The second annual Rock Allegiance Festival and was one of the most fun times I can remember at a music festival. From the location on the water outside of Philly to the stadium, to the third stage area, food options, beer gardens, VIP amenities, signings and special performances and of course the bands; this was a dream to a music lover with many types of rock, metal, and punk bands represented. It was also my birthday , so it was especially rad!Continue reading
The 3rd annual Louder Than Life Festival kicks off today at Champions Park, in Louisville, Kentucky. Ghost Cult is there to cover and bring you all the sounds and flavors of the fest! Check below for the daily line-up!Continue reading
The date was September 10, 2016. I awoke from a sleepless night. Not from heartache or drama, but from anticipation. You know, a night rocking out to music, memorizing that last verse of your favorite song, looking up YouTube videos of opening acts. That utterly restless night lost in the imagination of the next days adventure. That’s right, that night before the big show. For me it is the ‘High Elevation Rock Festival’ at Fiddlers Green Amphitheater in Denver, CO sponsored by Monster Energy.
The third annual Louder Than Life Festival will take place October 1 & 2 At Champions Park In Louisville, KY.Continue reading
AEG Live, the brand behind such concert and rock lifestyle experiences Rock On The Range, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, Rocklahoma, Northern Invasion and other U.S. rock festivals, now presents the High Elevation Rock Festival. Taking place on September 10th at the world-famous Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in the Denver, CO area, the concert promises to be a blend of the best in music and nature combined. With 11 hours of non-stop music on two stages amidst rolling grassy slopes and spectacular Rocky Mountain views, with performances from Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat, Chevelle, Pierce The Veil, Ministry, Killswitch Engage, Animals As Leaders, Sevendust, Texas Hippie Coalition, The Amity Affliction, Neck Deep, Shaman’s Harvest, Twelve Foot Ninja, and Lola Black.
Joe Litvag, Executive Producer of High Elevation Rock Festival for AEG Live commented:
“Colorado has always been a stronghold for live music of all genres, including hard rock.We’re excited to create something original and unique for all of the hard rock fans throughout the Rocky Mountain region, and there is no better place to call our home than the legendary Fiddler’s Green. Expect 11 straight hours of insanity with some incredible and impactful performances by the greatest names in rock today!”
Presale ticket prices are as follows (plus fees) and available here:
General Admission Pit: $79.50
General Admission Seated: $69.50
General Admission Lawn: $59.50
A limited number of General Admission Lawn 4-Packs will also be available for $198.
For those who want to make a weekend out of it, a limited number of Hotel Packages for two or four people will also be available for purchase. Hotel packages will include accommodations close to the festival site, premier parking, and festival shirts for each person.
A limited number of discounted ticket 4-Packs will also be available for active military through High Elevation Rock Festival partner GovX (www.govx.com).
Presale ticket prices are as follows (plus fees):
General Admission Pit: $79.50
General Admission Seated: $69.50
General Admission Lawn: $59.50
A limited number of General Admission Lawn 4-Packs will also be available for $198.High Elevation Rock Festival flyer with band lineup and venue details
For those who want to make a weekend out of it, a limited number of Hotel Packages for two or four people will also be available for purchase. Hotel packages will include accommodations close to the festival site, premier parking, and festival shirts for each person.
A limited number of discounted ticket 4-Packs will also be available for active military through High Elevation Rock Festival partner GovX (www.govx.com).
High Elevation Rock Festival is fueled by Monster Energy.
Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre is located at 6350 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard in Greenwood Village, CO, just outside Denver. For more information on the venue, visit: www.fiddlersgreenamp.com.
Hashtag: #HighElevation
For the second year in a row, the Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Festival promises to be the east coast’s answer to the best rock and metal festivals the USA has to offer. The fest takes place at Talen Energy Stadium, 1 Stadium Drive, Chester, PA, just outside Philadelphia on September 17 & 18, 2016. With 35 bands on two stages over two days, the fest is headlined by Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains, Slayer, The Offspring, Breaking Benjamin, Volbeat, and Chevelle, the fest also features The Cult, The Pretty Reckless, Pierce The Veil, Of Mice & Men, Ghost, Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, Chevy Metal, Baroness, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Motionless In White, Buckcherry, Trivium, Avatar, Max & Iggor Cavalera Back To Roots, Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy, Sick Puppies, The Amity Affliction, letlive., Neck Deep, Skindred, KYNG, Young Guns, Crobot, Devour The Day, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dinosaur Pile Up, Death Angel and Hundredth.
Rock Allegiance also features a craft beer and Gourmet Man Food experience celebrating what makes Philadelphia cuisine famous, unique and delicious. A main theme of the fest is supporting craft beer entrepreneurship with a celebration of local breweries and specialty drafts hailing from throughout the nation. The initial lineup of regional and national craft beers is as follows: Evolution Craft Brewing Co. (Salisbury, MD), Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company (Dover, DE), New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO), Starr Hill Brewery (Crozet, VA), Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, PA) and Victory Brewing Company (Downington, PA). Gourmet Man Food: The initial Gourmet Man Food lineup includes: Braz-B-Q, Chickie & Pete’s, The Cow & The Curd, Dos Hermanos, Dump ’n’ Roll, M.A.T.T.’s Gourmet Sliders, Mama’s Meatballs, Seoulfull Philly, Sum Pigand The Tot Cart. You can get tickets at this link:
Louisville Kentucky’s top flight metal and hard rock festival, the 3rd annual Louder Than Life festival has announced its 2016 lineup. Avenged Sevenfold will headline, with Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed, Korn and The Cult performing among others on October 1st and 2nd.
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday at noon EST at www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com. Prices will be $79.50 for a single-day general admission, $89.50 for a general admission weekend pass, and $234.50 for a VIP weekend pass. Other packages are available, with prices increases soon.
Other bands performing at Champions Park on River Road are Ghost, Cheap Trick, The Pretty Reckless, Alter Bridge, Pierce the Veil, Clutch, Anthrax, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Trivium and Sick Puppies. More than 50,000 fans attended last year’s sold-out festival, most from out of state.
With the Louisville locale in the forefront, the festival also features on bourbon and “gourmet man food”.
Celebrity chefs will be Edward Lee, Tom Coghill, Bill Kunz and Jonathan Schwartz, while the Gourmet Man Food Village will have several dozen choices, including Doc Crow’s, El Luchador,: 502 Café, Aporkalypse Now, Hi-Five Doughnuts, Holy Mole, The Comfy Cow, Gelato Gilberto and Cheese Louise.
Bourbon World, presented by the Louisville Courier-Journal, will feature Angel’s Envy, Basil Hayden’s, Benchmark, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Eagle Rare, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, Old Forester, Town Branch, Willett, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve.
Here are the daily line-ups:
Saturday, Oct. 1 – Avenged Sevenfold, Slayer, The Cult, The Pretty Reckless, Pierce The Veil, Cheap Trick, Chevy Metal, Anthrax, Motionless In White, Hellyeah, Sick Puppies, The Amity Affliction, Avatar, Neck Deep, Young Guns, Being As An Ocean, ’68, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dinosaur Pile Up.
Sunday, Oct. 2 – Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, Ghost, Alter Bridge, Clutch, Biffy Clyro, Pop Evil, Skillet, Sevendust, Zakk Sabbath, Parkway Drive, Trivium, KYNG, Skindred, Adelitas Way, Crobot, Smashing Satellites, Sabaton.
Slipknot, one of the headline acts for Monster Energy Aftershock Festival have paired up to present Slipknot ‘s Scream Park for the Monster Energy Aftershock Pre-Party on Friday, October 23 from 7 p.m. to midnight in Sacramento, California. The pre-party concert and food truck event will be headlined by Hell Or Highwater, with more bands to be announced. Hell Or Highwater has also been added to the festival proper, performing on Saturday, October 24.
Slipknot ‘s Corey Taylor and M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan have partnered with Sacramento-based Scream Park California to produce an event that explores a whole new, intensely visceral world of horror, as only Slipknot can provide. Slipknot ‘s Scream Park features three haunted houses and live horror entertainment. Slipknot ‘s Scream Park will also have an onsite presence at Monster Energy Aftershock on October 24 and 25.
A limited number of guests can gain admission to the Monster Energy Aftershock Pre-Party by showing proof of purchase of an Aftershock ticket. This will allow free access to the Aftershock Pre-Party, which will include live music and food trucks. On the Pre-Party night guests will be able to go through the haunted houses at Slipknot ‘s Scream Park for a discounted price of $15. More details will be available soon about music performances at the Pre-Party and how to obtain free Pre-Party admission, as space will be limited. You can view the trailer for the Scream Park at this link or below:
Slipknot ‘s Scream Park is also offering an Aftershock Scream Park Bundle for $119.50. This package includes one 2-day General Admission weekend ticket to Monster Energy Aftershock and one Scream Park General Admission ticket (a $25 savings). Purchase your combo tickets for both Slipknot ‘s Scream Park and Monster Energy Aftershock Festival at link text or www.Slipknot screampark.com.
Slipknot ’s Scream Park is located at 4909 Auburn Blvd. in Sacramento, California.
Monster Energy Aftershock Festival already boasts an incredible music lineup with four stages and countless attractions such as live, in-ring matches with WWE’s NXT Superstars beyond music for entertainment. Bands appearing in addition to Slipknot are Faith No More, Deftones, Shinedown, Jane’s Addiction, Marilyn Manson, Coheed & Cambria, Stone Temple Pilots, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Bring Me The Horizon, All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, Eagles Of Death Metal, Black Veil Brides, and many more.
Another year has arrived for the Vans Warped Tour full of anticipation and excitement to hit the summertime across North America. This year’s edition maintains their tradition of youth oriented angst filled music (or whatever the kids call it these days) and carving a path for the next batch of rising stars on the scene. Thanks to photographer Kevin Estrada for shooting these two dates of Warped tour for Ghost Cult!
The main stages (Shark and Unicorn) showcased the main attractions on the tour, ranging from the pop punk acts (The Wonder Years) to the screamo/emo (Pierce The Veil, Blessthefall) to the crossover half melodic and half aggro (We Came As Romans) to the harder sounding (August Burns Red) managed to keep the kids bouncing around in the crowd and rarely laying low.
August Burns Red, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
Tour veterans Motion City Soundtrack made their brief California run appearance, showing the crowd how things are done on this tour. Metro Station (featuring Trace Cyrus, son of country performer Billy Ray Cyrus), melodic punk act Man Overboard, and hardcore outfit Fit For A King all set the pace for the day with their respective sounds while keeping the crowd engaged.
Atilla, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
The main acts on these stages won over the crowd throughout the day. Memphis May Fire got the crowd into a high with their half heavy yet melodic styling that struck a nerve with them; Attila, led by their enigmatic frontman Chris “Fronz” Fronzak and his guitar crunching yet Eninem-esque “meth” suit bouncing along with the crowd; Black Veil Brides and their legions of die hard fan base singing along to every word; and Miss May I and their modern metallic sound that got the crowd worked up later on in the day.
The Amity Affliction, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
While the main stage had their moments going on, there were a number of side stage acts making noise of their own. The Monster Stage housed their own brand of chaos throughout the day, as Senses Fail, Being As An Ocean, Beartooth, Mallory Knox and The Amity Affliction all got the pit crew throwing down alongside each band and rarely letting down. The harder driving acts such as hardcore outfit Hundredth had the pit kids going in effect, while veteran Canadian post hardcore act Silverstein had their mix of longtime fans as well as newbies who both showed their appreciation for the band. Australian metallic hardcore outfit I Killed The Prom Queen appeared to be bass player less, but that didn’t stop them from bringing out their At The Gates meets hardcore stomp to these fans. British metalcore act While She Sleeps briefly were down a singer (ie visa problems kept frontman Lawrence Taylor making a late start on the tour) but friends pitched in to lend a helping hand and fans didn’t even notice. Plus Escape The Fate closed out the evening with their eclectic brand of punk meets screamo meets modern metal that got the late comers their last bit of a sweat.
Neck Deep, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
On the other stages, indie hip hop acts MC Lars gave a lesson in nerdcore with rhymes about video games and Game of Thrones (ie his latest single “Dragon Blood), while Kosha Dillz brought out his East Coast blend of Spanish, English and Hebrew rhymes; and electro-DJ-performance duo mystery men Drama Club put on an interesting performance that combined part Blue Man Group-esque percussive moments with part electronica meets EDM moments and spontaneous bursts of energy that kept the interested crowd on its feet.
Pvris, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
The Journeys Stages found Juliette Sims and Night Riots wowing the crowd with their high energy sets, while hotly tipped electro pop outfit PVRIS became one of the much talked about acts on the tour and their set did not disappoint. Hip hop act Riff Raff put on quite the entertaining show on this stage, with his colorful summertime dress and animated raps to get the crowd bouncing along.
New York alternative rockers The Karma Killers stood out amongst the vast number of acts performing on the Ernie Ball Stage, with their fresh take on classic pop-punk, rock, and alternative rock with an energetic stage show. While they are newly signed to Island/Def Jam and new to the scene, they showed that they could one day end up on one of the larger stages in the new future.
The Acoustic Basement easily became an area largely for shade against the sun, but while most of the acts attracted stragglers throughout the day, Canadian singer-songwriter Saywecanfly and Brian Marquis were two of the acts who attracted a decent sized crowd throughout the day. Saywecanfly attracted a packed tent and entertained the audience with his emotion filled lyrics that got his largely female audience awaiting with anticipation.
Overall, this year’s edition featured a good mix of repeat acts moving up to larger stages, as well as a number of fresh faces to the scene. It is a positive sign to see new acts on the rise at a time when the music industry is struggling to attract new acts to the public. Hopefully someone is paying attention to this tour to see that there is a new generation of artists on the rise.
Set it Off, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
Tat, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
We Came As Romans, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
Miss May I, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com
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WORDS BY REI NISHIMOTO
PHOTOS BY KEVIN ESTRADA
Neck Deep is streaming their music video for “Can’t Kick Up The Roots” off of their sophomore full length Life’s Not Out To Get You, out on August 14th, 2015 via Hopeless Records. The album was produced by Jeremy McKinnon (A Day To Remember) and Andrew Wade (The Ghost Inside, Issues).
Life’s Not Out To Get You – Track listing
01: Citizens Of Earth
02: Threat Level Midnight
03: Can’t Kick Up The Roots
04: Kali Ma
05: Gold Steps
06: Lime St.
07: Serpents
08: The Beach Is For Lovers (Not Lonely Losers)
09: December
10: Smooth Seas Don’t Make Good Sailors
11: I Hope This Comes Back To Haunt You
12: Rock Bottom
The band will be taking part on the main stage at this year’s Vans Warped Tour with dates posted below.
Jun 19: Pomona Fairplex – Pomona, CA
Jun 20: Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA
Jun 21: Seaside Park – Ventura, CA
Jun 23: Quail Run Park – Mesa, AZ
Jun 24: Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
Jun 25: Remington Park – Oklahoma City, OK
Jun 26: NRG Park Main St Yellow Lot – Houston, TX
Jun 27: Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX
Jun 28: AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX
Jul 01: Tennessee State Fairgrounds – Nashville, TN
Jul 02: Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA
Jul 03: Vinoy Park – St. Petersburg, FL
Jul 04: Coral Sky Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL
Jul 05: Tinker Field – Orlando, FL
Jul 06: Morocca Shrine Auditorium & Grounds – Jacksonville, FL
Jul 07: PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC
Jul 08: Farm Bureau Live – Virginia Beach, VA
Jul 09: First Niagara Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 10: Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
Jul 11: Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheatre – Wantagh, NY
Jul 12: Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT
Jul 14: Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA
Jul 15: Darien Lake PAC – Darien Center, NY
Jul 16: Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
Jul 17: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
Jul 18: Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD
Jul 19: PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
Jul 21: The Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA
Jul 23: Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Jul 24: The Palace of Auburn Hills Parking Lot – Detroit, MI
Jul 25: First Midwest Bank Amphitheater – Chicago, IL
Jul 26: Canterbury Park – Shakopee, MN
Jul 27: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Maryland Heights, MO
Jul 28: Marcus Amphitheatre – Milwaukee, WI
Jul 29: Klipsch Music Center – Noblesville, IN
Jul 30: Cricket Wireless Amphitheater – Bonner Springs, KS
Aug 01: Utah State Fairpark – Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 02: Pepsi Center Parking Lot – Denver, CO
Aug 05: Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot – San Diego, CA
Aug 07: Portland Expo Center – Portland, OR
Aug 08: White River Amphitheater – Auburn, WA
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