at Inkcarceration: One man’s journey from the photo pit to the campgrounds

MANSFIELD — By the time Slipknot roared, “If you’re five-five-five, then I’m six-six-six,” I was already shirtless and soaked — my Metallica tee crumpled in my back pocket, camera tucked in my bag, wrapped in layers of towel and poncho.

Saturday started drier and with sunny skies above. By 2:30 p.m., I was inside the gates and on a mission — first stop, the Destination Mansfield tent for earplugs.

I met up with my colleague, Hayden Gray, in the media tent, which offered an actual oasis: real bathrooms, free coffee and juice and a break from the heat — thank you, Kristine for treating us so well. Like the general layout, the media tent was also improved from previous years.

From there, I made my way to the photo pit for August Burns Red, where the cooling fans sprayed a welcome mist. “Hose Daddy” was in full effect, dousing the sweaty masses, though that didn’t stop the parade of crowd surfers.

I saw at least a couple of people being wheeled off for injuries — a reminder that even with security, medics and a crowd that is almost always willing to lend a hand, the pit can be brutal. It only got crazier as the night went on.

After the pit, I wandered into VIP. Shade, bleachers, picnic tables and best of all, no food or beer lines. I talked to some locals enjoying their first Ink experience — they were impressed with the experience so far.

“VIP is definitely worth it, just the bathrooms and access to the bar alone makes it nice,” Anthony from Mansfield said.

“It’s super organized, I’m really impressed with it,” Angie from Fredericktown chimed in.

📷: Photos from Saturday afternoon, including Acid Bath and August Burns Red. Credit: Zac Hiser. The story continues below.

Outside, I caught up with folks getting off the shuttle from the campgrounds. I saw a lot of frustrated comments in the Inkcarceration Facebook Group about the shuttle service on Friday. I was curious if that had improved for day two.

“One issue we had yesterday was the shuttle issue, I was actually kinda upset, but I heard it was the first time it had ever happened. It’s definitely better today, we’ve already been back and forth,” Joshua from Texas said.

“We waited about an hour yesterday [Friday], but some of our friends waited 2-3 hours for a shuttle,” Nicole from Indiana said.

“They fixed it though. It was much better even by the end of the night.”

I asked Brian from New Hampshire if he would be staying until the end of Slipknot on Saturday or if he would try to beat the exiting crowds.

“I plan on getting muddy,” he said with a grin.

Props to the Ink staff — they adjusted quickly after some first-day snafus with parking and shuttles. By the end of Saturday, there would be even more issues with muddy parking areas and flooded campgrounds.

Mother Nature doesn’t care about your feelings, but the Ink staff definitely seemed to be listening, actively commenting on Facebook posts and doing what they could to help campers.

After a quick trip back to the office to offload photos, I returned for the evening’s heavy hitters. I caught Acid Bath in the pit for a few songs, then Hayden and I went back to VIP to regroup and check the weather forecast. We were about to get wet.

Slaughter to Prevail, a Russian deathcore band formed in 2014, had the honor of opening for Marilyn Manson and Slipknot.

And they did not waste the spotlight — it was the craziest show I’ve ever witnessed in the rain. The crowd was packed in like sardines. Easily the most crowded I’ve seen Inkcarceration — everyone had staked out their spot for Manson and Slipknot, but nobody was glossing over Slaughter to Prevail.

Mid-set, frontman Alex Terrible (who is built like a UFC fighter) paused to issue a challenge: he wanted the audience to split down the middle and form a massive pit. It took nearly 10 minutes for the crowd to peel apart, carving a giant oval that stretched at least 50 yards back from center stage. The separation pushed everyone else even tighter into the rails, shoulder to shoulder along the pit’s edges.

When the bass dropped again, the signal was clear — bodies slammed together from both sides in a chaos known as the Wall of Death. Someone next to me said they were trying to set a world record. Whether they did or not, the mayhem was undeniable.

Manson was — well, Manson. Creepy and put on a great show. “OHIO… the state that birthed me!” he shouted, before repeatedly growling “MANSFIELD” into the mic. Not sure there’s a better way to describe it.

Then came Slipknot. Their only U.S. show in 2025. As the rain kept coming, it just made sense to lose the shirt and lean into the chaos. By the time the last notes rang out, I was drenched and buzzing from the energy.

📷: Photos from Saturday evening, including Slaughter to Prevail’s electric set. Credit: Zac Hiser. The story continues below.

At 10:42 p.m., I sat at my car wringing out my shirt, taking inventory and catching my breath. By 11:15, I was on the road to the Richland County Fairgrounds to check out some after parties at the 30-amp RV area.

Rob Myers, an Inkcarceration camping staffer, had told me this was, “the best place to experience the true heart of Ink camping.” He started the Inkcarceration camping Facebook Group in 2019. At that time, he was a camper.

“My thought behind it was, let’s get people to meet each other beforehand online, so they’re not as bashful when they come out here. Just make a community out of it,” Myers said.

As the group grew over the years, Myers became an unofficial liaison between campers and the Inkcarceration staff. In 2024, Ink co-founder and general manager Dan Janssen brought Myers on officially.

Unfortunately, all hands on deck were needed at the campgrounds to deal with the mud and the rain. And the bands that were slotted to play at the campgrounds Saturday night were postponed.

Myers was nice enough to talk to me on the phone for about 20 minutes and send me pictures from parties later in the night. Despite the weather, many campers were still in good spirits.

“The best part about the organizers and staff at Inkcarceration is, we really do care,” Myers said.

“I worked 17 hours on Thursday and I do it because I truly care about everyone out here. I know many of these people through the Facebook Group and they know me. The least I can do is help them out and earn the trust they’ve given me.”

“It’s really a special place out here. It’s hard to put into words. But the one thing I’ll say about the culture is, the people here are not negative and the way they treat each other is like family. Many of these people are complete strangers, but they’re always helping each other out with food, supplies… whatever people need.”

By the time I got home, my Metallica shirt was still damp.

But Mansfield was louder, muddier and more alive than ever.

📷: Campground photos from Saturday night. Credit: Rob Myers

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