Danny Wimmer Presents Kicks Off Festival Season With

Biggest Welcome To Rockville Ever!

More Than 200,000 In Attendance At Daytona International Speedway May 9-12,

Record-Breaking For Both DWP And The Festival

North America’s Biggest Rock Festival Featured Dozens Of

Can’t-Miss Moments

Festival Featured 150 Bands On 5 Stages With Headliners

Mötley Crüe & Disturbed (Thursday),

Limp Bizkit & Jelly Roll (Friday),

Foo Fighters & Queens of the Stone Age (Saturday),

Slipknot & Evanescence (Sunday)

2025 Dates To Be Announced Soon

Welcome To Rockville is officially the biggest rock festival in North America, hosting more than 200,000 people and 150 bands on 5 stages for the first time. This year, Rockville also broke records to become the largest event for festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents. Looking ahead, the May 2025 festival dates at Daytona International Speedway will be announced soon.

The 13^th Welcome To Rockville featured its most powerful collection of artists yet, including headliners Mötley Crüe & Disturbed (Thursday), Limp Bizkit & Jelly Roll (Friday), Foo Fighters & Queens of the Stone Age (Saturday) and Slipknot & Evanescence (Sunday), along with Judas Priest, Greta Van Fleet, Falling In Reverse, A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, Bad Omens, The Offspring, Mudvayne, Koe Wetzel, Stone Temple Pilots, Primus, Cypress Hill, Sum 41, a rare appearance by Mr. Bungle, and many others. Welcome To Rockville brought in fans from around the U.S. and the world for the four-day destination event.

These were some of the highlights and can’t-miss moments during the festival:

    Mötley Crüe had the crowd in a frenzy with a set filled with decades of hits, along with newer tracks like the recently released, “Dogs of War.” (Thursday)

    Disturbed’s powerful show included a surprise cameo by legendary Heart vocalist Ann Wilson for a duet with David Draiman on “Don’t Tell Me,” the song they recorded together for the band’s current album. This marked the first time Wilson joined Disturbed onstage to perform the song. (Thursday)

    After his headlining set on the SiriusXM Octane Drift Stage, Jelly Roll joined Limp Bizkit for the band’s version of The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes.” As Rolling Stone reported: “…Fred Durst told the crowd repeatedly, ‘I need an angel to come out here and save me. Drop something from the sky. I don’t care what it is, drop anything, please sweet angel. Save your brother Freddy D!’ As summoned, Jelly Roll then appeared onstage with Limp Bizkit to deliver the song’s second verse…” Later in the set, rapper Riff Raff joined Limp Bizkit on stage to perform his track “Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz.” The band also brought a couple from the crowd on stage for a live gender reveal. (Friday)

    Falling In Reverse was joined by Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible from Slaughter To Prevail–who both played at the festival earlier that day–for the first-ever live performance of “Ronald (Feat. Tech N9ne And Alex Terrible),” which will appear on Falling In Reverse‘s new album. (Friday)

    Rockville fans saw the second show ever for Kerry King‘s solo band, with a set that included songs from King’s forthcoming album as well as Slayer classics. (Friday)

    Foo Fighters played a 2-hour set packed with hits, including an appearance from Mammoth WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen who surprised fans with a few classic Van Halen solos during Foo Fighters’ mid-show medley. (Saturday)

    Queens of the Stone Age closed out the SiriusXM Octane Drift Stage Saturday night with an epic set of fan favorites. (Saturday)

    Slipknot’s mind-blowing festival-closing set celebrated the 25th anniversary of the band’s classic self-titled album and was one of the first shows with the band’s new drummer Eloy Casagrande. (Sunday)

    Evanescence’s Sunday night SiriusXM Octane Drift Stage headlining performance marked the band’s first show in the continental U.S. this year. (Sunday)

    Sum 41 had the crowd singing along throughout their energetic set–one of the final shows ever for the group. Shortly before the band hit the stage, fans had the unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of a SpaceX rocket launch from nearby Cape Canaveral lighting up the sky behind the Vortex Stage. (Sunday)

    The Church of Rock & Roll had surprise karaoke appearances from Rockville artists each day, including John Moyer (Disturbed), Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), John Cooper (Skillet), Ash Costello (New Years Day), Devin Oliver (I See Stars), Tim Montana and more.

    Brand new onsite experiences at Rockville included the BLACKENED Burger Bar with Chef Chris Santos on the festival grounds and Just Add Milk Cereal Bar in the Rockville campground.

    During the festival, the live broadcast on Rockville Radio on SiriusXM’s Chanel 504 included music from bands on this year’s lineup, interviews, streamed sets and more. Fans can re-live the best of Welcome To Rockville on Rockville Radio via the SiriusXM app, available to stream through May 22, 2024.

Metal Injection summarized the Welcome To Rockville experience well, noting, “Though some rock critics may argue on about how rock is either dead or dying, the only certainty is that such persons have never experienced the Florida festival that has been swelling to one of the biggest in the world: Welcome To Rockville.”

Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.

For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:

Website: www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockvillefest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometorockville

#welcometorockville

(Welcome To Rockville 2024, by Nathan Zucker)

(Mötley Crüe, by Steve Thrasher)

(Limp Bizkit with Jelly Roll, by Steve Thrasher)

(Foo Fighters, by Steve Thrasher)

(Slipknot, by Steve Thrasher)

(Disturbed, by Dusana Risovic)

(Jelly Roll, by Steve Thrasher)

(Queens of the Stone Age, by Dusana Risovic)

(Evanescence, by Dusana Risovic)

(Tech N9ne, Ronnie Radke, Alex Terrible during Falling In Reverse, by Jake Miller)

(Sum 41, by Maurice Nunez)

(Welcome To Rockville fans, by Nathan Zucker)

(Welcome To Rockville by Nathan Zucker)

200,000 In Attendance For Biggest Welcome To Rockville Ever, May 9-12 At Daytona International Speedway first appeared on Game On Media.

200,000 Fans Expected For The
Biggest Rock Festival In North America
Festival Adds Brand New Experiences To
May 9-12 Festival At Daytona International Speedway:

* BLACKENED Burger Bar *
* Just Add Milk Cereal Bar *
* The Church Of Rock & Roll *
* Rockville Radio *

Mötley Crüe & Disturbed (Thursday),
Limp Bizkit & Jelly Roll (Friday),

Foo Fighters & Queens of the Stone Age (Saturday),

Slipknot & Evanescence (Sunday)

 150 Bands On 5 Stages
Limited Passes Still Available At www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Welcome To Rockville kicks off the Danny Wimmer Presents festival season this week with its biggest year in the festivals 10+ year history, featuring a new 5th stage and 50 more bands added this year. Festival producers are expecting a record setting 200,000 attendees from all around the world during the four day destination event. As the event approaches, DWP has announced more details about the brand new Rockville onsite experiences including the BLACKENED Whiskey Burger Bar with Chef Chris Santos, The Church of Rock & Roll, Just Add Milk Cereal Bar and more.

The 13th Welcome To Rockville features its most powerful collection of artists yet, including headliners Mötley Crüe & Disturbed (Thursday), Limp Bizkit & Jelly Roll (Friday), Foo Fighters & Queens of the Stone Age (Saturday) and Slipknot & Evanescence (Sunday), along with Judas Priest, Greta Van Fleet, Falling In Reverse, A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, Bad Omens, The Offspring, Mudvayne, Koe Wetzel, Stone Temple Pilots, Primus, Cypress Hill, Sum 41, a rare appearance by Mr. Bungle, and many others. A limited number of Welcome To Rockville passes, camping options and hotel bundles are still available at www.WelcomeToRockville.com.

BLACKENED Burger Bar: DWP has announced the debut of the Metal Burger Box at the BLACKENED Burger Bar, exclusively at Welcome To Rockville. Crafted in collaboration with BLACKENED Whiskey, renowned celebrity Chef Chris Santos, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Metallica, and Welcome To Rockville, the BLACKENED Burger Bar promises to be an extraordinary fusion of exceptional spirits, culinary innovation, and the raw energy of rock music. Featuring signature burgers that embody the spirit of rock and roll, the BLACKENED Burger Bar invites fans to embark on a culinary journey unlike any other. Each Metal Burger Box is accompanied by exclusive surprises and presented in custom packaging designed to be cherished long after the last bite. Rockville attendees are invited to visit the BLACKENED Burger Bar to be a part of this groundbreaking culinary experience.

“Three things I love about summer are: cooking for my favorite metal bands at Danny Wimmer festivals every year, enjoying BLACKENED Whiskey cocktails while I’m there, and listening to Metallica while I’m doing it!” says celebrity Chef Chris Santos. “So the idea of combining the three in a fun, creative and collaborative way with both the festivals and the band seemed like a no brainer to me. And then things moved QUICK! And here we are with the first ever Metallica X Chris Santos BLACKENED Burger Bar debuting at Welcome To Rockville!”

Just Add Milk Cereal Bar: Starting Thursday morning, Welcome To Rockville campers will be able to mix and match the cereals they grew up on with fresh, ice-cold Florida milk or indulge in a fresh scoop of ice cream while vintage TVs blast out Saturday morning cartoons, making it a pit stop for nostalgia and flavor-packed fun. The activation is located within the festival campgrounds by the General Store and Pit Stop #1. Milk and ice cream will be provided by Florida Dairy Farmers. All proceeds will go to Second Harvest Food Bank, who is also a beneficiary of the post-festival food donations via Musically Fed.

“Florida Dairy Farmers is proud to partner with Welcome To Rockville to fuel campers with local, delicious, and nutritious milk and ice cream at the Just Add Milk Cereal Bar. All proceeds will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to help feed kids, families, and seniors who are experiencing hunger in our community. We were able to make this experience possible through generous donations from General Mills, TG Lee and The Ice Cream Club,” said Diahann Smith, Senior Marketing Director at Florida Dairy Farmers. (Please note that Just Add Milk Cereal Bar is open to campers only.)

The Church of Rock & Roll: The brand new The Church of Rock & Roll will serve as a sanctuary of metal madness featuring endless karaoke, sinister spirits and unforeseen thrills that will bring out festival goers’ inner rockstars. The ultimate dive bar experience features all-day karaoke with the opportunity for fans to connect, unwind, and immerse themselves in the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.

Returning immersive experiences on the Welcome To Rockville festival grounds include:

● The BLACKENED Whiskey Bar (featuring the super premium blend of straight bourbons and ryes created by the late, legendary Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and the almighty Metallica).

● Rock N’ Ride immersive carnival rides – WhipSplash Water Slide, Roundabout Ferris Wheel (with spectacular views of the festival grounds), The Round Up and The Swinger

Visit https://welcometorockville.com/experiences for a complete description of festival experiences. The most up-to-date music schedule for the 13th year of Welcome To Rockville can be found at https://welcometorockville.com/schedules. Attendees can create a personalized festival schedule with alerts and find all Welcome To Rockville details via the festival’s official mobile app, presented by Lyte, which is available for download at: https://welcometorockville.com/mobileapp/

This year, the Welcome To Rockville mobile app also provides fans with the option of ordering festival merch for onsite pickup or to ship to their home.

In addition to 150 music artists during the four-day event, Welcome To Rockville also offers unique pop-up activations, artwork installations, partner experiences, award-winning spirits, and delectable eats.

Rockville Radio has also returned to SiriusXM. Fans can tune in to Chanel 504 to hear music from bands featured in this year’s lineup, until Welcome To Rockville weekend, where it takes over Octane, bringing live coverage, interviews, streamed sets, and more.

Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.

For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:
Website: www.WelcomeToRockville.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockvillefest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometorockville
#welcometorockville

Welcome To Rockville: 200,000 Fans Expected May 9-12 In Daytona Beach For Mötley Crüe & Disturbed (Th), Limp Bizkit & Jelly Roll (Fri), Foo Fighters & Queens of the Stone Age (Sat), Slipknot & Evanescence (Sun) & More; Festival Experiences Expand first appeared on Game On Media.

Welcome To Rockville

2024 Lineup Announced

 –

Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Jelly Roll, Disturbed, Limp Bizkit,

Queens of the Stone Age, Judas Priest, Greta Van Fleet, Evanescence, Falling In Reverse,

A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, Bad Omens, & More

Lead Incredible & Diverse Rock Lineup

– 

Festival Expanding By Adding 5^th Stage & 50 Bands To Feature 150 Bands

In Total Over 4 Days, May 9-12, 2024

At Daytona International Speedway In Daytona Beach, FL

–

Passes On Sale Now At www.WelcomeToRockville.com

With Payment Plans Available For $24 Down

–

After record-breaking attendance of over 170,000 music fans over four days in 2023, Welcome To Rockville returns to Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida to kick off the festival season bigger and better than ever May 9-12, 2024. Festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents is excited to announce the addition of a 5^th music stage and 50 additional bands, bringing the total music lineup to an impressive 150 bands for Welcome To Rockville 2024.

–

The initial music lineup for the 13^th year of Welcome To Rockville is the festival’s most powerful collection of artists yet and features an array of talent not-to-be-missed including Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Jelly Roll, Disturbed, Limp Bizkit, Queens of the Stone Age, Judas Priest, Greta Van Fleet, Evanescence, Falling In Reverse, A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, Bad Omens, The Offspring, Mudvayne, Koe Wetzel, Stone Temple Pilots, Primus, Cypress Hill, Sum 41, a rare appearance by Mr. Bungle, and many others. Look for festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents to announce additional bands in early 2024, including the campground kick-off party lineup.

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Welcome To Rockville passes are on sale now with payment plans available for just $24 down at www.WelcomeToRockville.com.

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Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe said, “We couldn’t be more excited to come back to Florida. Welcome To Rockville is one of the biggest festivals in the world, and it’s going to be a highlight for us in 2024.”

–

“Welcome To Rockville isn’t just a music festival, it’s where the magic of rock meets the essence of community, creating an unforgettable experience that resonates with fans around the globe,” says Chamie McCurry, Chief Marketing Officer at Danny Wimmer Presents. “2024 marks an exciting year for us as we have our biggest lineup ever with over 150 bands (50 more than in 2023)! We’ll be welcoming Mötley Crüe to the Rockville community for the first time, celebrating 25 years of Slipknot, 50 years of Judas Priest, the return of Foo Fighters, and so many more must see moments!”

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“The record-breaking number of fans certainly proved that when it comes to rock music, there’s no place better than Daytona International Speedway,” said DIS President Frank Kelleher. “This past Welcome To Rockville produced one of the most electric atmospheres we’ve seen at The World Center of Racing, and we’re looking forward to welcoming all those fans back next year alongside a seriously talented lineup of performers.”

The current Welcome To Rockville 2024 music lineup is as follows, with more to be announced:

–

Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Jelly Roll, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Queens of the Stone Age, Greta Van Fleet, Evanescence, Falling In Reverse, A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, Bad Omens, Judas Priest, The Offspring, Mudvayne, Koe Wetzel, Stone Temple Pilots, Primus, Cypress Hill, Sum 41, Mr. Bungle, In This Moment, Architects, Royal Blood, Anthrax, Black Veil Brides, Polyphia, Kerry King, Skillet, Theory of a Deadman, Flyleaf W/ Lacey Sturm, Wage War, Clutch, Tech N9ne, Mammoth WVH, STARSET, Living Colour, Machine Head, Insane Clown Posse, In Flames, Slaughter To Prevail, The Ghost Inside, The Struts, P.O.D., Code Orange, Electric Callboy, L7, The Amity Affliction, Baroness, Shadows Fall, Atreyu, August Burns Red, Of Mice & Men, All Them Witches, Apocalyptica, THE CHATS, Kittie, Movements, Sebastian Bach, Jehnny Beth, Stabbing Westward, All That Remains, Kid Kapichi, Reignwolf, Dirty Honey, Fear Factory, Enter Shikari, Polaris, Saliva, Magnolia Park, Amigo The Devil, Austin Meade, The Word Alive, New Years Day, Kublai Khan TX, Bob Vylan, Mushroomhead, Red Fang, Currents, Helmet, Drain, Kim Dracula, Biohazard, Nitzer Ebb, Soulfly, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, FLAT BLACK, Nova Twins, Miss May I, Skindred, Alien Ant Farm, Drowning Pool, Taproot, ORGY, Destroy Boys, Taipei Houston, Terror, Gel, Fleshwater, Scowl, Militarie Gun, Nita Strauss, Dead Poet Society, LACUNA COIL, PLUSH, SiM, Cold, Powerman 5000, Nonpoint, HED PE, Trust Company, Point North, Blind Channel, Adema, The Chisel, SPITE, Harms Way, Bodysnatcher, I SEE STARS, RAIN CITY DRIVE, Crobot, Sleep Theory, Imminence, Tim Montana, Gatecreeper, Return To Dust, StrateJacket, Eva Under Fire, Afterlife, Bad Nerves, Another Day Dawns, GIDEON, FIRE FROM THE GODS, Catch Your Breath, Calva Louise, VUKOVI, Citizen Soldier, KILL THE ROBOT, Moon Fever, Dying Wish, thrown, Stick to Your Guns, HotBox, TX2, Lø Spirit, and Fuming Mouth.

–

In addition to 150 music artists and five stages during the four-day event, Welcome To Rockville also offers amusement rides, a giant water slide, artwork installations, partner experiences, award-winning spirits, and delectable eats.

–

Metal Injection called Welcome To Rockville “the undeniable crown jewel of large-scale musical events” and WKMG-TV praised it as “a heavy metal and rock fan’s paradise.”

–

All passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now, after selling out the Early Bird allotment, setting the stage for the biggest Rockville yet. The full list of pass options and prices can be viewed at https://welcometorockville.com/passes/. Festivalgoers are encouraged to buy early to save, as pass prices increase throughout the coming months, based on quantities of each pricing level. A limited number of specially priced tickets for military personnel and first responders are on sale now via GovX, while supplies last.

–

Festival attendees can enhance their Welcome To Rockville experience by camping right on the field at Daytona International Speedway. Camping offers the quickest access to the stages and comes with in and out festival privileges. The festival campgrounds are open Wednesday, May 8 through Monday, May 13. Details for the official Welcome To Rockville pre-party for campers and the 2024 camping theme will be announced early next year. RV and tent camping passes are on sale now as an add-on to festival pass purchases. Driver/Owner Lot and Red RV camping passes are sold out, but a waitlist is available. Camping amenities include indoor restrooms and showers, in and out privileges, and a general store for supplies.

–

The JamPack hotel package also allows patrons to bundle festival passes, hotel and more and save up to 41%. Visit https://welcometorockville.com/passes/ for details.

–

Fans are also invited to experience the thrill of Welcome To Rockville in an enhanced way with a VIP experience pass. VIP passholders have access to an array of exclusive privileges that elevate the festival experience to a new level. VIP passholders have access to all GA areas as well as a commemorative VIP laminate and wristband for access to dedicated Festival VIP Fast Track entrance lanes, and exclusive access to all VIP lounges, which feature shaded patio areas with misters, comfortable furniture, and live audio and video streams of both headliner stages. VIPs will have dedicated viewing areas at each main stage, access to a private festival merchandise booth**, dedicated guest services team, private locker rentals with charging capabilities**, air conditioned and flushable restrooms, and premium food and drink offerings** (**for additional purchase).

–

In addition, the coveted Daytona Owner’s Club VIP returns and offers exclusive access to an enclosed air-conditioned lounge with a private hosted bar, comfortable seating, and live audio and video of both main stages, as well as access to an elevated and shaded platform to view a main stage. Additional amenities include complimentary hors d’oeuvres and light bites curated by renowned Chef Anthony Lamas during lunch and dinner hours, a dedicated festival merchandise booth**, complimentary Wi-Fi, air-conditioned and flushable restrooms, private locker rentals with charging capabilities**, a dedicated “Owner’s” services team, dedicated Owner’s Club Fast Track entrance lanes, and one premium parking pass included with each Daytona Owner’s Club Pass order (**for additional purchase).

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Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.

–

Welcome To Rockville is proud to announce its 2024 premier partners: Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer, Jack Daniel’s, and Lyte.

–

For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:

Website: www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockvillefest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometorockville

#welcometorockville

–

–

(2023 Welcome To Rockville crowd by Nathan Zucker)

Welcome To Rockville 2024 Expands to 5 Stages and 150 Bands Led By Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit first appeared on Game On Media.

Danny Wimmer Presents Kicked Off

‘Biggest Year In Rock’ 2023 Festival Season With:

Welcome To Rockville (May 18-21 in Daytona Beach, FL),

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival (May 25-28 in Columbus, OH)

Hosting Nearly 300,000 Music Fans Over Two Consecutive Weekends,

Including DWP’s Largest Crowd Ever At Welcome To Rockville And

Biggest Single Day Audience Of 47,000 On Sunday, May 21

Highlights Included One Of The First Shows Back For Foo Fighters,

First Festival Appearances In 5 Years From Avenged Sevenfold,
First U.S. Festival Appearance From New Pantera Lineup,

First Shows Since 2022 From Tool,

First Show Since 2020 From Queens Of The Stone Age,

Final Ohio Show From KISS

And Additional Headlining Appearance From Music Heavyweights Slipknot

Plus Memorable Performances From Deftones, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Evanescence &

HARDY Featuring Surprise Guest Jeremy McKinnon From A Day To Remember

2024 Festival Dates Will Be Announced This Summer

With Full Lineups Coming Before The End Of The Year

Danny Wimmer Presents’ “Biggest Year In Rock!” has officially kicked off, with the independent festival producer’s 2023 festival season now underway, led by DWP’s biggest event ever. Welcome To Rockville – held May 18-21 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida – brought together over 170,000 music fans across four days, marking the largest attendance ever for a DWP event. As well, the 47,000 attendees on Sunday, May 21 was also a record-breaking single day crowd for the producer. It was quickly followed by the mighty return of Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, May 25-28 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, with the two combined events bringing in nearly 300,000 music fans over eight days of nonstop music and entertainment.

The 2023 editions of Welcome To Rockville (the 12^th year of the event) and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival (its first year back since 2019) have been buzzed about for months, with anticipated performances from some of rock and metal’s biggest bands and unexpected reunions. Both weekends offered memorable sets from Avenged Sevenfold – the act’s first festival appearances in five years – as well as the first shows since 2022 from Tool. As well, Sonic Temple gave fans one of the first shows back for Foo Fighters with new drummer Josh Freese taking the stage and the first show since 2020 from Queens Of The Stone Age where the band performed the live debut of new song “Emotion Sickness.” It was also the final Ohio show for rock legends KISS who are currently on their End of the Road farewell tour. Welcome To Rockville also had the first U.S. festival appearance from the new Pantera lineup (a celebration of original members Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul) and an additional headlining set from metal heavyweights Slipknot.

The two packed lineups also included Deftones, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Evanescence, Incubus, Beartooth (performing for their biggest hometown crowd ever in Columbus), The Cult, Alice Cooper, The Mars Volta, Puscifer, I Prevail, Chevelle, Coheed & Cambria, Sublime with Rome and Falling In Reverse.

Several performances featured special guests including Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford who appeared with Godsmack at Sonic Temple for a cover of “Dream On” and The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Crossover artist HARDY added to his Welcome To Rockville set with the surprise guest appearance of A Day To Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon, and Motionless In White invited Born Of Osiris singer Ronnie Canizaro for a guest spot in their Rockville set.

In addition to the incredible legacy acts filling out the lineup, Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple were also memorable for introducing attendees to the next generation of rock with young acts like Vended, OTTTO, Bastardane and Hammerhedd wowing crowds with their high-energy performances.

In total, nearly 100 music performances took place over four days on four stages at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple featured 75-plus acts over four days on three stages. Welcome To Rockville also offered amusement rides, a giant water slide, and art installations, while Sonic Temple pillar installations featured art from world renowned artists such as Shepard Fairey, Hazmat Design, Jim “Taz” Evans, Plastic Jesus, Electric Eye, Hydro74, Geoff May, Guerilla One and more. Both events were hosted by Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin who participated in on-stage appearances and fan meet and greets. Partner experiences, award-winning spirits, and delicious food and beverage options rounded out the onsite offerings.

Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple are also proud of the charitable efforts the festivals support, including: Musically Fed, which donated more than 4,000 meals in Daytona and Columbus, as well as Take Me Home, To Write Love On Her Arms, Artists For Trauma, The Taylor Foundation, Pass The Bass, Living The Dream, and FC Cancer. In addition, Nationwide Children’s Hospital – On Our Sleeves Movement For Children’s Mental Health was designated as the official charity of Sonic Temple.

An announcement regarding Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple’s 2024 festival dates will be forthcoming this summer while the full artist lineups will be revealed before the end of the year.

Here’s some of the media praise for the kickoff of The Biggest Year In Rock:

“Welcome to Rockville has become the undeniable crown jewel of large-scale musical events in the Sunshine State – and arguably nationwide – and the only competition it can face would be the one coming from its own annual rise. It remains a mystery as to how the Danny Wimmer Presents team keep pulling off these massive celebrations which such level of accuracy, terrific line-ups and array of diverse option for the thousands of attendees.” — Metal Injection

“[Welcome To Rockville is] a heavy metal and rock fan’s paradise” – WKMG-TV

“Sonic Temple makes [a] magnificent return … with a slate of historic performances” – KNOTFEST.com

“Despite this being its sophomore year, the community that Sonic Temple has built is vibrant, strong and diverse with people from all walks of life coming together to celebrate rock and metal music. … Sonic Temple was a chance for people to come together, let loose and enjoy themselves over Memorial Day weekend. With a truly diverse crowd, from toddlers to the grandfathers who remember when Kiss hit the scene, Sonic Temple proved that rock can unite in unexpected ways.” – Columbus Underground

Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival are just the start of Danny Wimmer Presents’ packed 2023 festival season that will offer five additional multi-day destination events this year, including Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival (July 14-16 in Mansfield, OH), Bourbon & Beyond (September 14-17 in Louisville, KY), Louder Than Life (September 21-24 in Louisville, KY), Aftershock (October 5-8 in Sacramento, CA) and GoldenSky (October 14-15 in Sacramento, CA).

Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival are produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.

Welcome To Rockville’s new and returning partners in 2023 included Anheuser-Busch, BeatBox Beverages, Blackcraft Cult, Blue Chair Bay Rum, BRŸT Beverage, Capital Vacations, Checkers & Rally’s, Demons Behind Me, Distortion – Road Hounds, DripBar, Fxck Cancer, Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, LYTE, Mortus Viventi, Parlor Root Beer, Plank Eyewear, Red Bull, Revolver Magazine, Take Me Home, The Music Experience, The Taylor Foundation, To Write Love on Her Arms and US Army.

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival’s new and returning partners in 2023 included Anheuser-Busch, Artists for Trauma, BeatBox Beverages, Blackcraft Cult, BrewDog, Celsius, Demons Behind Me, Fxck Cancer, Hellflower Soap Company, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Middle West Spirits, Mortus Viventi, Nowhere Fast, Ohio Lottery, Parlor Root Beer, Strüng, Take Me Home, The Pretty Cult, To Write Love On Her Arms, U.S. Marines, Wicked Moon Creations, and White Claw.

For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:

Website: https://welcometorockville.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockvillefest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometorockville

For more information on Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, visit:

Website: https://sonictemplefestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonictemplefestival  | @SonicTempleFestival

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sonictemplefest | @SonicTempleFest

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sonictemplefestival | @SonicTempleFestival

(Welcome To Rockville crowd during Tool by Nathan Zucker)

(Sonic Temple crowd during Foo Fighters by Nathan Zucker)

(Avenged Sevenfold at Welcome To Rockville by Steve Thrasher)

(Pantera at Welcome To Rockville by Steve Carlos)

(Slipknot at Welcome To Rockville by Steve Thrasher)

(KISS at Sonic Temple by Steve Thrasher)

(Foo Fighters at Sonic Temple by Steve Thrasher)

DWP’s Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival Host 300,000 Rock Fans first appeared on Game On Media.

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2023 Set Times For Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold & KISS first appeared on Game On Media.

Louder Than Life

America’s Biggest Rock Festival

Returns To Louisville September 21-24, 2023 At

Highland Festival Grounds At Kentucky Exposition Center

Foo Fighters, Green Day, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold,

Godsmack, Pantera, Queens Of The Stone Age, Weezer,

Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Rancid, Turnstile & More

General Admission And VIP Passes On Sale Now Starting At $10 Down At

www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com

After cementing its title as America’s Biggest Rock Festival with a record-breaking attendance of over 170,000 in 2022, Louder Than Life returns bigger and better than ever September 21, 22, 23 & 24, 2023 to Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY.

One of the top music events of the year, Louder Than Life will feature performances from a spectacular list of rock artists including: Foo Fighters, Green Day (making their DWP festival debut), Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Pantera, Queens of the Stone Age, Weezer, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Turnstile, Rancid, Falling In Reverse, 311, Pierce The Veil, Run The Jewels, Corey Taylor, Coheed and Cambria, Royal Blood, Parkway Drive, Bad Omens, BABYMETAL and many more.

Louder Than Life is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents and features performances from more than 100 music acts on five stages, along with Louisville’s finest spirits and top local cuisine. The 2022 festival was named Consequence’s Festival Of The Year.

“The fans spoke and we listened! The Foo Fighters, Green Day, Tool and Avenged Sevenfold were our most fan-requested bands for 2023, so being able to deliver this massive lineup to them is so special,” said Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond (Sept 14-17) are the eight biggest days in music and it’s all happening in Louisville this September. Can’t wait to see you there!”

“Louder Than Life always delivers a huge weekend and is one of the top economic events annually for Louisville, further cementing the city as a top destination for music festivals. Bourbon City loves welcoming fans for America’s Biggest Rock Festival, inviting them to experience the city’s Southern hospitality, area attractions and of course urban bourbon experiences,” said Cleo Battle, President and CEO of Louisville Tourism. “We’ve seen this weekend continue to grow throughout the longtime partnership with festival organizers Danny Wimmer Presents and look forward to celebrating our ninth year hosting Louder Than Life this September.”

Watch the festival announcement video HERE.

The daily music lineup for Louder Than Life is as follows:

Thursday, September 21: Foo Fighters, Weezer, Rancid, 311, Coheed and Cambria, Royal Blood, Code Orange, White Reaper, L7, Deafheaven, Nothing But Thieves, Sueco, Movements, The Bronx, Nothing, Nowhere., Mannequin Pussy, Beauty School Dropout, Pinkshift, Bob Vylan, Starcrawler, Starbenders, KYNG, Tigercub, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Guerilla Warfare, Asava

Friday, September 22: Tool, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Corey Taylor, Dance Gavin Dance, Bad Omens, Wage War, Avatar, Fever 333, Kittie, Enter Shikari, Miss May I, Fame On Fire, Dead Poet Society, Rain City Drive, Austin Meade, SIM, Tallah, Cassyette, Ten56., HANABIE., Gnome, Fox Lake, Widow7, Luna Aura

Saturday, September 23: Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, Falling In Reverse, Pierce The Veil, Parkway Drive, BABYMETAL, Asking Alexandria, Dethklok, The Hu, The Amity Affliction, Memphis May Fire, Suicide Silence, Sleep Token, Whitechapel, Zero 9:36, Gideon, Strange Kids, Dragged Under, Jesus Piece, Afterlife, Another Day Dawns, Ithaca, Devil’s Cut, Reach NYC, Feast For the Crows, Dissonation

Sunday, September 24: Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age, Turnstile, Run The Jewels, Flogging Molly, The Interrupters, AWOLNATION, Rival Sons, Billy Talent, Mayday Parade, You Me At Six, Senses Fail, Viagra Boys, Boston Manor, DeathbyRomy, Jehnny Beth, The Emo Night Tour, Call Me Karizma, Ryan Oakes, Thousand Below, Holy Wars, Reddstar, Letdown., As You Were, Death Valley Dreams, JVK

Louder Than Life will be hosted by Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin.

Single day and weekend General Admission and VIP passes, as well as weekend Angel’s Envy Top Shelf VIP passes for Louder Than Life are on sale now starting as low as $10 down. Bundled pass plus hotel packages are also available via our partners at Fuse. Camping passes are sold out. For a full description of passes and pricing, and to purchase, please visit https://louderthanlifefestival.com/. A record number of passes have been sold during the early bird sales period so fans are encouraged to act fast to guarantee lowest level pricing and availability.

Fans who are interested in celebrating back-to-back weekends in Louisville at both Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond the weekend prior (September 14-17) can purchase an Exacta Pass for less than $60 per festival day (Exacta Pass starts at $459.99 plus fees).

In 2022, 275,000 fans turned out for the back-to-back DWP festivals, creating over $43 million in local economic impact, an attendance boom at all bourbon distilleries along the urban bourbon trail, and more than 50,000 hotel nights.

Danny Wimmer Presents is proud to welcome new and returning partners which include: Angel’s Envy, Bardstown, BeatBox Beverages, Brother’s Bond, Bluegrass Distillers, Bird Dog, Budweiser, Bulleit Bourbon, Calumet Farm, Crowne Plaza Airport Expo, Cutwater Spirits, Eargasm, Elijah Craig, Ehrler’s Ice Cream, Four Roses, George Dickel, Hellflower Soap Company, Huber’s Starlight Distillery, Jack Daniel’s, Jefferson’s, Jim Beam, Kentucky Peerless,  Kentucky Venues, Knob Creek, Kroger, KY Proud, Larceny, Legent, Louisville Tourism, LYTE, Maker’s Mark, Maker’s 46, Marriott Louisville Downtown, Michter’s, Mortus Viventi, Old Forester, Pegasus Distilled Experiences, Rabbit Hole, Resilient Bottled in Bond, Stonehammer, Team Kentucky, The Music Experience, The Pretty Cult, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Wilderness Trail and more to be announced.

Louder Than Life non-profit partners include Artists for Trauma, Demons Behind Me, Fxck Cancer, Take Me Home, and To Write Love On Her Arms.

The Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center are located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky.

Louder Than Life is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. Additional DWP events in 2023 will include Aftershock Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, GoldenSky Country Music Festival, Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and Welcome To Rockville.

Louder Than Life – Foo Fighters, Green Day, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Pantera, Weezer, Limp Bizkit & More Sept. 21-24 In Louisville first appeared on Game On Media.

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival

Announces Spectacular Lineup Of Rock Heavyweights

For The Event’s Anticipated Comeback In 2023

Including Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold & KISS,

Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Queens Of The Stone Age, Deftones, & Many More

Held At The Best Stadium In Rock,

Historic Crew Stadium In Columbus, Ohio

Memorial Day Weekend – May 25, 26, 27 & 28, 2023

General Pass Onsale HERE

The pinnacle of rock festivals in America is back! After a three-year hiatus, Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival returns to its home at the heartbeat of rock, the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Memorial Day Weekend–May 25-28, 2023 — with a spectacular lineup of rock heavyweights that make Sonic Temple’s comeback one of the most anticipated events of the 2023 festival season.

The lineup includes headliners Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold and KISS, along with top rock artists Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Queens of the Stone Age, Deftones, Falling In Reverse, Chevelle, Puscifer, Beartooth, I Prevail, Jawbreaker, Sublime with Rome, Bullet For My Valentine, The Pretty Reckless, Pennywise, Trivium, Black Veil Brides and many more.

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents and will also feature creative elements designed by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey. Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin will host the event with on-stage appearances and fan meet and greets.

“We’ve always enjoyed playing Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus and are excited to be a part of this year’s Sonic Temple,” says M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold. “It’ll be a blast to share the stage with Tool, Foo Fighters and others, we can’t wait to see and play for all of our amazing fans again.”

“It’s great to be coming back to Columbus,” adds Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, KISS plus 75 more, it’s our biggest lineup ever! There is so much history at Historic Crew Stadium, it truly is the heartbeat of rock for many of us…the excitement surrounding the return of Sonic Temple is unparalleled!”

“We are thrilled that DWP and Sonic Temple are returning to Historic Crew Stadium this year for what will be an enhanced and electric four-day atmosphere,” said Columbus Crew President of Business Operations Kristin Bernert. “We look forward to opening our doors to fans of the amazing acts in this year’s lineup to a place that has long been synonymous with energy and fun in Central Ohio.”

The daily music lineup for Sonic Temple is as follows:

Thursday, May 25: Tool, Godsmack, Beartooth, Bullet For My Valentine, Pennywise, Bad Omens, Suicidal Tendencies, Fever 333, Anti-Flag, Joey Valence & Brae, Bones UK, Ho99o9, The Warning, Oxymorrons, Angel Du$t, Bloodywood, Wargasm, Malevolence, Bastardane, OTTTO

Friday, May 26: Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, Chevelle, I Prevail, Knocked Loose, Sleeping With Sirens, Badflower, Dorothy, Black Stone Cherry, Converge, Born of Osiris, Band-Maid, Lilith Czar, Des Rocs, Mothica, Fame on Fire, Dayseeker, Vended, Mike’s Dead

Saturday, May 27: KISS, Rob Zombie, Falling in Reverse, Puscifer, Trivium, Black Veil Brides, Rival Sons, Yelawolf Presents: Sometimes Y, Avatar, Senses Fail, From Ashes To New, Giovannie & The Hired Guns, Brutus, Dead Poet Society, The Violent, Point North, Tallah, Varials, Tigercub, Capital Theatre

Sunday, May 28: Foo Fighters, Deftones, Sublime with Rome, Jawbreaker, The Pretty Reckless, Awolnation, Nothing More, Grandson, White Reaper, Filter, Ayron Jones, The Bronx, Poorstacy, Zero 9:36, New Years Day, Nova Twins, Bob Vylan, Aeir, Starcrawler

Sonic Temple passes are on sale now. New passes in 2023 include Stadium VIP and the Columbus Owner’s Club (4-day pass). Returning pass options include Field GA, Field VIP and Stadium GA—all available as weekend or single day passes. For a full description of passes and pricing, visit https://sonictemplefestival.com. Prices start as low as $109.99 + fees. And through January 31, passes can be purchased for only $10 down, with layaway payments amortized evenly through April. Passes are also available at DWPSonic.com with “buy now pay later” via ShopPay.

Columbus Owner’s Club members will enjoy the ultimate VIP experience, including access to the field and dedicated seating in the stadium bowl; air conditioned lounge with private hosted bar, comfortable seating, and live audio and video of the main stage; complimentary hors d’oeuvres during lunch and dinner hours; dedicated festival merchandise booth; dedicated WiFi; air-conditioned, flushable restrooms; dedicated guest services staff; priority festival entrance lanes; premium parking and more.

In addition to festival admission passes, onsite parking, hotel packages and 300 weekend RV camping passes will be available during the presale window. Any remaining passes, parking, hotel packages and camping will be available for purchase during the general on-sale which begins Friday, January 13 at Noon ET.

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. Additional DWP events in 2023 will include Aftershock Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, GoldenSky Country Music Festival, Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, Louder Than Life and Welcome To Rockville.

For more information on Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, visit:

Website: https://sonictemplefestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonictemplefestival  | @SonicTempleFestival

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sonictemplefest | @SonicTempleFest

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sonictemplefestival | @SonicTempleFestival

Hashtag: #SonicTempleFestival

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival: Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, KISS, Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Queens Of The Stone Age, Deftones, & More At Historic Crew Stadium In Columbus, Ohio Memorial Day Weekend first appeared on Game On Media.

OZZY OSBOURNE
TO PERFORM HALFTIME SHOW
OF NFL KICKOFF GAME

LOS ANGELES RAMS-BUFFALO BILLS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
AT SOFI STADIUM IN INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA

PERFORMANCE COMES ON THE EVE OF RELEASE OF HIS
‘PATIENT NUMBER 9’ ALBUM
OUT SEPTEMBER 9 ON EPIC

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy®-winning singer and songwriter OZZY OSBOURNE will perform at halftime of the Los Angeles Rams season opener on Thursday, September 8 at SoFi Stadium. The performance comes on the eve of the release of Osbourne’s new PATIENT NUMBER 9 album out September 9 on Epic.

To kick off the 2022 season, the Los Angeles Rams will host the Buffalo Bills in the Rams’ first game at SoFi Stadium since winning Super Bowl LVI in February. The game will be presented nationally on NBC, Peacock and Universo at 5:20 PM PT/8:20 PM ET. Tickets are available at www.therams.com/tickets.

Fans in the stadium will be treated to a multi-song medley from Osbourne while viewers at home will see a portion of the performance on NBC and Peacock during halftime.

The new album marks the first release since Osbourne critically acclaimed, worldwide, chart-topping 2020 ORDINARY MAN. Produced by Andrew Watt (who handled the same duties on ORDINARY MAN), the new album marks Osbourne’s 13^th solo studio album. It’s heavy, it’s hard-hitting, it’s historic–it’s everything you’d want from an OZZY Osbourne record and maybe more. Working with producer Watt for the second time, OZZY welcomed a dynamic A-list featured guests. For the first time ever, Black Sabbath co-founder, guitarist, and riff-master Tony Iommi appears on an OZZY solo album. The record also boasts guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and longstanding righthand man and six-string beast Zakk Wylde who plays on the majority of the tracks. For the bulk of the album, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers held down drums, while the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters appears on three songs. Old friend and one-time OZZY band member Robert Trujillo of Metallica plays bass on most of the album’s tracks, with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction supplying bass on a few songs.

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Ozzy Osbourne To Play Halftime Of Rams v Bills NFL Kickoff first appeared on Game On Media.

FOO FIGHTERS
Together with the Hawkins Family
Present
THE TAYLOR HAWKINS TRIBUTE CONCERTS
Two Global Events Celebrating the Memory & Music of a Rock Legend

September 3 at Wembley Stadium
September 27 at The Kia Forum

Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee will come together with the Hawkins family to celebrate the life, music and love of their husband, father, brother and bandmate with The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts.

As one of the most respected and beloved figures in modern music, Taylor’s monolithic talent and magnetic personality endeared him to millions of fans, peers, friends and fellow musical legends the world over. Millions mourned his untimely passing on March 25, with passionate and sincere tributes coming from fans as well as musicians Taylor idolized. The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts will unite several of those artists, the Hawkins family and of course his Foo Fighters brothers in celebration of Taylor’s memory and his legacy as a global rock icon—his bandmates and his inspirations playing the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life.

The all-star rock and roll shows will take place September 3 at London’s Wembley Stadium and September 27 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

The lineups for each show will be announced shortly. Sign up to receive information on timings, ticketing links and on sale dates here on Foo Fighters website.

The initial list of artists scheduled to perform with Foo Fighters at Wembley Stadium in London, England on September 3, 2022 includes Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Liam Gallagher, Omar Hakim, Joshua Homme, Chrissie Hynde, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Mark Ronson, Supergrass, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Chevy Metal.  Dave Chappelle will also make a special appearance.

The initial list of artists scheduled to perform with Foo Fighters at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California on September 27, 2022 includes Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Miley Cyrus, Omar Hakim, Joshua Homme, Joan Jett, John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Alanis Morissette, Krist Novoselic, P!nk, Leann Rimes, Mark Ronson, Gene Simmons, Nikki Sixx, Chad Smith, Luke Spiller, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Jon Theodore, Wolfgang Van Halen, Brad Wilk, Nancy Wilson, Pat Wilson and Chevy Metal.

Taylor Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, first appearing with the band on the tour supporting sophomore album The Colour & The Shape. He made his recorded debut with Foo Fighters with 1999’s There Is Nothing Left To Lose, playing on every subsequent FF album, including One By One, In Your Honor (the first FF album to feature him assuming lead vocal duties on his song “Cold Day In The Sun”), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Wasting Light, Sonic Highways, Concrete & Gold (also featuring him as lead singer on “Sunday Rain”) and Medicine at Midnight. As a member of Foo Fighters, Taylor was a 15-time GRAMMY Award winner and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He lived and loved music to an insatiable degree, with Foo Fighters as well as his numerous solo and side projects and collaborations.

Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert Tickets On Sale June 17 Featuring Members Of Rush, Queen, Kiss, Van Halen & More first appeared on Game On Media.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS RETURN TO THE ROAD FOR THEIR FIRST TOUR IN ALMOST FIVE YEARS

Shows begin in March, with more than three-dozen dates across the US, Europe, and the UK

The band’s bestselling 2014 album, Going To Hell, returns to vinyl in February

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER GOING TO HELL

The Pretty Reckless are thrilled to return to the road this spring with more than three dozen shows across the US, Europe, and the UK.

The extensive outing, which marks their first run of dates since 2016–2017’s Who You Selling For tour, kicks off with a pair of sold out headline shows at Brooklyn Made on March 22 and 23. On April 1, the New York City band embarks on a 24-date run across North America with Shinedown, before heading across the Atlantic for shows throughout the summer, including festival appearances at Britain’s Download Festival, Germany’s Rock im Park and Rock am Ring, and the Netherlands’ Pinkpop as well as direct support to Foo Fighters in Berlin. The Pretty Reckless’ long-awaited tour follows the release of their No. 1-debuting and fourth studio album, Death By Rock And Roll.

Get tickets here.

Ahead of the tour, one of the band’s most popular titles, Going To Hell, will return to vinyl.

The album, which includes three No. 1 singles, including the platinum-selling “Heaven Knows,” “Messed Up World,” and “Follow Me Down,” lands in stores on February 11, 2022, and is available for pre-order today.

Fans can also visit the band’s official website to find two exclusive color variants, pressed on purple marble and purple splatter vinyl, respectively. A solid purple vinyl variant will also be available exclusively in independent record stores.

Originally released in 2014, Going To Hell marks the second studio album from The Pretty Reckless, which consists of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums). Following the release of 2010’s Light Me Up, plus nearly two years of non-stop touring, the band entered Hoboken, New Jersey’s Water Music with producer Kato Khandwala (Paramore, Blondie, My Chemical Romance). But Hurricane Sandy had other ideas. In October 2012, the storm raged through the Eastern Seaboard, destroying the studio and forcing the group to re-record much of their new material. The album’s title track chronicled the devastating period.

Despite the initial setbacks, the band released their sophomore album in March 2014 to massive commercial success. Going To Hell debuted at No.5 on the Billboard 200, marking The Pretty Reckless’ first Top 10 album on the chart. Abroad, the LP fared equally as well, debuting at No.8 in the UK and No. 5 in Canada. Going To Hell was also embraced by the press, with Rolling Stone raving that the album “rages with the upbeat, beat-wise humor that hard rock has suppressed ever since grunge.” Revolver praised, “Momsen leaves most chick rockers in her rearview mirror thanks to her greatest assets — her daring arrangements and well-crafted tunes” while Kerrang! declared, “If Taylor is indeed going to Hell, at least she’s released a truly great album on the way down.”

The album also spawned several best-selling singles, including the anthemic “Heaven Knows,” the rollicking “Follow Me Down,” and the guitar-driven earworm “Messed Up World.” All three songs topped Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Songs chart, while just two years later, the band set the record for the most No. 1 singles on the chart by a female-fronted band, thanks to “Take Me Down” (off 2016’s Who You Selling For). The Pretty Reckless continued to defend their title with the release of their latest LP, which delivered three more No.1 hits: title track “Death By Rock And Roll,” “And So It Went” (Feat. Tom Morello), and “Only Love Can Save Me Now” (Feat. Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden).

Released in February, Death By Rock And Roll found the band reeling after two tragic deaths. The first was Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell, who tragically passed away while on tour with The Pretty Reckless. The second was the band’s longtime collaborator, Kato Khandwala, whose signature phrase inspired the album’s title. The album, which paid homage to both men, allowed the group to process their grief while taking a more vulnerable and reflective tone in their writing. Marking The Pretty Reckless’ Fearless Records debut, Death By Rock And Roll was welcomed warmly by audiences and critics alike — debuting at No.1 on several charts including Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and earning glowing reviews from a variety of outlets, including PEOPLE!, V Magazine, and SPIN, who hailed the album as “a stunner; a dozen stellar songs that are at once reverential, referential and intensely personal.”

The Pretty Reckless’ North American tour dates are below.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS ON TOUR: 
3/22 — Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Made
3/23 — Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Made

WITH SHINEDOWN:
4/1 — Spokane, WA — Spokane Arena
4/2 — Boise, ID — Extra Mile Arena
4/4 — Billings, MT — MetraPark
4/6 — Fargo, ND — Fargodome
4/8 — Green Bay, WI — Resch Center
4/9 — Peoria, IL — Civic Center
4/11 — Sioux Falls, SD — Denny Sanford Center
4/12 — Des Moines, IA — Wells Fargo Center
4/14 — Toledo, OH — Huntington Center
4/15 — Hershey, PA — GIANT Center
4/16 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun Arena
4/18 — Portland, ME — Cross Insurance Center
4/20 — Baltimore, MD — UMBC Fieldhouse
4/22 — Charleston, WV — Charleston Civic Coliseum
4/23 — Lexington, KY — Rupp Arena
4/24 — Grand Rapids, MI — Van Andel Arena
4/26 — Evansville, IN — Ford Center
4/28 — Wichita, KS — INTRUST Bank Arena
4/29 — Little Rock, AR — Simmons Bank Arena
4/30 — Birmingham, AL — Legacy Arena
5/ 3 — Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Coliseum
5/ 4 — Nashville, TN — Bridgestone Arena
5/ 6 — Greenville, SC — Bon Secours Wellness Arena
5/ 7 —Knoxville, TN — Thompson-Boling Arena

Fantasy Festival 2020 The Pretty Reckless

20 photos

The Pretty Reckless 2022 Tour Dates + “Going To Hell” on Vinyl first appeared on Game On Media.

America’s Largest Rock Festival

Welcome To Rockville

Announces Its Biggest Lineup Yet For May 19-22

Will Officially Kick Off Danny Wimmer Presents 2022 Festival Season

GUNS N’ ROSES, FOO FIGHTERS, KISS and KORN

 Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin,

Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against,

Halestorm, In This Moment, Seether, Bush & Many More

Set To Perform Over Massive Four-Day Weekend

Festival Returns To Its New Home At Renowned Destination

Daytona International Speedway In Daytona Beach, FL

Transforming It Into The World Center Of Rock

Single Day & Weekend Passes On Sale Now

Starting At $99.99 & Just $10 Down Through End Of 2021

www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Just when it was thought that Welcome To Rockville couldn’t possibly outdo its massive 2021 record-breaking event that featured 161,000 people and an at-home livestream audience of 1.2 million, Danny Wimmer Presents has put together the biggest lineup yet for the newly crowned Largest Rock Festival In America. Returning to its new home at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend of May 19-22, 2022, the event includes previously announced headliners Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, KISS and KORN.

The music legends will be joined by an equally impressive who’s who of rock and metal, including Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Halestorm, In This Moment, Seether, Bush and many more, including buzzworthy up-and-comers Mammoth WVH, Dirty Honey, Poppy, Plush and more.

“Welcome To Rockville this past November was truly incredible. Our new home, Daytona International Speedway, welcomed us with open arms and our fans showed up in record numbers and experienced an unforgettable weekend,” says Danny Wimmer Presents founder Danny Wimmer. “We knew we needed to up the ante in 2022 so we went and booked the biggest lineup that has ever been booked for an American rock festival. We are so excited to welcome the biggest names in rock for one epic weekend this May.”

Single day and weekend passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now at www.WelcomeToRockville.com starting at $99.50* for single day and $249.99* for 4-day (*plus fees).  Passes can be purchased as general admission or VIP and layaway is available for only $10.00 on any and all pass types, only through December 31, 2021.

Watch the official Welcome To Rockville announcement video HERE: https://youtu.be/ZQxyYRu2_gg

Says Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, “OMG…is this real life? So you’re saying that Halestorm is sharing the stage with Foo Fighters, Jane’s Addiction and The Smashing Pumpkins!! Also, not to mention Guns N’ Roses and KISS…all on the same festival! Yep! You heard it here straight from the banshee’s mouth! And we will be bringing our A-game as always. You do not want to miss this lineup! To say that Rockville is going to be legendary is an understatement…this will be a life-changing show! The countdown begins, see you all in Daytona in May!”

Adds Brent Smith of Shinedown, “We’ve said it before, and we say it now. Shinedown has only one BOSS. It just happens to be everybody in the audience. We are honored to be a part of North America’s BIGGEST Rock N’ Roll festival…Welcome To Rockville 2022, LETS GO!!!”

And Zolton Bathory from Five Finger Death Punch shares, “We are grateful to be part of Rockville 2022! Daytona Beach in May, tens of tens of tens of thousands of fans, and an incredible lineup of legendary bands? Twist my arm!!! We’ll see you all there!”

The current Welcome To Rockville 2022 lineup is as follows (subject to change):

Thursday, May 19: KISS, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, In This Moment, Black Label Society, DOWN, Clutch, Mammoth WVH, Bad Wolves, Fuel, Ill Niño, Tetrarch, Shaman’s Harvest, Plush, Gemini Syndrome, Solence, Oxymorrons, Moodring, more TBA

Friday, May 20: KORN, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Seether, Skillet, Parkway Drive, Ministry, In Flames, Sevendust, Hatebreed, The Black Dahlia Murder, Don Broco, New Years Day, Stick To Your Guns, DED, Diamante, Death Tour, Archetypes Collide, more TBA

Saturday, May 21: Guns N’ Roses, Shinedown, Rise Against, Bush, Jerry Cantrell, Nothing More, Baroness, Dirty Honey, Alexisonfire, John 5, Sick Of It All, Saint Asonia, Agnostic Front, The Violent, Against The Current, S8NT Elektric, Afterlife, Widow7, more TBA

Sunday, May 22: Foo Fighters, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jane’s Addiction, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, The Struts, Poppy, The Hu, Spiritbox, Bones UK, The Chats, Radkey, Lilith Czar, Motor Sister, POORSTACY, Nova Twins, The Mysterines, AEIR, more TBA

Welcome To Rockville will feature more than 75 music acts over four days, with performances on four stages, along with award-winning spirits, craft beer, partner activations and the best food Daytona Beach has to offer.

Single day and weekend general admission and VIP passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now. Festivalgoers are encouraged to buy early and save as pass prices increase in throughout the coming months based on level quantities.  A limited number of specially priced tickets for military personnel are on sale now via GovX.

Welcome To Rockville campers get the ultimate experience, spending five days on the festival field right in the middle of all the action and with the quickest access to all the stages. Amenities include indoor restrooms and showers, in and out privileges, and a general store for supplies. A limited number of Weekend Camping Packages are available for both car and tent and RVs. Admission to the festival is not included in Weekend Camping Packages and must be purchased separately.

Welcome To Rockville VIP pass holders will receive a commemorative VIP laminate and wristband, dedicated entrance lanes into the festival, entrance into VIP areas, and access to dedicated viewing areas throughout the festival. The VIP section boasts shaded hang areas with dedicated bars, comfortable furniture, audio and video streams of the main stages, a dedicated merchandise stand, dedicated locker rental with charging capabilities, air conditioned and flushable restrooms, and premium food and drink offerings (for additional purchase).

The Daytona Owners Club VIP option is new in 2022. As a Welcome To Rockville “owner,” those choosing this pass option will truly be living like a ROCK STAR. In addition to being a festival VIP, Daytona Owners Club pass-holders will also receive exclusive access to an air-conditioned lounge with live audio and video of the main stages, a shaded viewing deck, unlimited complimentary drinks at dedicated bars throughout the Owners Club, complimentary hors d’oeuvres during lunch and dinner hours, dedicated WiFi, access to a main stage viewing area, owner locker rental with charging capabilities, dedicated air-conditioned, flushable bathrooms and concierge staff.  Current pass holders will have first rights to sign up for the waitlist, which is open now.  The Daytona Owners Club will go on sale to the public after the exclusive pass holder pre-sale, which is happening the week of December 13.

Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. After welcoming a record-breaking crowd of 161,000 in 2021, the move to Daytona International Speedway will allow Welcome To Rockville to continue to grow and provide more enhanced audience experiences. A recent $400 million renovation of the Speedway and additional $200 million invested in the surrounding area in recent years has transformed the destination into a world-class facility, including numerous hotels within walking distance, many dining options and expanded space for camping, allowing Rockville attendees a convenient and well-rounded experience.

Danny Wimmer Presents is proud to welcome back its featured partners Bud Light Seltzer and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Stay tuned for a full lineup of partners who will help enhance the festival experience all weekend long.

For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:

Website: www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockvillefest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometorockville

Shinedown, Five Finger Death Punch, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Halestorm, Bush & More Added to Welcome To Rockville 2022 first appeared on Game On Media.

ROCKVILLIANS… THE WAIT IS OVER!

Welcome to Rockville’s biggest lineup yet is HERE!

KISS, Korn, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Halestorm, In This Moment, Seether, Bush & many more to America’s BIGGEST Rock Festival at the WORLD CENTER OF ROCK!

From Now until December 31, you can purchase weekend + single day festival passes, plus camping + parking passes for ONLY $10 down!

Lock your passes in NOW 

BUY PASSES NOW!

Welcome To Rockville 2022 Lineup Announcement – Kiss, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Foo Fighters and More first appeared on Game On Media.

Prologue

1. The Music Of My Life

Music means everything to me. It has for as long as I can remember. Each night I fall asleep listening to music. Every morning I wake up listening to music. I play music in the shower. I play music in the car. I play music at the gym. If I am not actively listening to music, I hear songs in my head. When somebody is talking to me, I hear lyrics in their words, and start singing to myself. While I have never completely written or recorded anything original, I have made mix-tapes and play-lists since the Seventies.

I have spent almost all of my free time and “disposable” income on music and music-related experiences. My first job was delivering The Daily News to a six block radius around my house on Long Island, New York. I took the job because they offered a free cassette tape of my choosing if I signed up 3 new subscriptions on my route. I took care of that task quickly, and scored what may be my most favorite album of all time – the self-titled debut from the Long Island based band named Zebra. I continued to find bargains and build my catalog thanks to the marketing efforts of BMG and Columbia House music mail order services. Eventually, I bought cheap guitars and amps, and later more expensive guitars. I have too many guitars.

Once the concert floodgates opened for me when I went to the University of Virginia, I started going to as many shows as I could, no matter where they were located. Music festivals began, locally and small at first, then larger ones able to draw a national audience of freaks like me who were willing to drive or fly all over the country, sleeping in any hotel, motel, Holiday Inn, tent, RV or Air B’n’B I could find. Woodstock ‘99, Rocklahoma, Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, Aftershock, Earthday Birthday, Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, Voodoo Festival, Once Upon A Time in the LBC, Rock USA and KAABOO Del Mar – these are a few of my favorite things. Then the rock cruises came along, which I have enjoyed as a customer, staff member, charity worker, journalist and photographer – ShipRocked, Motörhead’s MotörBoat, MegaCruise, and Monsters Of Rock Cruise.

From 2010 to 2020, I was able to get up close and personal with the music, the musicians and the fans. I have been a photojournalist for several print magazines and online websites. I have previewed and reviewed concerts, albums and livestreams. I have interviewed artists backstage and on tour buses. I have photographed shows of every kind, from the smallest and darkest of clubs, to the largest of outdoor festivals. I have captured local artists, new acts, living legends and lifelong loves, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.

During this mostly silent year, I decided to take a look back, to appreciate the journey so far, and perhaps to make some sense of my decisions and choices along the way. This isn’t exactly a memoir or biography, as I don’t believe that I have done anything of such consequence to merit such documentation. I won’t know if there are any lessons to be learned, or advice to carry with me on my second half, until I write it all down. The songs have been chosen, the memories have come rushing back. We will see where this experience takes me.

With 52 years of special songs to revisit, I also plan to really focus on learning to play complete songs on guitar. That gives me 2 songs to learn per week. That should hold me to a good working cadence. Is everybody in? Drop the needle on the record.

2. The Way I Chose The Songs

Choosing only 2 songs from an entire year was quite an ordeal. Some years had many releases that had a major impact at the time, others not as many. I chose songs based on the year that the album they came from was released. This means that the song itself may not have even been released as a single that year. Sometimes a song hits you right away, sometimes it builds slowly, and other times you discover it well after it was released. In many cases, it takes some new experience to bring the importance of the song into focus.

I suppose it generally takes some passage of time for the songs that mean the most to you to bubble to the surface. Only time will tell which ones continue to swim around in your brain, forming the soundtrack to your life’s story.

I chose the songs that have had the most lasting impression on my life, the ones that instantly take me back to a time, or a place, or a person, or an experience, or all of the above. The names will be changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. These are the songs that mean the most to me, and nobody knows me better than I know myself, so I can’t really say if others share the same memories in the same ways.

Looking at the final list, there are sooo many songs that I love that did not make the cut. There are lots of artists that I cannot believe are not represented. I guess this should not be too surprising. Think about how hard it is to make a top 5 list in any given year. There are just so many artists and songs that I love, it is no wonder that I am almost always listening to, writing about, or photographing music. Out of the 104 songs chosen, 8 are from bands that appear twice. Those are obviously among my all-time favorites, and they are among the ones who have meant the most to me throughout my life. They are Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Creed, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Rush and Shinedown.

For more chapters of My Life In Music:

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1969-1974

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1975-1979

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1985-1989

Part II

26. The 1980’s – The Cassette Era

Welcome to the 1980’s, the greatest decade in musical history. A lot of people will tell you that music was better in the Seventies – more “real”, more “honest”, more “emotional”, more “acoustic”. These are the same people who will tell you that music just sounds better on a record album than on any other format. You need to know two things about these people. #1. They are hippies. #2. They are, as in all things, half right and half wrong. Yes, a record played on a good stereo system, with good speakers, still does sound better than any other way of listening to music. I am listening to “Signals” by Rush on an average record player with poor speakers as I write this, and it still sounds richer and fuller than any digital copy. But just because a record sounds better does not mean that the songs themselves are inherently better written or performed.

Cassette tapes are absolutely terrible as far as quality goes, but essential in the evolution of musical enjoyment. The tape itself is exposed to the elements, it gets unraveled, it gets twisted, it gets stuck. The speed at which it plays back varies. It wears out with every play, fast-forward and rewind. I actually made it a point to never rewind a tape. Instead, I would stop it, eject it, turn it over and fast forward it. To this day I have no scientific basis for such ridiculous precautions, but I faithfully executed those procedures nonetheless. Bottom line, the defense stipulates that cassettes are inherently terrible in sound quality and only get worse over time. On the other hand, your basement stereo setup is great and all, but can you take it on the road with you? Can you take it out for a “jog”, or a walk, man? Can you pop it into your pocket and have it inspire you at the gym? Of course not. Cassettes gave us musical freedom and artistic control. You could make your own “albums” with any combination of songs that you wanted. Note: when I was a kid, we called records “albums” as compared to cassettes which we called “tapes”. Technically, an album is a collection, and it does not even have to be music, so a more accurate term would be “LP”, which turns out to be short for “Long Play” 33-1/3 RPM vinyl record. You get why we just called them albums, right? It was just easier to ask your friends if they got the new Rush album or tape. You can also see why the “mixtape” was part of the plot of every teen movie from the decade.

Back to the music. Sure, rock and roll was epic in the 1970’s, some may even say “classic”, and I take nothing away from that by saying that I like the rock and roll of the 1980’s more. That “classic” sound endures and probably always will. However, rock and roll truly evolved in the Eighties. Not everyone may like or appreciate every style and sound that emerged, but none can deny that music went in so many directions that genres and sub-genres had to be created, if only to provide fodder for the message boards of the Nineties. Punk, thrash, glam/hair, new wave, emo/goth, college/alternative, pop and hip-hop all took off in the 1980’s. There is no single sound that represents music in the 80’s, no single image, no single path to stardom or infamy. Everything was thrown against the wall, and most of it stuck. Just look at the variety of artistic excellence represented in my selections, which were extremely difficult to make from this era. Consider who did not even make the cut. U2, The Police, Scorpions, LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C., Duran Duran, Quiet Riot, Queensrÿche and Whitesnake all spent time as my favorite band in the whole wide world, yet could not make the final list. Prince, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar and Journey were left off. I could do a whole other set of songs that are just as good as these.

If anyone ever asks, I say that I “grew up” in the 1980’s. I was 10 years old when they started and 20 when they ended. I made it through junior high, high school, and most of college during this musical explosion. Growing up on Long Island, I did focus most of my attention on artists from New York. People sometimes wonder why New Yorkers are arrogant, and we are, but we come to it naturally. We just take credit for everything anyone of us creates while we just so happened to be in the general vicinity. I consider 2 of New York’s 5 boroughs to be part of Long Island. They are physically connected to the same land mass as Nassau and Suffolk Counties. So even if they are logically different, the same could be said about Montauk and the Hamptons. In my mind, I credit the entire Island as the foundation of my history and personality.

I was born in Hollis, Queens, so naturally I take pride in the fact that hip-hop took off based largely on the talents and rhymes of Run-D.M.C., The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. Run (Joseph Ward Simmons) was born and raised in Hollis, Queens. D.M.C. (Darryl Matthews McDaniels) was born in Harlem and grew up in Hollis. LL (James Todd Smith) was born in Bay Shore on Long Island just a year before me, literally the next town over from where I grew up. He grew up in (and famously “represented”) Queens, where I spent the first 3 years of my life. The Beasties were also NYC through and through. I also followed Long Island rockers especially closely. Anthrax, Blue Öyster Cult, Zebra, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squier, even that other Billy who played piano. When taking credit for things, New Yorkers will even put claims on their neighbor across the river, New Jersey. Personally, I love New Jersey. I have always had family there and spent a large part of my life there. That gave me an affinity for Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi that was earned as honestly as the stories they continue to write to this day.

Enough preamble. Rip your acid-washed jeans a little more, tease up your hair, pierce your ear, and cut up those band t-shirts. Bring your #2 pencil, tighten up those cassette tapes, grab your bucket of D batteries, and turn that boom box all the way up. This is the 80’s!

27. 1980 – I Don’t Know – Ozzy Osbourne

I am not sure how many people know the precise moment that they became a metal head. That moment was instantly burned in my brain and is as clear a memory as any that I have.

My parents grew up in Flushing, Queens, and like much of their family and friends, had moved out to a house on Long Island in the early 1970’s. Other family members moved to suburban New Jersey or even up and coming South Carolina. Some of my parents childhood friends ended up moving a couple of miles away from us, so naturally they hung out all the time, and my sister and I were forced to become friends with their kids. Which turned out to be fine, because these were cool kids. The boy and I were early software pirates, trading hacked Atari cartridges and using the Pirate’s Toolkit to bootleg and modify computer games on our Commodore 64’s. Who knew that I was actually training for my career in software development? Before all that, we would just hang out and listen to music. The adults would drink and play cards upstairs, and the kids went down in the basement to make noise.

One particular fall day, we headed over to their house and he had just started playing something new. It was LOUD and the guitar playing was insane. We were both freaking out over how cool it was. I screamed at him “What is this?!?!” He yelled back “I don’t know!!” I countered with “Look at the cover!!!” He responded with “I don’t know!!!!” I tried to ask again as he shoved the album cover in my face and said “It’s called. I. DON’T. KNOW!!!” Then we fell out laughing. Then Ozzy started laughing as “Crazy Train” kicked in. My metal horns went up that evening, and they are never coming back down.

My favorite lyric:

Don’t ask me. I don’t know!

This song is full of brilliant lines about self reliance and independent thought. With the spectacle and drama that has always surrounded Ozzy, his deep lyrical content is often overlooked. Even “Crazy Train” is really a call to stop senseless violence and conflict, but who stops to ponder such things while enjoying the spectacle? All that said, nothing tops the simple exclamation that had two 11 year old kids rolling on the floor laughing in a Long Island basement.

I Don’t Know

Written by Randy Rhoads & Ozzy Osbourne

Performed by Ozzy Osbourne

People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day
What’s the future of mankind
How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look to me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know (know…)

How am I supposed to know
Hidden meanings that will never show
Fools and prophets from the past
Life’s a stage and we’re all in the cast

Ya gotta believe in someone
Asking me who is right
Asking me who to follow
Don’t ask me, I don’t know (know)
I don’t know, I don’t know (know), I don’t know

Nobody ever told me I found out for myself
Ya gotta believe in foolish miracles
It’s not how you play the game
It’s if you win or lose you can choose
Don’t confuse win or lose, it’s up to you
It’s up to you, it’s up to you, it’s up to you
Go, go, go

People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day
What’s the future of mankind
How do I know, I got left behind, I’m lost

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look to me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know!

28. 1980 – Keep On Loving You – REO Speedwagon

Couple skate!

Were two sweeter words ever heard by pre-pubescent ears? Roller skating was all the rage in 1980. Everybody would go. There was loud music, disco lights, soda on tap, and bodies flying by in every direction. For a bunch of not-yet-teens, we felt like we were in Studio 54. When the ballads were played, the DJ yelled “couple skate!”, and shy boys had an excuse to ask a girl to hold hands with him for 3 dizzying minutes. I didn’t care what REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Journey, Styx or Pat Benatar was singing about (it was still way over my head). I just knew that when those soft piano and guitar intros played, Johnnie was gonna get … a chance to skate with a girl he liked, maybe even one he had been waiting for.

My favorite lyric:

You should’ve known by the tone of my voice, maybe
But you didn’t listen

I have always had a few issues with communication and misunderstanding, especially after leaving New York. The first thing was the accent and speed at which New Yorkers speak to each other. We are quick and blunt, and sometimes loud. No disrespect, but part of living in a crowded place is standing up for yourself and trying to get your point in as quickly as possible. People from other parts of the country consider this to be rude. My other issue is my dry, sarcastic sense of humor. This leads to a tone of voice that is not always appreciated. What are ya gonna do? You didn’t listen.

Keep On Loving You

Written by Kevin Cronin

Performed by REO Speedwagon

You should’ve seen by the look in my eyes, baby
There was something missing
You should’ve known by the tone of my voice, maybe
But you didn’t listen
You played dead
But you never bled
Instead you lay still in the grass
All coiled up and hissing

And though I know all about those men
Still I don’t remember
‘Cause it was us, baby, way before them
And we’re still together

And I meant, every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever

And I’m gonna keep on loving you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you

And I meant, every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever

And I’m gonna keep on loving you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you
And I’m gonna keep on loving you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you

29. 1981 – Rapture – Blondie

“Rapture” from Debbie Harry and Blondie is the first “rap” I ever heard. It was also the first rap video played on MTV when they debuted on 8/1/81. Debbie herself seemed like some kind of alien, drifting effortlessly and carelessly across the Earth, dropping dreamy hit after hit.

My first video game design was based on this song. I had written a plot and made some sketches based on the Man From Mars and his alleged adventures on earth, eating things. On each level, you would control the hungry, hungry Martian, eating one of the things mentioned in the song. Sadly, I did not have any mad programming skills yet, so it just went into the cool idea pile. I kept myself busy dropping quarters into the arcade machines at the local pizza parlors and stationery stores. Space Invaders, Missile Command, Super Cobra and Galaga ate a ton of coinage, while slaking my alien blasting thirst.

My favorite lyric:

‘Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin’ cars
And eatin’ bars and now he only eats guitars, get up

As ridiculous as the entire premise of this song is, the absurdity reaches its apex with this rapidly rhymed narrative. By now, you know the whole thing is a goof and this just sounds wicked cool.

Rapture

Written by Debbie Harry & Chris Stein

Performed by Blondie

Toe to toe, dancing very close
Barely breathing, almost comatose
Wall to wall, people hypnotized
And they’re stepping lightly
Hang each night in rapture

Back to back, sacroiliac
Spineless movement and a wild attack
Face to face, sightless solitude
And it’s finger popping
24-hour shopping in rapture

Man to man, body muscular
Seismic decibel, bite the jugular
Wall to wall, tea time technology
And a digital ladder
No sign of bad luck in rapture

30. 1981 – Too Much Time On My Hands – Styx

“Paradise Theatre” was a sprawling conceptual piece by Styx that was a bit all over the place. Like many bands that began in the 1970’s, they struggled to balance the rockers and the ballads. Pianist / vocalist Dennis DeYoung had some good ballads, and I do thank him for “The Best Of Times” at the skating rink. However, I prefer the guitar and the rock and roll stylings of guitarist / vocalist Tommy Shaw. That lead me to choose “Too Much Time On My Hands” to represent this year.

Night Ranger is another band with 2 singers and 2 styles. Bassist / vocalist Jack Blades is the rocker, and he and Tommy Shaw joined up with Ted Nugent to form Damn Yankees in 1990. I got to meet them after a show, and I told Jack that I loved his and Tommy’s songs the best in Night Ranger and Styx, so this was a perfect project for them.

The song also reminds me of all the high school lunch times I spent trying to beat Time Pilot at the local pizza place next to DPHS. I was so obsessed with beating that game, and making it through all 5 levels of aircraft dogfighting. You started in 1910 fighting bi-planes. Next was 1940 with prop planes and bombers. Then 1970 versing helicopters. The “present day” at the time, was 1982, dueling jets. Finally, you traveled to the future, 2001, when UFO’s were invading. Beating all of this with a single quarter was a monumental task. I always made my friends stand far behind me, quietly, or else I could blame them for my failures. One day I was locked in, and they had all headed back to class. I managed to beat the future level alien scum and wondered what could possibly be next up. It was Level 1 again – lame – but I had done it! I arrived late for class (which I NEVER did) and was questioned. My response was “I don’t even care! I finally beat Time Pilot!!” I bought a multi-game home arcade machine when the pandemic started, created a Rocker’s Dozen playlist with 13 songs about time, and it took me months to once again complete all 5 levels.

When I lived in Maryland, and had just started photographing concerts for Shockwave Magazine, Styx played a theater in Baltimore, and I was granted a photo pass. Paradise! Sometimes when you get your photo pass, you also get 1 or more tickets to watch the entire concert and write a review about it. At this show, I was handed 2 tickets in the 5th row center. As I was getting sorted, a father and son were at the ticket window next to me, and I overheard the fact that only 1 seat was left in the entire theater. Realizing I was about to let a great second seat go to waste, I told him to buy the one ticket and I would trade him my 2 prime seats so he and his son could enjoy the show together. I felt good as I walked up to the front of the stage, only to have the bouncer inform me that there is no photo pit in a theater, and I certainly could not stand in front of the people who had paid the most money to be front row. I was instructed to shoot from my seat. That’s when I realized that I had traded my photography tickets for a balcony seat against the side wall. I didn’t even have a zoom lens at the time. Well, all of my shots were of the entire stage and lower level, from a side angle. Oh well, the performance was outstanding, so I focused on my writing.

My favorite lyric:

And I’ve given up hope for the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew

This line hits me on a few levels. Growing up (and to this very day) my Mom watched General Hospital, an ABC afternoon soap, religiously. My sister and I would watch with her at 3:00 every day, whenever we were not in school, such as the summer of Luke & Laura, when they were away from Port Charles, on the run from Hutch the bounty hunter. In high school, I would walk home between class and soccer practice and watch The Young & The Restless. As for the bottle of cold brew, I have always felt that drinking a beer signaled your giving up on the day, as far as productivity is concerned. Perhaps it was this lyric imprinted on my young brain that has guided me along.

Too Much Time On My Hands

Written by Tommy Shaw

Performed by Styx

Yeah, I’m sitting on this barstool, talking like a damn fool
Got the twelve o’clock news blues
And I’ve given up hope for the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew

Is it any wonder I’m not crazy?
Is it any wonder I’m sane at all?

Well, I’m so tired of losing, I got nothing to do
And all day to do it
Well, I’d go out cruisin’, but I’ve no place to go
And all night to get there

Is it any wonder I’m not a criminal?
Is it any wonder I’m not in jail?

Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands?
It’s ticking away with my sanity
I’ve got too much time on my hands
It’s hard to believe such a calamity
I’ve got too much time on my hands
And it’s ticking away, ticking away from me

Too much time on my hands
(It’s t-t-t-t-ticking away)
Too much time on my hands
(And I don’t know what to do with myself)
Too much time on my hands

Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands

Now, I’m a jet fuel genius – I can solve the world’s problems
Without even trying
I got dozens of friends, and the fun never ends
That is, as long as I’m buying

Is it any wonder I’m not the president?
Is it any wonder I’m null and void?

Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands?
It’s ticking away with my sanity
I’ve got too much time on my hands
It’s hard to believe such a calamity
I got too much time on my hands
And it’s ticking away, ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands
(T-t-t-t-ticking away)
Too much time on my hands
(And I don’t know what to do with myself)
Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
(T-t-t-t-ticking away)
Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
(Too much time on my hands)
(Too much time on my)

31. 1982 – Heat Of The Moment – Asia

When Asia burst on the scene, it was the first time I remember having a Favorite Band. I believe they were the first “Supergroup”. They took members of 4 successful bands and made something even better. Steve Howe played guitar for Yes. John Wetton sang and played bass for King Crimson. Geoff Downes played keyboards for The Buggles. Carl Palmer was the drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer. “Heat Of The Moment” was the first single, a classic that everyone knows and loves to this day. The rest of the album contains magical musical performances and cutting lyrics. Every note of every song is perfection.

I was all in on Asia merch. I had an Asia trucker hat, wristbands, a baseball sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt (which I later cut off to wear bouldering). I drew variations of their logo on every textbook cover (hand made from brown grocery bags) and notebook that I owned. Needless to say, this did not make me the “cool kid”. Asia was no Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, but I was forced to like those bands in secret, due to their bad reputations.

I had tickets to see the original band on their first reunion tour, with my friend from Brick in the Wall infamy, but he tragically died and I could not bring myself to go to the show without him, so I gave the tickets to some other friends.

I did get to see the final tour with all 4 original members with my uncle and his friends, in New Jersey. They played all of their classics, some great new songs, and a song each from their previous bands. Quite a moment.

My favorite lyric:

And when your looks are gone and you’re alone
How many nights you sit beside the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself?
Teenage ambitions you remember well

I stole this, verbatim, for an English class poetry assignment, which I had forgotten to do. I quickly scribbled this out as the teacher was collecting the assignments, one of the few times having a last name starting with a “V” came in handy. I got an “A”. I also found a creative writing assignment from 1984, which I called “The Modern Cowboys” (a title Tesla later stole from me!), where the final sentence was “We live to fight another day.”, taken from Asia’s second album “Alpha”.

Heat Of The Moment

Written by Geoff Downes & John Wetton

Performed by Asia

I never meant to be so bad to you
One thing I said that I would never do
A look from you and I would fall from grace
And that would wipe the smile right from my face

Do you remember when we used to dance?
And incidents arose from circumstance
One thing led to another, we were young
And we would scream together songs unsung

It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what my heart meant
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes

And now you find yourself in Eighty Two
The disco hot spots hold no charm for you
You can concern yourself with bigger things
You catch a pearl and ride the dragon’s wings

‘Cause it’s the heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes

And when your looks are gone and you’re alone
How many nights you sit beside the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself?
Teenage ambitions you remember well

It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes

It was the heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment showed in your eyes

Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment

32. 1982 – Subdivisions – Rush

Rush is my favorite band of all time, but it took time to get there. “Subdivisions” was the song that started their ascension for me. Combined with “The Analog Kid” which immediately follows it on the “Signals” album, I heard my teenage life perfectly described. These songs expressed sympathy for the plight of youth, living in the relative comfort and safety of the suburbs, imbued with a fear of missing out. Suburban life is seen as an improvement from city life, but the sprawl and isolation actually limits your opportunities. When you are young, you can only go as far as you can walk, so your social circle is limited to your school friends. I was fortunate to have some amazing friends, some of which I keep in contact with (primarily through our common love of Rush). Then you get a bike, and your world opens up a little more, at least as far as you are willing to pedal. Finally, if you are lucky enough to have access to a car, you can do even more.

By the time I was a senior, I was still biking and walking. I found a job at a frozen yogurt / pita shop (a health food option decades ahead of its time) in a futile attempt to earn enough money to buy my own ride. Some of my friends were planning to put together a band for the annual school High School talent show. I spent months rehearsing alone in my room for months, primarily working on “Tom Sawyer” and “Subdivisions”. For the second of 3 times in my life, I had a serious asthma attack in December of my senior year, while frantically approaching the deadline to apply for Ivy League colleges, which I didn’t even want to attend. After that, I could never hold my breath long enough to sing this song right.

In 2010, I caught up with my oldest friends from the neighborhood to see Rush: Time Machine at Jones Beach Theater. That started an all too brief yearly tradition. The last show we saw together was in the summer of 2015 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, during their final tour, R:40. Drummer Neil Peart retired after that tour, and got brain cancer soon after, eventually passing away in January of 2020.

Somehow, I was approved to take pictures of Rush while seeing them in Northern Virginia with the drummer who had encouraged me to learn to sing Rush songs for that talent show. That band ended up being called “The Misfits”, which I never even got to join, because I had work the night they finally got together to rehearse. ”Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone.“ I had just gotten my first real camera, and barely begun photographing shows. I was shocked that I even got a photo pass. When Geddy Lee looked straight down into my lens as I was shooting, I felt like Wayne and Garth – “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”. That will always stand as my most surreal concert experience.

See my article about what Neil Peart and Rush mean to me: What Neil Peart and Rush Mean To Me

See my article on my High School English analysis of this song as a poem by Neil Peart: My High School English Paper on Subdivisions by Neil Peart

My favorite lyric:

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided

Oh, the irony of giving yourself an asthma attack while stressing out over a pre-decided future that you had no interest in, destroying your ability to sing, which then shatters whatever confidence you had scraped together thinking you could actually be a rock star, if only for a brief instant. “Be cool or be cast out.”

Subdivisions

Written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson & Neil Peart

Performed by Rush

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone

(Subdivisions) —
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions) —
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights

(Subdivisions) —
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions) —
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

33. 1983 – Who’s Behind The Door? – Zebra

Zebra is the band who led me to that paper route job, where I quickly earned enough points to nab their self-titled debut album. An album that still rates in my all-time top ten, deserted island list. Zebra was the only band I managed to see live during my high school years, and I saw them many times. I continued to see them as often as I could. My parents never had cable, so I could only see cool things like HBO and MTV when I went to my best friend’s house, which was quite often. He had a basement and an in-ground pool with a diving board and slide. He also had an older sister with many cute friends, but I digress. His Dad was the O.G. “dad joke” teller. One time when I arrived, my friend excitedly told me that had seen “Who’s Behind The Door?” 4 times that day. His Dad, cocktail in hand, deadpanned “Well, who was it? You saw him 4 times!”.

Until I got to college, Zebra was actually the only band I had seen live. I have often wondered how a high school kid saw a rock band play at bars across Long Island. My Mom was gracious enough to drop me off sometimes. My little sister was infatuated with singer / guitarist Randy Jackson and even had his poster on her wall. After one show, she went with my Mom to pick me up. When I reluctantly went outside at the pre-planned time, I quickly told my Mom that they weren’t done yet, and hadn’t even played “Who’s Behind The Door?” yet. She agreed to let me go back in as my sister begged to go with me. Shockingly, she agreed. Even more shockingly, the bouncer let me back in, with my kid sister in tow! We rushed right up to the front of the stage as they began their encore of “Who’s Behind The Door?” and a brilliant cover of “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin. I used to wear a bandana tied to my leg, just like Chachi from “Happy Days”. I had gotten a special zebra striped one to wear to the concert. My sis was so overcome, she pulled it off my leg and threw it on stage, yelling “I love you Randy!!”.

Bob Buchmann was the morning DJ on WBAB 102.3, and every winter, he did a 102 hour “Charity Begins at Home” marathon to raise money for Long Island charities. Bands and celebrities would drop by to speak on the air and help in raising money. When Zebra released their 3rd album “3.V“ and was set to appear with Bob, my friends and I went down to the hotel where he broadcast the event from. We got our cassettes signed, hung out near our favorite DJ and favorite band, and had a blast. When they left, for some reason unexplained to this day, we followed them out. Bassist / keyboardist Felix Hanemann got into his Mercedes, and we got into a Toyota Tercel and proceeded to tail him. He quickly lost us on the Southern State Parkway. To this day, we have no idea why we followed him and what we planned to do if we had somehow kept up with him. In 2018, after seeing them play in Orange County, CA I told Felix this story and he had a huge laugh about it.

I finally had the chance to photograph them when they made a surprise West Coast tour to commemorate the 35th anniversary of this classic debut album. Of all places, I was extremely fortunate to catch them at none other than the world famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. Talk about checking off some boxes! Zebra still plays a few times a year, with Guy Gelso as always on the drums, mainly in their hometown of New Orleans and their adopted home on Long Island. Randy Jackson performs marathon solo acoustic shows quite often, and he has kept that going online throughout the pandemic, bringing some joy and light into the darkness.

My favorite lyric:

Life is a waiting room
I hope they don’t call me soon

To me, this sums up a lot of what religions teach us. That we are merely passing through Earth, on our way to an eternal destination. If so, I am in no hurry to have my number called. I have no idea who or what is behind the door, and I have way too much to explore and experience here to even think about it.

Who’s Behind The Door?

Written by Randy Jackson

Performed by Zebra

We sailed away
We walked two thousand miles and then we slipped away
We looked so hard
But couldn’t seem to find just what the world was for
Now we know
Just what the journey’s for

Looking out to the stars
Think about what you are
What do they think of you?
Animals in their zoo
They haven’t got the time
Landing is not on their minds
How do they have the nerve
We’re animals in preserve

They watch us all
They’re only making sure that we don’t trip and fall
They looked so hard
But they can’t tell us why they’re here and just what for
Because they don’t know
Who opened up the door

How can we find out more?
Who owns the keyless door?
Where does the circle end?
Who are the unwatched men?
Where do we go from here?
Faith is a fading fear
Life is a waiting room
I hope they don’t call me soon

How much more do you really think you know than a flower does about who’s behind the door?

34. 1983 – Photograph – Def Leppard

The “Pyromania” album by Def Leppard is another all-time classic, along with Asia’s and Zebra’s self-titled debuts, which has a hard time getting shaken from any personal favorite lists. The first song, the one that blew us all away, was “Photograph”.

In Junior High, we would take class trips to explore the history of America. Our 7th grade trip was to Washington, D.C., 8th grade was Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania, and 9th grade was Boston. Apparently, the level of alcohol, drug and sexual related activity observed in the Boston hotel passed the acceptability threshold, and all future school wide “educational” trips were permanently canceled. Being a good Catholic kid, I was not party to any of these misadventures. Which brings us back to the 8th grade trip.

I always brought a boom box on bus trips, whether it was to visit my cousins in Massachusetts, traveling to another school for a tennis match or soccer game, or on an educational adventure. I did not own many cassettes in the spring of 1983, so we were listening to Philadelphia’s rock station, 93.3 WMMR when we first heard “Photograph”. Conveniently, we soon stopped at a shopping mall, for a healthy meal in the food court. I sprinted to the mall’s record store and purchased the “Pyromania” cassette, which we proceeded to listen to nonstop on the bus for the rest of the trip (except for Amish country – they are not supposed to know about such things as electricity and rock and roll). The store also gave me a WMMR sticker which I slapped on my boom box.

I probably listened to that cassette every day for a year, singing along, playing air guitar and air drums (possibly some air bass?). I wish I had somehow gotten hold of a guitar and learned to play it. If you add up the number of hours I spent imaging myself playing along, and applied that to actually practicing on an instrument, I bet I would not be half bad by now.

My favorite lyric:

I wanna touch you!

Let’s revisit that 8th grade bus trip, and appropriate levels of sexual activity. Imagine a bunch of 13 and 14 year old boys, away from home, sleeping in hotels, listening to some raunchy new music from British glam gods. It put some ideas in our heads. Something we thought would be hilarious to do is queue up “Photograph” on my boom box to just the right part of the song, and then go up to a girl we liked, and ask her if she wanted to hear this great new band we had just discovered. We would then press play and Joe Elliott would exclaim ‘I wanna touch you!’. Then we would run away and giggle. Super inappropriate, and highly ineffective as well.

Photograph

Written by Rick Savage, Pete Willis, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Joe Elliott & Steve Clark

Performed by Def Leppard

I’m outta luck, outta love
Gotta photograph, picture of
Passion killer, you’re too much
You’re the only one I wanna touch

I see your face every time I dream
On every page, every magazine
So wild and free, so far from me
You’re all I want, my fantasy

Oh, look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown
Oh Oh, look what you’ve done

Photograph
I don’t want your photograph
I don’t need your photograph
All I’ve got is a photograph
But it’s not enough

I’d be your lover, if you were there
Put your hurt on me, if you dare
Such a woman, you got style
You make every man feel like a child

You got some kinda hold on me
You’re all wrapped up in mystery
So wild and free, so far from me
You’re all I want, my fantasy

Oh, Look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown
Oh Oh, Look what you’ve done

Photograph
I don’t want your photograph
I don’t need your photograph
All I’ve got is a photograph

You’ve gone straight to my head

Look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown
Look what you’ve done

I gotta have you

Photograph
I don’t want your photograph
I don’t need your photograph
All I’ve got is a photograph

I wanna touch you!

Photograph
Photograph
Your photograph
Photograph
Photograph
I need more than your photograph
I’m outta love
Photograph
I’m outta love
Photograph
You’re the only one
Photograph
I wanna touch

35. 1984 – Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is the one classic rock artist from the 1970’s who managed to become even bigger in the 1980’s. The “Born in the U.S.A.” album produced an insane 7 Top 10 singles. “Dancing In The Dark” was actually written in one spiteful night, 2 years after most of the album had already been recorded, yet another example of either divine intervention or musical magic. I actually have written a lot of good software code out of spite, so whatever motivates you is good to use for creative fuel.

The live performance video is also a classic, most notable for the moment when Bruce pulls a young fan out of the crowd to dance with him on stage. That young fan was an unknown by the name of Courteney Cox. This was years before I fell in love with her as Alex P. Keaton’s girlfriend on “Family Ties”, and way before “Friends” and “Scream”.

I played this cassette so much over the next two years, that I had to buy another copy. Then I dug deep into the back catalog, which my aunts and uncle were more than happy to help me with. One of my best memories is seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play for hours on end at Giants Stadium, somewhere in the swamps of Jersey, with my uncle and aunt. I collected bootleg concert tapes and became obsessed.

When I started my own software consulting company in the 2000’s, I had an NFL credit card. If you collected 200,000 points (by charging $200,000), then you could get 2 Super Bowl tickets! I put every business and personal expense on that card for years. When I finally hit the magic number, they told me that they had changed it to 300,000 points!! What?!??!? Now I was scrambling to charge anything I could, even stuff for my family, just to get to the new level. I really wanted to see the Super Bowl in Tampa, where I had lived for 6 months in the 90’s, and had seen several Buccaneers games over the years. I made it late that fall, and I was able to pay back my Dad for all that he done for me by taking him on an all expenses paid trip to the Super Bowl. I had airline miles, hotel points and 2 tickets to the big game. This was Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. Turned out to be the most dramatic and exciting game of them all, where the Pittsburgh Steelers took a halftime lead on a 99 yard INT return. Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald led the Arizona Cardinals back to take a late lead, only to have Big Ben pull off a 90 yard last second drive where Santonio Holmes allegedly got 2 feet down, even though I have never seen that second foot touch grass. We had already had a great week, eating dinner next to ESPN hosts, spending time playing games at the NFL Experience, and seeing concerts by 3 Doors Down and Journey. We told each other that no matter what happens at the game, it was all worth it. Besides, the halftime show was Bruce Springsteen. Not only did we get one of the best games ever, we got one of the best halftime shows ever.

My favorite lyric:

I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face

Anyone who does not feel this way from time to time must be a model or actor. I could have picked any line from here s my favorite. They are all perfect in their own way. This song only enhanced for me what Rush had started. I knew that there was a whole wide world out there somewhere, and I had to figure out a way to get there.

Dancing In The Dark

Written by Bruce Springsteen

Performed by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

I get up in the evening
And I ain’t got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain’t nothing but tired
Man, I’m just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby, I could use just a little help

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

Message keeps getting clearer
Radio’s on and I’m moving ’round the place
I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain’t getting nowhere
I’m just living in a dump like this
There’s something happening somewhere
Baby, I just know that there is

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

You sit around getting older
There’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me
I’ll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on, baby, the laugh’s on me

Stay on the streets of this town
And they’ll be carving you up all right
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey, baby, I’m just about starving tonight
I’m dying for some action
I’m sick of sitting ’round here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now, baby, gimme just one look

You can’t start a fire
Sitting ’round crying over a broken heart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
You can’t start a fire
Worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Hey, baby

36. 1984 – The Warrior – Scandal featuring Patty Smyth

“The Warrior” by Scandal is forever linked in my mind to Victory Soccer Camp. For two summers in a row, I got to spend a week in the Connecticut country side, with my closest friends and family, doing nothing but play soccer. Naturally, I had by boom box, and the 2 most played albums that first summer at camp were from The Cars and Scandal. That first trip to Victory Soccer Camp is my favorite week ever. My sister was there. My best friends were there. My cousins who lived in Massachusetts were there, and I never got to see them enough. Plus it was soccer, soccer everywhere. Soccer drills, soccer skills, soccer matches, soccer patches. Somehow it got even better. I met a girl named Amy who was perfection. She had the athletic soccer body. She had long dark hair. She loved rock and roll. We fell in love that week, that perfect teenage love that they make movies about.

On the last night of camp, some of the parents came to collect their kids. Sadly, she was one of them leaving early. My parents planned to arrive the next morning. After I kissed her goodbye and watched her drive away, I was floating. A bunch of my friends were scheming to sneak into the girls dorm. I had no reason to do so, after all, my true love had just left. I followed along anyway, we got spotted, and ran in every direction. I made it back to the boys dorm and dove under the covers. Bad move, as the counselors went in each room, and my Catholic guilt over “almost” doing something wrong must have showed on my face. They hauled me off to the office, called my parents and demanded that they come get me immediately. My parents laughed them off and told them they would be making the 3 hour drive in the morning. Once again, I was the only one to get caught. Everyone who was hiding in the woods had snuck back into the dorm while I was being held in detention. The whole time, I just kept thinking about Amy, and didn’t really care about getting in trouble. My heart had followed her down that dusty road.

My favorite lyric:

I’ll hold you close in Victory

Victory soccer camp. My first love. My first soccer chick / rocker chick. I have been “chasing Amy” for the rest of my life.

The Warrior

Written by Holly Knight & Nick Gilder

Performed by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth

Ohhh, oh, oh, ohhh, oh, oh, oh, oh

You run, run, run away
It’s your heart that you betray
Feeding on your hungry eyes
I bet you’re not so civilized
Well, isn’t love primitive
A wild gift that you want to give
Break out of captivity
And follow me, stereo jungle child
Love is the kill. Your heart’s still wild

Shooting at the walls of heartache
Bang bang
I am the warrior
Well, I am the warrior
And heart to heart you’ll win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior

You talk, talk, talk to me
Your eyes touch me physically
Stay with me, we’ll take the night
As passion takes another bite

Oh, oh, oh, oh
Who’s the hunter, who’s the game
I feel the beat call your name
I’ll hold you close in victory
I don’t want to tame your animal style
You won’t be caged in the call of the wild

Shooting at the walls of heartache
Bang bang
I am the warrior
Well, I am the warrior
And heart to heart to win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior
I am the warrior

Shooting at the walls of heartache
(Shooting at the walls of heartache.) The warrior
I am the warrior and heart to heart you’ll win
Heart to heart you’ll win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior

Shooting at the walls of heartache
Bang bang
I am the warrior
Yes, I am the warrior and victory is mine
(Shooting at the walls of heartache.) The warrior
I am the warrior
Shooting at the walls of heartache

My Life In Music, Part 3, 1980 – 1984 first appeared on Game On Media.

Prologue

1. The Music Of My Life

Music means everything to me. It has for as long as I can remember. Each night I fall asleep listening to music. Every morning I wake up listening to music. I play music in the shower. I play music in the car. I play music at the gym. If I am not actively listening to music, I hear songs in my head. When somebody is talking to me, I hear lyrics in their words, and start singing to myself. While I have never completely written or recorded anything original, I have made mix-tapes and play-lists since the Seventies.

I have spent almost all of my free time and “disposable” income on music and music-related experiences. My first job was delivering The Daily News to a six block radius around my house on Long Island, New York. I took the job because they offered a free cassette tape of my choosing if I signed up 3 new subscriptions on my route. I took care of that task quickly, and scored what may be my most favorite album of all time – the self-titled debut from the Long Island based band named Zebra. I continued to find bargains and build my catalog thanks to the marketing efforts of BMG and Columbia House music mail order services. Eventually, I bought cheap guitars and amps, and later more expensive guitars. I have too many guitars.

Once the concert floodgates opened for me when I went to the University of Virginia, I started going to as many shows as I could, no matter where they were located. Music festivals began, locally and small at first, then larger ones able to draw a national audience of freaks like me who were willing to drive or fly all over the country, sleeping in any hotel, motel, Holiday Inn, tent, RV or Air B’n’B I could find. Woodstock ‘99, Rocklahoma, Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, Aftershock, Earthday Birthday, Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, Voodoo Festival, Once Upon A Time in the LBC, Rock USA and KAABOO Del Mar – these are a few of my favorite things. Then the rock cruises came along, which I have enjoyed as a customer, staff member, charity worker, journalist and photographer – ShipRocked, Motörhead’s MotörBoat, MegaCruise, and Monsters Of Rock Cruise.

From 2010 to 2020, I was able to get up close and personal with the music, the musicians and the fans. I have been a photojournalist for several print magazines and online websites. I have previewed and reviewed concerts, albums and livestreams. I have interviewed artists backstage and on tour buses. I have photographed shows of every kind, from the smallest and darkest of clubs, to the largest of outdoor festivals. I have captured local artists, new acts, living legends and lifelong loves, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.

During this mostly silent year, I decided to take a look back, to appreciate the journey so far, and perhaps to make some sense of my decisions and choices along the way. This isn’t exactly a memoir or biography, as I don’t believe that I have done anything of such consequence to merit such documentation. I won’t know if there are any lessons to be learned, or advice to carry with me on my second half, until I write it all down. The songs have been chosen, the memories have come rushing back. We will see where this experience takes me.

With 52 years of special songs to revisit, I also plan to really focus on learning to play complete songs on guitar. That gives me 2 songs to learn per week. That should hold me to a good working cadence. Is everybody in? Drop the needle on the record.

2. The Way I Chose The Songs

Choosing only 2 songs from an entire year was quite an ordeal. Some years had many releases that had a major impact at the time, others not as many. I chose songs based on the year that the album they came from was released. This means that the song itself may not have even been released as a single that year. Sometimes a song hits you right away, sometimes it builds slowly, and other times you discover it well after it was released. In many cases, it takes some new experience to bring the importance of the song into focus.

I suppose it generally takes some passage of time for the songs that mean the most to you to bubble to the surface. Only time will tell which ones continue to swim around in your brain, forming the soundtrack to your life’s story.

I chose the songs that have had the most lasting impression on my life, the ones that instantly take me back to a time, or a place, or a person, or an experience, or all of the above. The names will be changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. These are the songs that mean the most to me, and nobody knows me better than I know myself, so I can’t really say if others share the same memories in the same ways.

Looking at the final list, there are sooo many songs that I love that did not make the cut. There are lots of artists that I cannot believe are not represented. I guess this should not be too surprising. Think about how hard it is to make a top 5 list in any given year. There are just so many artists and songs that I love, it is no wonder that I am almost always listening to, writing about, or photographing music. Out of the 104 songs chosen, 8 are from bands that appear twice. Those are obviously among my all-time favorites, and they are among the ones who have meant the most to me throughout my life. They are Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Creed, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Rush and Shinedown. I had expected Tesla and Queensrÿche to be represented twice, but they both have so many great songs from each album, it was hard to select one at times.

Act I

3. The 1970’s – The Record Era

I have been wandering this spinning rock for over five decades now. Conveniently for retrospective purposes, I arrived at the end of the 1960’s, so I can organize my playlists and analysis by decade. Generally, each decade is defined by the methods most often used to collect and listen to music. From record albums to cassettes, to Compact Discs (CDs), to digital files (mostly MP3), to digital streaming services and apps, the song remains the same. Specifically, I landed on this planet the very same day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 made history mere hours after Johnnie Crow was born in a hospital in Hollis, Queens. The Eagle had landed after a long journey, and the Crow had begun a journey of his own. Most of my musical memories of the 1970’s revolve around listening to old records with my Mom or my Dad in our suburban Long Island basement, and listening to 45’s with my little sister in her bedroom, on a cheap yellow plastic record player.

4. 1969 – Space Oddity – David Bowie

It is only fitting for a moon baby to start with an astronaut song. I don’t specifically remember humming along to this in my crib in Flushing, New York, as the Miracle Mets were making their historic World Series run down the street at Shea Stadium. Actually, not many Americans remember this first track from all-time great David Bowie from when he first released it. It did not become a hit in the United States until 1973, when we had moved to the house in Deer Park in the middle of Long Island that my parents kept for 45 years. It probably did not fully reach my consciousness until I started listening to the local rock station, 102.3 WBAB Babylon, on my clock radio. Bowie was a staple on that station, and legendary morning DJ Bob Buchmann would often wake me up with its sweet sounds throughout the 80’s.

The song itself is haunting, mysterious and somewhat disturbing. I often thought about becoming an astronaut working for NASA. The lyrics to this track were a serious counterweight to the wonder of space. The fear, loss, desperation and ultimate acceptance of a lonely fate are all explored within the confines of a musical tour de force. The genius of David Bowie continues to be appreciated more as time passes on, and this song also grows in stature.

My favorite lyric:

“Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do”

This line works on many levels. The planet literally looks blue, yet it is also sad from time to time, as it struggles to survive humanity. There is nothing that the astronaut can do, since there is nothing to do out in space, yet there is also nothing he can do for anyone on Earth.

Space Oddity

Written by David Bowie

Performed by David Bowie

Ground Control to Major Tom

Ground Control to Major Tom

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

(Ten) Ground Control (Nine) to Major Tom (Eight, seven)

(Six) Commencing (Five) countdown, engines on

(Four, three, two)

Check ignition (One) and may God’s love (Lift off) be with you

This is Ground Control to Major Tom

You’ve really made the grade

And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear

Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare

This is Major Tom to Ground Control

I’m stepping through the door

And I’m floating in a most peculiar way

And the stars look very different today

For here am I sitting in my tin can

Far above the world

Planet Earth is blue

And there’s nothing I can do

Though I’m past one hundred thousand miles

I’m feeling very still

And I think my spaceship knows which way to go

Tell my wife I love her very much

She knows

Ground Control to Major Tom

Your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Can you-

-Here am I floating ’round my tin can

Far above the moon

Planet Earth is blue

And there’s nothing I can do

5. 1969 – Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin

Once again, I was not rocking the cradle to Led Zeppelin. They were way too screamy for my Mom, and far too sexual and occultish for my Dad. I got into Led Zeppelin from WBAB radio, particularly during their “Get The Led Out” blocks. I began collecting the record albums, thanks to Columbia House record club’s crazy 8 albums for a penny promotions. Led Zeppelin I and II both came out in 1969. I prefer “II“ by a small margin over the debut, as it is a more
representative collection of the band that they grew to be. Led Zeppelin is notorious for ripping off American Blues artists without crediting them. Parts of the song were adapted from Willie Dixon’s “You Need Love”, recorded by Muddy Waters in 1962. A lawsuit in 1985 was settled with a payment to Dixon and credit on subsequent releases.

”Whole Lotta Love“ is perhaps the most Zeppelin song of all, and it opened the doorway that allowed Heavy Metal to exist. The combination of riffs, effects, vocal gymnastics, wild man drumming and intricate bass all combine with the primal urges of love and sex to create a song that moves you at every level. I don’t remember when headphones were invented. I know it was long before “beats”, but I am pretty sure that they were invented to listen to Led Zeppelin II, and particularly “Whole Lotta Love”.

I never got to see Led Zeppelin perform, obviously, since they broke up when drummer John Bonham died in 1980 at the age of 32 after drinking way too much the day before. I did get to take a road trip up to Washington D.C. with a college roommate to see Page / Plant, which was incredible.

My favorite lyric:

“Way down inside, woman, you need love”

Admittedly, this is not the most eloquent lyric ever written. It is the delivery and recording of it that makes it the highlight. The buildup, the reverse echo, just powerful.

Whole Lotta Love

Written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones & Willie Dixon

Performed by Led Zeppelin

You need coolin’, baby, I’m not foolin’

I’m going to send you back to schoolin’

Way down inside, honey, you need it

I’m goin’ to give you my love

I’m goin’ to give you my love, oh

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

You’ve been learnin’, baby, I’ve been yearnin’

All them good times, baby, baby, I’ve been learnin’

Way, way down inside, honey, you need it

I’m gonna give you my love, ah

I’m goin’ to give you my love, ah, oh

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

You’ve been coolin’, baby, I’ve been droolin’

All the good times, baby, I’ve been misusin’

Way, way down inside, I’m goin’ to give you my love

I’m goin’ to give you every inch of my love

Goin’ to give you my love, hey, alright, yes, sir

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Way down inside, woman, you need love

Shake for me, girl, I want to be your back door man

Hey! Oh! Hey! Oh! Hey! Oh!

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

6. 1970 – Paranoid – Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is widely acknowledged for creating the genre of Heavy Metal. “Paranoid” is probably the most succinct example. Driving beat, chugging riff, impassioned vocals. When it came out, I was shaking my cradle, exercising my vocal cords, trying to understand what Ozzy Osbourne (and anybody else) was saying. Later on, I would learn a lot more about lyrics and song titles.

It could be argued that the lyrics of the song describe someone who is paranoid, but I did not make that connection as a kid. I guess I never really knew what the song was called. My Mom would never have let be bring an album called “Black Sabbath” into the house, so I had only heard this song on the radio. I knew that it was Sabbath, and I knew it kicked ass, but I didn’t know what it was called. At the Junior High School talent show, we had a rock band who played it, which was clearly the highlight of the show. When a friend who hadn’t seen the performance asked me if they had played “Paranoid”, I said “No. They played a Black Sabbath song.” See, I had thought that “Destroyer” by The Kinks was called “Paranoid”, since they actually said the word paranoia in the chorus. How embarrassing, when another friend explained that the song was indeed called “Paranoid”.

The lyrics themselves are very personal to me. I gravitated to rock music for the sound and the messages. Unfortunately, a lot of these lines have directly applied to me throughout my life.

My favorite lyric:

“I need someone to show me the things in life that I can’t find.
I can’t see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind.”

I have often wondered if I was creating my own prison by choice, or if I just wasn’t seeing what everyone else appeared to be seeing. I want to be happy and satisfied, so I don’t think I intentionally avoid those things. I actually believe that I think about and see *more* things than most people do, and see how bad things can go, way before they actually do. My struggle is to figure out if there is a way to avoid things going down the dark path. In most cases, I have no influence over events, so the battle becomes identifying which things I can influence. Writing this, it is starting to sound like a version of the serenity prayer. Serenity is definitely the other side of the paranoia coin.

Paranoid

Written by Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi & Ozzy Osbourne

Performed by Black Sabbath

Finished with my woman ’cause she couldn’t help me with my mind

People think I’m insane because I am frowning all the time

All day long, I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy

Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify

Can you help me occupy my brain?

Whoa, yeah

I need someone to show me the things in life that I can’t find

I can’t see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind

Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry

Happiness, I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal

And so, as you hear these words telling you now of my state

I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could, but it’s too late

7. 1970 – Cracklin’ Rosie – Neil Diamond

Some of the best memories I have of my early childhood with my Dad are listening to records in our basement. I don’t remember what we were doing down there, but I remember listening to albums and talking about them. I am sure that we listened to multiple artists, but other than The Beatles, the only thing I remember listening to is Neil Diamond. Neil had the coolest voice, attitude for days, and mysterious music.

I know that I used to ask my Dad what the heck he was talking about, and I know that he told me, but I can’t really say that those answers stuck with me. For example, I still don’t know what a “store-bought woman” is, but he probably made some joke about my Mom loving to go shopping at the mall, which I suppose makes as much sense as anything else. I definitely recall giving my Dad a hard time whenever a song had nonsense lyrics, such as “Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba…”. I used to ask my Dad why they didn’t have enough words invented when he was a kid. There were all of these “Be bop a lula” and “Ram a lam a ding dong” and “Dip de dip de dip” and “Shimmy shimmy koko bop” and “Sha la la la la” songs, the only explanation my young brain could offer was a lack of real words to choose from.

Neil Diamond released a landmark live album in 1972 called “Hot August Night”, an album so great, he has released 3 sequels. One of those was recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August 2008. I was able to bring my Dad to one of these shows. We got to take the train in from Long Island, grab a steak downtown, and walk into the Garden, an old arena, but a very special one. We were not sure how he would sound after so many years, but he was on point, the production was incredible, and it was a memorable (and hot) August night.

My favorite lyric:

“We got all night to set the world right”

This is such a succinct, uplifting message, full of hope, in the middle of a song with loads of attitude.

Cracklin’ Rosie

Written by Neil Diamond

Performed by Neil Diamond

Aw, Cracklin’ Rosie, get on board

We’re gonna ride

Till there ain’t no more to go

Taking it slow

And Lord, don’t you know

We’ll have me a time with a poor man’s lady

Hitchin’ on a twilight train

Ain’t nothing here that I care to take along

Maybe a song

To sing when I want

No need to say please to no man

For a happy tune

Oh, I love my Rosie child

You got the way to make me happy

You and me we go in style

Cracklin’ Rose

You’re a store-bought woman

But you make me sing like a guitar hummin’

So hang on to me, girl

Our song keeps runnin’ on

Play it now, play it now

Play it now, my baby

Cracklin’ Rosie, make me a smile

Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that’s all right

We got all night to set the world right

Find us a dream that don’t ask no questions

Yeah

Oh, I love my Rosie child

You got the way to make me happy

You and me we go in style

Cracklin’ Rose

You’re a store-bought woman

But you make me sing like a guitar hummin’

So hang on to me, girl

Our song keeps runnin’ on

Play it now, play it now

Play it now, my baby

Cracklin’ Rosie, make me a smile

Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that’s all right

We got all night

To set the world right

Find us a dream that don’t ask no questions

Ba ba ba ba ba ……

8. 1971 – Imagine – John Lennon

The first murder that I remember is that of John Lennon on December 8, 1980. I was 11 years old, and it may be the first death that I was aware of. Obviously, I did not know Lennon personally, but I certainly knew who he was. He had made a comeback that year with his album “Double Fantasy”, released just weeks before, and I had been listening to that. I had also gotten into 2 greatest hits albums from The Beatles, the red one and the blue one (did you have them?). I loved everything he had done with and without The Beatles, and preferred his songs to McCartney’s by a large margin. I was still young enough to believe in his ideals and messages of hope and peace.

“Imagine” has a beautiful melody, and I am sure that is what had grabbed me in my younger years. Later, I could analyze the lyrics, which seemed to make perfect common sense to me. I recall that Howard Hesseman’s character “Johnny Fever” (my favorite of course) on “WKRP in Cincinnati” had used this song in a classic episode, in which protesters against rock and roll wanted the station to stop playing songs that it considered “offensive”. Fever used “Imagine” to argue the point that it was not an anti-religious song that declared that heaven did not exist, but instead was a challenge to imagine if certain things were different, how people would react to and treat each other.

I was raised as a Catholic, a religion that does not promote critical thinking or questioning of any kind. It is one of those successful religions that lays out a specific dogma, and excludes the possibility that any other religion has validity. That never sat well with me, as all religions are created by man, or at the very least interpreted by man, without proof of evidence. I suppose in that way, “Imagine” did set me on a path that most religions fear, the path of self discovery and open questioning. I ended up practicing Unitarian Universalism for a long while, where any source of enlightenment and inspiration are welcome. I may have even heard this song performed during a service or two.

My favorite lyric:

“You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one“

This is the most enduring and inspiring line, and one I latched onto as a youngster, believing that even though Lennon had been taken from us far too soon (he was only 4 years older than my Dad, his son Julian 6 years older than me), he left all of us a path to follow.

Imagine

Written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Performed by John Lennon

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

I

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one

9. 1971 – Behind Blue Eyes – The Who

First of all, I don’t have blue eyes, I have brown eyes. It took me a while to latch onto this song, as I was taking it quite literally. I came to realize that “behind blue eyes” was just a metaphor for someone who appeared to be happy on the outside, but was struggling within. I have always had every reason to be happy in general, but I have spent a lot of my life unhappy. I often think too much, and over analyze. All my life have I looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never my mind on where I was. What I was doing. Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.

My Mom always told me “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Roger Daltrey sings Pete Townshend’s words “No one bites back as hard on their anger, none of my pain and woe can show through.” I have tended to stay quiet and keep things to myself, feeling that nobody wants to hear about your problems, they are too busy hiding their own. Rather than stir things up, or cause controversy, I tend to keep things inside, “like a man”, until they explode in words of anger – spoke or emailed or posted socially. Like the protagonist in the song, I constantly try to regulate myself, by letting off a little steam, usually through attempted humor, before things get ugly.

In college, The Who was one of our go-to bands, when we were finished playing poker and pre-gaming, and were about to head out to a party. We would stand on the furniture and scream along to our favorite songs. One night, one of my roommates personified another line in the song, a secret nod we would give each other anytime we listened after that. “And if I swallow anything evil, put your finger down my throat.” That’s what true friends are for!

Recently, I was covering a rock radio convention in Las Vegas, as a photographer. Some of us were coming down the elevator at the Hard Rock Hotel, when in stepped none other than Pete Townshend. He asked what we were doing there, we told him it was a rock radio convention, and he smiled and said “In that case, I should be there!” So true – rock radio would not be what it was without The Who.

My favorite lyric:

“When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool”

This is the embodiment of the eternal internal struggle to maintain mental health. Don’t get too low, and don’t get too high. Let other people help you regulate and support you, in good times and bad. For some people, this is a weekly battle, a daily battle, even a minute-to-minute battle. Remember that when you engage with a friend, a family member, a co-worker, or even a stranger. You never know what somebody is going through in that moment.

Behind Blue Eyes

Written by Pete Townshend

Performed by The Who

No one knows what it’s like

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it’s like

To be hated, to be fated

To telling only lies

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely

My love is vengeance that’s never free

No one knows what it’s like

To feel these feelings like I do

And I blame you

No one bites back as hard

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

Can show through

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely

My love is vengeance that’s never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open

Before I use it and lose my cool

When I smile, tell me some bad news

Before I laugh and act like a fool

And if I swallow anything evil

Put your finger down my throat

And if I shiver, please give me a blanket

Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it’s like

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

Behind blue eyes

10. 1972 – American Pie – Don McLean

I do remember loving this song as a young kid. Most of it is very upbeat and fun to sing along to. I had no idea what it was about until later on. “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie” – fun to sing, still no idea what it means, especially when the movies came out, which definitely had their own meaning. “Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry” – we had a green Chevy Nova forever, so I knew what half of that line meant. “But February made me shiver, with every paper I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep” – I had a paper route through junior high and high school, waking at 6 AM, rain or shine, snow or sun, to deliver the New York Daily News based in NYC. Newsday is the Long Island paper, which was delivered in the afternoon, totally interfering with the day, so I had no interest in delivering that. I probably sang “Bad news on the doorstep” every time The Daily News had a negative headline.

Eventually, I figured out what some of the other lyrics meant. The verses refer to songs from The Beatles, The Stones, The Byrds, The Who, David Bowie and Bob Dylan. Clearly a lot of this is an homage to those classic bands. The core theme of the song is “The day the music died.” My Dad told me that this referred to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, while they were on tour together on February 3, 1959. That tragic event always brings me to the plane crash that killed members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and also the plane crash that killed Randy Rhoads. All of which I try not to think about anytime that I fly.

Every year while I was in college at the University of Virginia, almost the entire school headed down to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the week after finals end. We rented big houses on the beach, and slept on beds, couches, kitchen floors, lounge chairs – whatever was available. I was in full mix-tape mode all throughout college, making the party cassette mixes that we played on poker nights or during our massive BYOB daiquiri parties (BYOB = Bring Your Own Blender – we would burn out several each time). I remember making a mix-tape for Myrtle Beach, which included “American Pie”. I recall large groups of us sitting by the beach, drinking until the sun came up, singing this song en masse.

This epic song became one of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s best parodies. “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” was a shaky reboot, and ripe for spoofing. “The Saga Begins” nailed it perfectly, so perfectly that I sing some of Al’s lyrics, even when listening to the original. I always try to go to a birthday concert, some time around my actual birthday. Recently, “Weird Al” performed in San Diego, and I finally got to see him in person. He went through all of his classics, complete with multiple costume changes. The encore was “The Saga Begins”, played in its entirety, complete with droids and stormtroopers. Epic!

My favorite lyric:

“Do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock ‘n roll
Can music save your mortal soul?”

As a recovering Catholic, I have spent a lot of time pondering these types of questions. As a heavy metal fan, I have felt ostracized and criticized by organized religion. Personally, I have found more joy, community, understanding and inspiration from rock and roll than from religion. A person wrote “The Bible”. A person wrote “Crazy Train”. Why should one be universally accepted as gospel and one be demonized as madness? Maybe it’s not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.

American Pie

Written by Don McLean

Performed by Don McLean

A long, long time ago

I can still remember

How that music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And maybe they’d be happy for a while

But February made me shiver

With every paper I’d deliver

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn’t take one more step

I can’t remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Did you write the book of love

And do you have faith in God above

If the Bible tells you so?

Now do you believe in rock ‘n roll

Can music save your mortal soul?

And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him

‘Cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym

You both kicked off your shoes

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

But I knew I was out of luck

The day the music died

I started singing

“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own

And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone

But that’s not how it used to be

When the jester sang for the king and queen

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the king was looking down

The jester stole his thorny crown

The courtroom was adjourned

No verdict was returned

And while Lennon read a book on Marx

The quartet practiced in the park

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died

We were singing

“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Helter skelter in a summer swelter

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling fast

It landed foul on the grass

The players tried for a forward pass

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

While the sergeants played a marching tune

We all got up to dance

Oh, but we never got the chance!

‘Cause the players tried to take the field

The marching band refused to yield

Do you recall what was revealed

The day the music died?

We started singin’

“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Oh, and there we were all in one place

A generation lost in space

With no time left to start again

So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick!

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick, ’cause

Fire is the devil’s only friend

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

My hands were clenched in fists of rage

No angel born in hell

Could break that Satan’s spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight

The day the music died

We were singing

“Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die…”

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store

Where I’d heard the music years before

But the man there said the music wouldn’t play

And in the streets, the children screamed

The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed

But not a word was spoken

The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most

The father, son, and the holy ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the music died

And they were singing

“Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die”

They were singing

“Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die…”

11. 1972 – Rocket Man (I Think  It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time) – Elton John

Everybody loves Elton John, right? My first memory of Elton is from looking at the record collection that my Uncle had in my grandparents’ house in New Jersey. I was fascinated by the artwork on the fold out record covers of “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. My uncle let me borrow them to play at home in the basement. I soon found out that my parents had other Elton John records. We all loved his songs, even my sister. When he appeared on “The Muppet Show”, singing “Crocodile Rock” with muppets, that created another great lasting family memory.

“Rocket Man” is an obvious choice for me, since it is so similar to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and I was born the day we landed on the moon, allegedly. Like Bowie’s classic, this one is haunting musically and lyrically, exploring the isolation and desperation of an astronaut’s journey. I have always been fascinated by the space program and exploration, but totally freaked out by the thought of being stuck inside a tiny vehicle that I cannot easily exit. Elton’s brilliance on the piano exquisitely matches the poetry of his lifelong writing partner Bernie Taupin, creating a song that instantly captures your attention and captivates.

This song made a huge comeback for me when it was used in the dramatic final scene of the season 3 finale of the TV show “Californication”, starring David Duchovny, AKA Fox Mulder of “X-Files” fame. This scene is the culmination of a 3 season story arc which finds Hank Moody literally at rock bottom. The version used is a remix, using acoustic guitar in place of piano. This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking scenes ever produced. “Californication” is one of my all time favorites, and was a major inspiration that led me to move to San Diego.

My favorite lyric:

“I think it’s gonna be a long, long time.
I’m not the man they think I am at home.”

These words perfectly capture the tone of the exquisitely written, acted and filmed series. It also is a striking way to capture the emotions of the astronaut in the song.

Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)

Written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin

Performed by Elton John

She packed my bags last night, pre-flight

Zero hour: 9:00 a.m

And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then

I miss the Earth so much, I miss my wife

It’s lonely out in space

On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids

In fact, it’s cold as hell

And there’s no one there to raise them if you did

And all this science I don’t understand

It’s just my job five days a week

A rocket man

A rocket man

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

12. 1973 – Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Free Bird” is an interesting song, in that it only has 2 verses, yet it is over 9 minutes long. A lot of that is due to one of the greatest guitar solo outros ever created. The music in this song is beautiful and haunting throughout – piano, acoustic guitar, slide guitar and electric guitar. Singer Ronnie Van Zant always sang with such precision that you could instantly feel the emotions he was conveying.

This song is so powerful and beautiful that even my Mom likes it. She has almost never liked anything I listen to, but I clearly recall listening to this in the car with her, and she actually enjoyed it, did not change the station, and commented afterwards. In fact, Lynyrd Skynyrd would also provide our Mommy-Son song, which we danced to at my wedding, their classic ballad “Simple Man”. I wanted to hear that entire song, so halfway through I had the DJ ask all the Moms and Sons to join us on the dance floor. That was a special moment.

Back to “Free Bird”, it always inspired me, although as a kid you don’t have much freedom to travel and make your own way. I suppose it was always embedded in my brain, and probably helped me decide to go away for college. My “safety school” was a New York state school 5 hours from Long Island. I have lived in 5 states, worked in 20 states, and visited 37 states. I have been to Aruba, Belgium, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain, as well as several Caribbean Islands. I absolutely cannot wait to start traveling on again, ‘cause there’s still too many places I’ve got to see.

I was fortunate to be able to photograph Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. LTL is perhaps my most favorite festival of all. We have wonderful friends who open their house to us every year. Fans travel from all over the country to this central location, which hosts the premier fall festival, so the odds are good that most of my photo pit pals (photographriends) and festival family will be in attendance.

My favorite lyric:

“For I must be traveling on, now
‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see”

As I just mentioned, I love to travel. I have traveled for work, for music, for vacation and for tradition. Starting at a very young age, we flew to South Carolina every Easter and every summer to visit my Grandparents. I went away to school, and even from there, made road trips for concerts, parties, and football bowl games. No matter where I was living, I have gone home to New York for Christmas almost every year of my life. I have not gone anywhere since Valentine’s Day of 2020. I have not even left San Diego County in almost a year. This is by far the longest I have ever gone without exploring, and it is making me restless and uncomfortable.

Free Bird

Written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant

Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd

If I leave here tomorrow

Would you still remember me?

For I must be traveling on, now

‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see

But if I stay here with you, girl

Things just couldn’t be the same

‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now

And this bird you cannot change

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And the bird you cannot change

And this bird you cannot change

Lord knows, I can’t change

Bye, bye, baby, it’s been a sweet love, yeah yeah

Though this feeling I can’t change

But please don’t take it so badly

‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame

But, if I stay here with you, girl

Things just couldn’t be the same

‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now

And this bird you’ll never change

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And the bird you cannot change

And this bird you cannot change

Lord knows, I can’t change

Lord help me, I can’t change

Lord, I can’t change

Won’t you fly high, free bird, yeah

13. 1973 – Dream On – Aerosmith

Aerosmith was the go-to band on classic rock stations in the Northeast. By the time I had really gotten into them, they were in the middle of their “Behind The Music” meltdown, so I figured that they were just one of those old bands it would have been nice to see. Run-D.M.C. made them relevant again, with a killer remake of “Walk This Way”. Then they got their act together in the late 80’s, and made a massive comeback, with “Permanent Vacation”, “Pump”, and “Get A Grip” delivering some of their greatest songs. The music videos from this era are legendary, many starring Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv Tyler and Alicia Silverstone.

With their new lease on life and hit after hit in their setlist, Aerosmith have become a touring machine. I would finally be able to see America’s greatest rock and roll band live in person. One time, they were playing an amphitheater show in Charlotte, North Carolina with Kid Rock. My wife was pregnant, and had told me that she was finished with lawn seats, and would only go to shows if we had seating. As we approached our seats for the show, she noticed that we were once again walking towards the lawn. She was getting upset, but I showed her that they did have small bleachers, just 3 rows of them, in the front of the lawn, and we would be dead center on the top row and able to see the stage perfectly. Halfway through the Aerosmith set, they had all left the stage. I asked her to turn around, and suddenly we were not on the edge of the lawn, we were front row center for a small stage which had been built on the lawn. We got to see 3 songs performed directly in front of us. That stands as one of my favorite concert experiences.

I was fortunate to be able to photograph Aerosmith in 2016 at the KAABOO Del Mar Festival in San Diego, California. I had a photo pass for every stage except the main stage, but was allowed to shoot the main stage from the crowd. I decided to find a vantage point on the railing which would allow me to shoot down the center aisle between the soundboard and the stage. I got my spot early and stayed there for Third Eye Blind and Lenny Kravitz. Since I was not in the pit, I did not have to get all of my shots in during the first 3 songs. By being patient, I was able to get some great shots of Tyler and Perry, and ultimately captured Steven Tyler sitting at the piano, playing and singing “Dream On”. This was the song that first broke them and it continues to be an iconic masterpiece.

My favorite lyric:

“Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay, yeah”

I have always believed that dreams were great, but you have to put in the work if you have any hope of achieving them. You have to manifest your own destiny through effort and will. If you look at the story behind almost every successful person, the sheer will power to succeed is the driving factor, despite talent level, lack of support or assistance from doubters. Dream on, but also act towards fulfilling that dream.

Dream On

Written by Steven Tyler

Performed by Aerosmith

Every time that I look in the mirror

All these lines on my face getting clearer

The past is gone

It went by like dusk to dawn

Isn’t that the way?

Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay, yeah

I know nobody knows

Where it comes and where it goes

I know it’s everybody’s sin

You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life’s in books’ written pages

Lived and learned from fools and from sages

You know it’s true

All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Dream on, dream on, dream on

Dream until your dreams come true

Dream on, dream on, dream on

Dream until your dreams come true

Dream on, dream on

Dream on, dream on

Dream on, dream on

Dream on

Aaaaaah!

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

14. 1974 – Thank God I’m A Country Boy – John Denver

I also spent a lot of time in the basement with my Mom. She has always had her own taste in music. I think she may have tried to get my sister and I to listen to musicals and soundtracks, like “The Sound of Music”, “Doctor Zhivago” and Abba, which probably wasn’t a movie or play at the time, but certainly had that theatrical quality to it. The artist I most remember us singing along to while doing laundry, or watching her use the sewing machine, was John Denver. “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” was the most played track. We didn’t listen to a lot of country music – Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, John Denver – that’s about it. But we definitely had fun when we did, and it is a warm memory that I can always access.

My favorite lyric:

“So I fiddle when I can and I work when I should”

Curiously, this country classic has the same core message as the rock epic from the year before. A positive attitude combined with a solid work effort makes you a worthy human being. Maybe we are as different as some would like us to think. Maybe we are all Donny and Marie. Maybe we are all a little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll!

Thank God I’m A Country Boy

Written by John Martin Sommers

Performed by John Denver

Well, life on a farm is kinda laid back

Ain’t much an old country boy like me can’t hack

It’s early to rise, early in the sack

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, a simple kind of life never did me no harm

A-raisin’ me a family and working on the farm

My days are all filled with an easy country charm

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

And life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Thank God I’m a country boy

When the work’s all done and the sun’s setting low

I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow

The kids are asleep so I keep it kinda low

Thank God I’m a country boy

I’d play “Sally Goodin'” all day if I could

But the Lord and my wife wouldn’t take it very good

So I fiddle when I can and I work when I should

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

And life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Thank God I’m a country boy

Whoo

Well, I wouldn’t trade my life for diamonds or jewels

I never was one of them money hungry fools

I’d rather have my fiddle and my farming tools

Thank God I’m a country boy

Yeah, city folk driving in a black limousine

A lot of sad people thinking that’s a-mighty keen

Well son, let me tell you now exactly what I mean

I thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

And life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, my fiddle was my daddy’s till the day he died

And he took me by the hand, held me close to his side

Said, “Live a good life, play my fiddle with pride

Thank God you’re a country boy.”

My daddy taught me young how to hunt and how to whittle

He taught me how to work and play a tune on the fiddle

He taught me how to love and how to give just a little

And thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

Life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Whoo, thank God I’m a country boy, yes!

15. 1974 – Bad Company – Bad Company

To be clear, this is the song “Bad Company”, as written and performed by the band Bad Company, from the album “Bad Company”, which was produced by Bad Company. Got it?   That always made us laugh. A lot of the songs from the 1970’s got new life in the late 80’s and early 90’s with the popularity of CD’s. Typically, to save money as a college student, I would buy greatest hits collections on CD. Bad Company’s “10 From 6” was one of out most played during poker nights.

I finally got to see the band live right before I moved away from Maryland, around 2010 at something called “Outlaw Jam”. It was out in Western Maryland, featuring Bad Company, Blue Oyster Cult, Candlebox and Black Stone Cherry. In keeping with the Outlaw vibe, they also had the cast of a new TV series about a biker gang in Northern California. Unfortunately, I had not yet realized that “Sons Of Anarchy” was one of the greatest TV dramas of all time, and I did not participate in that part of the event. Musically, it was a very special night.

One of the other reasons that this song is so important is that Five Finger Death Punch made it their own at their live shows. I have covered and photographed so many 5FDP shows over the past decade, and their heavy version of this classic, which they always dedicate to our Armed Forces, is always a highlight. YEAH!!

My favorite lyric:

“Rebel souls, deserters we are called”

This reminded me of “Star Wars”, which made me think that rebels were cool, and the good ones in a conflict, which also made the rebel flag seem cool. No, wait, “The Dukes of Hazzard” made the rebel flag seem cool, painted on the roof of the General Lee orange 1969 (great year!) Dodge Charger. Possibly, it was Daisy Duke and her shorts that made the whole show seem cool. In any event, Paul Rodgers delivers that line so smoothly, it makes this whole song sound cool.

Bad Company

Written by Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke

Performed by Bad Company

Mmm

Company, always on the run

Destiny, is a rising sun

Oh, I was born six-gun in my hand

Behind a gun, I’ll make my final stand, hey

That’s why they call me

Bad company and I can’t deny

Bad company ’til the day I die

Oh, ’til the day I die

‘Til the day I die

Rebel souls, deserters we are called

Chose a gun and threw away the sun

Now these towns, they all know our name

Six-gun sound is our claim to fame

I can hear them say

Bad company and I won’t deny

Bad, bad company ’til the day I die

Ha, ha, oh yeah

‘Til the day I die, ooh

Oh

Hey, hey, hey

Bad company, I can’t deny

Bad company ’til the day I die

And I say it’s bad company

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Bad company ’til the day I die

Whoa yes

Said I’m young and I’m free

Oh, but I’m-a bad company

That’s the way I play, yeah

Dirty for dirty, heh

Oh, somebody double-crossed me

Double-cross for double-cross

Yeah, we’re bad company

For more chapters of My Life In Music:

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1975-1979

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1980-1984

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1985-1989

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1969 – 1974 first appeared on Game On Media.

What are New Year’s Resolutions? People are always analyzing their intentions, adjusting their behaviors, and attempting to improve their lives. Whenever a new year begins, we give ourselves permission to start over, to let go of our past failures to better ourselves. We wipe the slate, delete the logs, swab the decks, clear the clutter, and resolve to do things differently.

What do we need to keep our resolutions going?  We need inspiration. We need metaphors that help us wrap our heads around what we have resolved to do, and why. We need help stopping, starting, increasing, decreasing whatever it is that is most important to us.

My metaphorical musical inspiration this year is “learning to fly”. The dream of flight has always inspired ambition. The idea of learning is a necessary humbling of our ego – to admit that we have failed, and perhaps we don’t know why we fail, or how to succeed. Taking steps toward educating ourselves is an attempt to fly beyond our current limitations. Shinedown, in particular, has always inspired me, giving me the courage to start my own consulting business over 15 years ago, an endeavor which succeeded for a decade, until it was time to take on another opportunity.

Here are our Five Fave Inspirational New Year’s Resolution Songs.

#5 – Mr. Mister – Broken Wings

Baby, don’t understand
Why we can’t just hold on to each other’s hands?
This time might be the last if fear unless
I make it all too clear I need you so, ohh

Take these broken wings
And learn to fly again, learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in
Take these broken wings

Baby, I think tonight
We can take what was wrong and make it right
Baby, it’s all I know that you’re half of the flesh
And blood that makes me whole, I need you so

So take these broken wings
And learn to fly again, learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in
Take these broken wings
You’ve got to learn to fly, learn to live, love so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in
Yeah, yeah
Let us in
Let us in

Baby, it’s all I know that you’re half of the flesh
And blood that makes me whole
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

So take these broken wings
And learn to fly again, learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in
Take these broken wings
You got to learn to fly, learn to live and love so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up for us and let us in
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh

#4 – Pink Floyd – Learning To Fly

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reel
A fatal attraction is holding me fast
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can’t keep my eyes from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earthbound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty and turned to stone

A soul in tension that’s learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try

Can’t keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer
My grubby halo, a vapor trail in the empty air
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

There’s no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss

Can’t keep my mind from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earth-bound misfit, I

#3 – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Learning To Fly

Well, I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still

I’m learning to fly but I ain’t got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing

Well, the good old days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn

I’m learning to fly (Learning to fly)
But I ain’t got wings (Learning to fly)
Coming down (Learning to fly)
Is the hardest thing (Learning to fly)

Well, some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I’ve started out for God knows where
I guess I’ll know when I get there

I’m learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up (Learning to fly)
Must come down

I’m learning to fly (Learning to fly)
But I ain’t got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
I’m learning to fly (Learning to fly)
Around the clouds
But what goes up (Learning to fly)
Must come down
I’m learning to fly (Learning to fly, learning to fly)
I’m learning to fly (Learning to fly, learning to fly)
(Learning to fly, learning to fly)

#2 – Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly

Run and tell all of the angels
This could take all night
Think I need a devil to help me get things right
Hook me up a new revolution
‘Cause this one is a lie
We sat around laughing and watched the last one die

Now I’m looking to the sky to save me
Looking for a sign of life
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
I’m looking for a complication
Looking cause I’m tired of lying
Make my way back home when I learn to fly high

I think I’m done nursing the patience
It can wait one night
I’d give it all away if you give me one last try
We’ll live happily ever trapped if you just save my life
Run and tell the angels that everything’s alright

Now I’m looking to the sky to save me
Looking for a sign of life
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
I’m looking for a complication
Looking cause I’m tired of trying
Make my way back home when I learn to fly high
Make my way back home when I learn to…

Fly along with me, I can’t quite make it alone
Try to make this life my own
Fly along with me, I can’t quite make it alone
Try to make this life my own

I’m looking to the sky to save me
Looking for a sign of life
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
I’m looking for a complication
Looking cause I’m tired of trying
Make my way back home when I learn to
I’m looking to the sky to save me
Looking for a sign of life
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
I’m looking for a complication
Looking cause I’m tired of trying
Make my way back home when I learn to fly high
Make my way back home when I learn to fly…
Make my way back home when I learn to…

#1 – Shinedown – Fly From The Inside

Here’s the weight of the world on my shoulders
Here’s the weight of the world on my shoulders
On my shoulders

All alone I pierce the chain
And on and on the sting remains
And dying eyes consume me now
The voice inside, screams out loud

I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter

‘Cause I found a way
To steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day
That I decided to fly from the inside

Every day a new deception
Pick your scene and take direction
And on and on I search to connect
But I don’t wear a mask and I have no regrets

I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter

‘Cause I found a way
To steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day
That I decided to fly from the inside

I can’t escape the pain, I can’t control the rage
Sometimes I think that I’m gonna go insane
I’m not against what’s right, I’m not for what’s wrong
I’m just making my way and I’m gone

Here’s the weight of the world on my shoulders

‘Cause I found a way
To steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day
That I decided to fly from the inside

That I decided to fly from the inside
That I decided to fly from the inside

Five Fave: Inspirational New Year’s Resolution Songs first appeared on Game On Media.

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#SOSFEST is a three-day virtual music festival featuring exclusive original performances and content, streaming October 16 -18. Hosted by Reggie Watts, #SOSFEST features performances from 35+ artists, including an intimate set from Foo Fighters, and performances by Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff, Black Pumas, Miley Cyrus, Kelsea Ballerini, and more, recorded live from more than 25 independent concert venues across the United States.   #SOSFEST marks seven months since most independent venues, concert halls, comedy clubs, theatres, and festivals learned that they would be closing indefinitely.   90% of independent music venues are on the verge of closing forever – and they need your help!

NIVA and YouTube Announce Virtual Save Our Stages Fest Featuring Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Miley Cyrus, Rise Against first appeared on Game On Media.

1995 was a decade where music took many interesting turns. “Alternative” wasn’t just a new genre, it was a true description of the multiple choices listeners had, as new artists emerged with unique sounds, established artists went solo, and everybody pushed musical boundaries. Glam and bubble-gum were in the rearview mirror, grunge had turned mainstream, country was going pop, and hip-hop was starting to dominate, eventually finding its way into rock and roll. 25 years ago, these albums rocked our world and continue to remain in our consciousness, and on our playlists. Here are our Five Fave 1995 25th Anniversary Albums – Male Vocals.

#5 – 311 – 311

311 launched themselves into the mainstream with their self-titled album. Although it took a while to catch fire, their unique blending of styles, including elements of hip-hop, gave them a place in rock history. Their legendary live shows continue to thrill audiences, and they have methodically added to their catalog every 2 to 3 years. The songs they are still best known for, “Down” and “All Mixed Up”, are from the “311” album.

#4 – White Zombie – Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head

Astro-Creep: 2000… is the 4th and final White Zombie album. Rob Zombie continued to great success as a solo act, and kept a handful of White Zombie songs in his live sets. The biggest (and best) of those is “More Human Than Human”, inspired by the motto of the human replicant manufacturer Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner. The album is full of quotes from old horror and cult classic films, showcasing Zombie’s artistic flair, also evident in his live extravaganzas.

#3 – Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory

Ahh, what could have been. Oasis hit the ground running with their first album, “Definitely Maybe”, and smashed through all barriers with their second, the start-to-finish classic “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory”. Lead vocalist Liam Gallagher and his brother, guitarist/vocalist Noel Gallagher were bigger than The Beatles, at least in their own mind. They instantly began living out their own “Behind The Music” episode in real time. Ego, fame, substance abuse and sibling rivalry doomed the band. Although they pressed on in various forms for another decade, they never recaptured the magic of this album.

#2 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

“Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” is the epic centerpiece of Billy Corgan’s career leading The Smashing Pumpkins. A 28 song, 2 hour sprawling musical landscape, an entire alternative radio station in itself. From the orchestral “Tonight, Tonight” to the brit-pop “1979”, with tons of dreamy ballads in between, no sound is left behind. The highlights for most were the grungiest, angstiest tracks – “Muzzle”, “Zero” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”. 25 years later, The Smashing Pumpkins are set to drop another double album.

#1 – Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters

The first Foo Fighters album is a Dave Grohl solo album, recorded in a week, with Dave playing all instruments. It was meant only as catharsis after the suicide of Kurt Cobain and the end of Nirvana, but instead it launched one of the greatest rock acts of all time. After putting a band together to tour, Foo Fighters took off and shows no signs of slowing. While this may not be their best album, it is clearly the most important, as it set the stage for what was to come, and gave Grohl the confidence to step out front. Dave Grohl can do no wrong.

Five Fave: 1995 25th Anniversary Albums – Male Vocals first appeared on Game On Media.

Foo Fighters have rescheduled the remainder of their April/May Van Tour 2020. For a full listing of the rescheduled Van Tour dates, see below. Tickets for the original shows will be honored for the corresponding new performances. For further information, please continue to check in at foofighters.com from the safety of your homes—we want to rock with each and every one of you when we get back out there! FOO FIGHTERS VAN TOUR 2020 RESCHEDULED SHOWS Previously scheduled for 4/12/2020 NEW DATE 12/5/2020 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena https://FooFighters.lnk.to/Phoenix Previously scheduled for 4/14/2020 NEW DATE 12/3/2020 Albuquerque, NM Santa Ana Star Center https://FooFighters.lnk.to/ABQ Previously schedule for 4/16/2020 NEW DATE 12/1/2020 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena https://FooFighters.lnk.to/OKC Previously scheduled for 4/18/2020 NEW DATE 10/17/2020 WICHITA, KS INTRUST Bank Arena https://FooFighters.lnk.to/WKS Previously scheduled for 4/20/2020 NEW DATE 10/9/2020 KNOXVILLE, TN Thompson-Boling Arena https://FooFighters.lnk.to/KTN Previously scheduled for 5/10/2020 NEW DATE  10/15/2020 GREEN BAY, WI RESCH CENTER https://FooFighters.lnk.to/GBWI Previously scheduled for 5/12/2020 NEW DATE 10/7/2020 GRAND RAPIDS, MI VAN ANDEL ARENA https://FooFighters.lnk.to/GRMI Previously scheduled for 5/14/2020 NEW DATE 10/13/2020 CINCINNATI, OH HERITAGE BANK CENTER https://FooFighters.lnk.to/Cincy Previously scheduled for 5/16/2020 NEW DATE 10/5/2020 DETROIT, MI LITTLE CAESARS ARENA https://FooFighters.lnk.to/Detroit Previously scheduled for 5/18/2020 NEW DATE 10/3/2020 CLEVELAND, OH ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE https://FooFighters.lnk.to/Cleveland Previously scheduled for 5/20/2020 NEW DATE 10/1/2020 HAMILTON, ON FIRSTONTARIO CENTRE https://FooFighters.lnk.to/HON Foo Fighters at Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival 2019 Sonic Temple 19 Foo Fighters 78 photos

Foo Fighters Announce Rescheduled Van Tour Dates first appeared on Game On Media.

MESSAGE FROM DAVE GROHL

Hi, this is Dave. Remember me? The guy who wouldn’t even postpone a show when my goddamn leg was falling off?

Well… playing a gig with a sock full of broken bones is one thing, but playing a show when YOUR health and safety is in jeopardy is another…

We fuckin’ love you guys. So let’s do this right and rain check shit. The album is done, and it’s fuckin’ killer. The lights and stage are in the trucks, ready to go. The SECOND we are given the go ahead, we’ll come tear shit up like we always do. Promise. 

Now go wash your hands. 

Dave ​

Foo Fighters are postponing dates on the upcoming Van Tour 2020.

For a listing of postponed and new dates, see below. Information on the May dates will be forthcoming.

FOO FIGHTERS VAN TOUR 2020
RESCHEDULED SHOWS

Previously scheduled for 4/12/2020
NEW DATE 12/5/2020
Phoenix, AZ
Talking Stick Resort Arena
https://FooFighters.lnk.to/Phoenix

Previously scheduled for 4/14/2020
NEW DATE 12/3/2020
Albuquerque, NM
Santa Ana Star Center
https://FooFighters.lnk.to/ABQ

Previously schedule for 4/16/2020
NEW DATE 12/1/2020
Oklahoma City, OK
Chesapeake Energy Arena
https://FooFighters.lnk.to/OKC

Previously scheduled for 4/18/2020
RESCHEDULED DATE TO BE ANNNOUNCED
Wichita, KS
INTRUST Bank Arena
https://FooFighters.lnk.to/WKS

Previously scheduled for 4/20/2020
RESCHEDULED DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Knoxville, TN
Thompson-Boling Arena
https://FooFighters.lnk.to/KTN

Sonic Temple 19 Foo Fighters

78 photos

A Public Service Announcement From Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters first appeared on Game On Media.

THE BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL REVEALS LINEUP ADDITIONS

SUBLIME WITH ROME, COLBIE CAILLAT, KING YELLOWMAN,
AND MORE ADDED TO ITS 2020 SOPHOMORE EVENT

The BeachLife Festival, a first-of-its-kind event celebrating Southern California’s unique beach lifestyle, has just announced a wave of lineup additions for its second annual event happening May 1-3, 2020. Sublime with Rome, Colbie Caillat, King Yellowman, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, and more will join a previously announced bill stacked with artists who embody California’s iconic beach culture. The artist additions will join previously announced music headliners Steve Miller Band, Counting Crows, and the exclusive performance of Ziggy Marley & Stephen Marley’s Bob Marley Celebration. Over three days, music fans will be treated to a slew of powerhouse performers from across the rock, reggae, jam, and Americana genres, while standing oceanside on one of Southern California’s most famed beaches.

Also added to the lineup is an acoustic set by Long Beach-based rockers LAW, who will perform on the BeachLife’s recently announced Speakeasy Stage. This intimate performance experience will feature punk and rock icons performing stripped down arrangements from their discography in a listening room style format.

Weekend passes for The BeachLife Festival are currently on sale at www.beachlifefestival.com. General admission passes are currently $299 and VIP passes are $749. The Captain’s Pass, which includes additional perks like backstage access, complimentary alcoholic beverages, and valet parking is $1,895. A percentage of ticket sales will be donated to several charities including Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, Life Rolls On, Redondo Beach Police Foundation, Redondo Beach Education Foundation, and Walk With Sally.

A complete lineup for the 2020 event can be found below, with newly-added performers in bold.

BeachLife 2020 Complete Lineup
Steve Miller Band
Counting Crows
Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley’s Bob Marley Celebration
UB40 feat. Ali Campbell and Astro
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Sublime with Rome
Fitz and The Tantrums
+Live+
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
WAR
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Chevy Metal performs Queen
Grace VanderWaal
Colbie Caillat
Blues Traveler
G. Love & Special Sauce
Sugar Ray
Phosphorescent
The Record Company
Ambrosia
Save Ferris
King Yellowman
Long Beach Dub Allstars
Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds
Mother Hips
Stone Foxes
Jim Lindberg of Pennywise
Rhett Miller of Old 97’s
Trever Keith of Face to Face
The Knights of Monte Carlo
Tom Curren
Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters
Chuck Prophet
Royal Jelly Jive
Jason Cruz of Strung Out 
Timmy Curran
The Aquadolls
LAW (Acoustic)
Too Rude
Slackstring
Jason Devore of Authority Zero
Tom Freund
Davey Allen
Kira Lingman & Veronica Torres
Latchkey Kid
Kevin Sousa Band
Jeremy Buck
Joker’s Hand

The Beachlife Festival 2020 Adds Sublime With Rome, Colbie Caillat, King Yellowman and More first appeared on Game On Media.

The annual DIMEBASH is an all-star jam honoring the life and legacy of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, the late co-founder and guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan, and the unofficial kickoff party for the NAMM convention. Jose Mangin and Riki Rachtman co-hosted the event on January 16, 2020 at The Observatory OC in Santa Ana, California.

Over 5 incredible hours, artists from dozens of bands rotated on and off the stage, performing 40 songs, including Pantera classics and other legendary tunes. Sadly, this event now also honors the late Vinnie Paul, drummer of Pantera, Damageplan and Hellyeah, and Dimebag’s brother. Both men were more than stellar musicians, they were incredible human beings who brought light into so many lives. It is no surprise that their musical peers and friends show up in droves to honor their memory by playing their songs, and sharing their love for these two giants.

The one-of-a-kind lineup featured members of Accept, Act Of Defiance, Anthrax, Armored Saint, Bad Wolves, Bad Guys Wear Black, Broken Hope, Butcher Babies, Cody Jinks, Crowbar, Cypress Hill, Dylan Rose, Foo Fighters, Grim Reaper, Hatebreed, Hellyeah, In Flames, In This Moment, Iron Maidens, Kill Devil Hill, King Diamond, King’s X, Kyng, Lamb of God, Lita Ford, Pearl, Prong, Sebastian Bach, Sepultura, Stone Sour, The Haunted, Testament, Tyr, Vio-Lence and more, including the debut of Revel Ian, son of Scott Ian and Pearl Aday.

Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin kicked things off on lead vocals, performing the second song from all over the crowd, as fans surfed him from the front of the house all the way back to the stage. He also shared emotional speeches about the power of music and love and gratitude. Riki Rachtman also told stories from his days on MTV’s Headbangers Ball, where he was forced to call him “Diamond” Darrell instead of “Dimebag” due to outrageous censorship.

Ron Williams of RONZ WORLD Custom Painted Guitars delivered yet another amazing original piece, which was auctioned off, as the winner was chosen by Rita Haney, Dime’s longtime girlfriend and keeper of his legacy. Proceeds from the event will benefit music education and animal rescues.

After the show, VIP guests were able to join the artists backstage to enjoy Back Beat BBQ, which none other than Dave Grohl himself had been cooking since 8:00 that morning. This was the best pulled pork and ribs that I have ever eaten. Is there nothing this man cannot do? All in all, it was an emotional, empowering evening of entertainment and excess.

NAMM 2020 Dimebash

57 photos

Dimebash 2020 Honors “Dimebag” Darrell with All Star Jam and Dave Grohl’s BackBeat BBQ first appeared on Game On Media.

Dave Grohl on 25 Years of Foo Fighters:

“Holy Shit!!! 25 years?!

Thank You guys for being with us year after year…for singing along & making every show the best night of our lives.

We’re JUST getting started, so Buckle Up, 2020… it’s going to be an INSANE year full of some seriously crazy shit…”

Foo Fighters ST19

50 photos

Dave Grohl Comments On 25 Years Of Foo Fighters first appeared on Game On Media.

Additional All-Star Talent Announced For

Dimebash

Event Honoring “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott Will Feature Members Of

Anthrax, Bad Wolves, Cypress Hill, Foo Fighters,

Hatebreed, Hellyeah, In Flames, In This Moment,

 Lamb of God, Sepultura, Stone Sour, Testament & More

Co-Hosted by SiriusXM’s Jose Mangin and Riki Rachtman

Thursday, January 16

At The Observatory OC In Santa Ana, CA

With Exclusive Artist & VIP Backstage Afterparty Featuring

Dave Grohl’s BackBeat BBQ

Limited Number Of Tickets Still Available

Additional talent has been announced for the upcoming Dimebash all-star jam tribute to “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, the late co-founder and guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan. Set for Thursday, January 16 at The Observatory OC in Santa Ana, California, the one-of-a-kind lineup will feature members of Accept, Act Of Defiance, Anthrax, Armored Saint, Bad Wolves, Bad Guys Wear Black, Broken Hope, Butcher Babies, Cody Jinks, Crowbar, Cypress Hill, Dylan Rose, Foo Fighters, Hatebreed, Hellyeah, In Flames, In This Moment, Iron Maidens, Kill Devil Hill, King Diamond, King’s X, Kyng, Lamb of God, Lita Ford, Pearl, Prong, Sebastian Bach, Sepultura, Stone Sour, The Haunted, Testament, Tyr and more surprise guests.

The all-star jam will feature Dime’s music and some of his favorite songs, with the Texas homegrown sounds of WhiskeyDick opening the show as top rock and metal artists honor the guitar legend 15 years after his untimely passing. See highlights from the 2019 Dimebash and Backbeat BBQ event in this new video:

www.facebook.com/dimebagdarrell/videos/996125130761585/

The all-ages event, which also serves as the unofficial kick-off for the Winter NAMM show, starts at 7:00 PM and will be hosted by metal ambassadors Jose Mangin (Affliction / SiriusXM) and Riki Rachtman (former MTV Headbangers Ball host / Cathouse founder). A limited number of general admission tickets are still available for $33 (plus fees) via www.DimebagDarrell.com. There will also be lots of great raffle prizes to win throughout the night.

Dimebash 2020 partners include Metal Blade, Dunlop Manufacturing, Dean Guitars, BackBeat BBQ, Affliction, Paiste Cymbals, Creekstone Farms and Ronz World Guitars. Proceeds from the event will benefit music education and animal rescues.

The Observatory OC is located at 3503 S. Harbor Blvd. in Santa Ana, CA.

To further celebrate Dimebag’s life, fans can order Dimevision Vol. 2: Roll With It Or Get Rolled Over via Metal Blade Records here: https://www.metalblade.com/dimevision/#order. Dimevision Vol. 2… is a true celebration of Dimebag and how he lived his life. The DVD/CD set includes classic video clips as well as five demos picked from a vast catalog that Dimebag accrued starting in 1984 when longtime girlfriend Rita Haney gave him his first 4-track. Dimevision Vol. 2 also includes never before published photos from Stephanie Cabral, dates, stories, and notes on the five tracks. Rita worked in collaboration with Daryl “Bobby Tongs” Arnberger–who was one of Dimebag‘s closest friends and an official videographer for Pantera and Damageplan—and film editor Rob Fenn to choose 33 segments for Dimevision Vol. 2.

For more information on Dimebash 2020, visit:

www.DimebagDarrell.com

www.facebook.com/dimebagdarrell

@dimebagdarrell

Dimebash Event Honoring Dimebag Darrell Announces All-Star Talent first appeared on Game On Media.

TAYLOR HAWKINS & THE COATTAIL RIDERS “MIDDLE CHILD” NEW VIDEO & JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE PERFORMANCE TODAY

“Such hyperactive cleverness, you’ll get glam-rock whiplash”—ROLLING STONE (January 7, 2020) Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders ring in the new year with a brand new video for “Middle Child,” the “blown-out and over-the-top rocker” (STEREOGUM) from the LOUDWIRE 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019 charting album Get The Money (Shanabelle/RCA Records). Directed by Wiley Hodgden, Taylor Hawkins, and Jeff Coffman, the “Middle Child” clip’s vintage green screen vibes recall the halcyon days of early ’80s MTV, while a star turn by Hawkins’ own middle child Annabelle casts an eye toward the future. “Middle Child” features Hawkins himself in multiple roles, behind mics, drum kits, the wheel and coach’s whistle to name a few, with support from Coattail Riders Chris Chaney (bass) and Brent Woods (guitar), both of whom played on the original song (as did Dave Grohl). Taylor will also be performing on tonight’s JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!, joined by a band featuring Grohl, Chaney and Woods for the network television debut of “Middle Child.” Don’t miss this exclusive kinda’ maybe might not ever happen again TV event! For further info and updates, stay connected with Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders at: http://www.taylorhawkins.com/ https://www.facebook.com/taylorhawkinsofficial https://twitter.com/taylorhawkins https://www.instagram.com/taylorhawkinsofficial #TaylorHawkins #GetTheMoney #MiddleChild

Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders on Jimmy Kimmel Live first appeared on Game On Media.

Bourbon & Beyond 2019

58 photos

Bourbon & Beyond 2019 Scene

11 photos

Bourbon & Beyond – World’s Largest Bourbon Festival Featured Foo Fighters, Robert Plant, Zac Brown Band first appeared on Game On Media.

Bourbon & Beyond

Releases Full Schedule Of Music Performances

Plus Culinary And Bourbon Workshop Times

For September 20, 21 & 22

At Newly Created Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center

The World’s Largest Bourbon Festival Features

Foo Fighters, Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters,

Zac Brown Band, Daryl Hall & John Oates, John Fogerty, ZZ Top & More

Plus One-Of-A-Kind Bourbon And Culinary Experiences

With Master Distillers And Celebrity Chefs

Tickets On Sale Now

The full schedule of music performances for Bourbon & Beyond is now available. The third year of the unique destination event expands to three days, Friday, September 20, Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22 at the newly created Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center.

Bourbon & Beyond’s music lineup includes a unique mix of rock, roots, bluegrass and folk acts led by Foo Fighters, Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters, the Zac Brown Band, John Fogerty, Daryl Hall & John Oates, and ZZ Top, among many others. In total, nearly 50 artists will play on three stages over the course of the weekend, including two side-by-side main stages and a bluegrass stage curated by the genre’s leading authority, The Bluegrass Situation. In addition, the World’s Largest Bourbon Festival also celebrates the craftsmanship behind award-winning spirits, master distillers and world-class chefs. Bourbon author, expert, and Amazon Prime host (Bourbon Up) Fred Minnick has curated one-of-a-kind tastings and seminars celebrating Louisville’s world-renowned distilleries, while culinary curators Edward Lee (The Mind of A Chef) and Anthony Lamas (Seviche) have teamed up to arrange special food experiences.

The schedule of bourbon workshops on the Kentucky Gold Stage and culinary experiences on the Better In The Bluegrass Stage is below. Visit BourbonAndBeyond.com for full details.

A limited number of Bourbon & Beyond exclusive VIP packages, General Admission tickets, camping and hotel packages, as well as special event tickets are still available at www.BourbonandBeyond.com.

The music schedule for Bourbon & Beyond is as follows (subject to change).

The culinary experiences and bourbon workshops, along with the Derby Dance Hall schedule, are as follows:

Friday, September 20
Better In The Bluegrass Stage (culinary)		Kentucky Gold Stage (bourbon)
12:00 PM	Edward Lee	11:35 AM	Welcome
1:30 PM	Jose Salazar & Matt Abdoo	12:40 PM	Beer Drinker’s Bourbon
3:00 PM	Michael Voltaggio & Adam Sobel	2:05 PM	How Highball Can You Go?
4:30 PM	Justin Sutherland & Ben Jaffe (Preservation Hall Jazz Band)	3:50 PM	Whiskey Women
		5:05 PM	Bourbon Disrupters
		6:05 PM	What Is A Master Distiller?
Derby Dance Hall
12:30 PM	Charleston Lesson
1:20 PM	Jitterbug Performance
1:30 PM	Jitterbug Lesson
2:50 PM	Foxtrot / West Coast Swing Performance
3:00 PM	Foxtrot Lesson
4:05 PM	Cha Cha Performance
4:25 PM	Cha Cha Lesson
6:35 PM	West Coast Swing Performance
6:45 PM	Music And Open Dancing
Saturday, September 21
Better In The Bluegrass Stage (culinary)		Kentucky Gold Stage (bourbon)
1:05 PM	Graham Elliot	11:25 AM	Bourbon Storytime
2:30 PM	Tiffani Thiessen	12:25 PM	Barrel Finish Vs. Traditional Bourbon
4:00 PM	Brooke Williamson	1:35 PM	Whiskey’s Dark Past
5:30 PM	Kelsey Barnard Clark & Sara Bradley	3:00 PM	The Barrel
		4:45 PM	The Van Winkle Family
Derby Dance Hall
12:25 PM	Jitterbug Performance
12:35 PM	Jitterbug Lesson
2:10 PM	West Coast Swing Performance
2:20 PM	Foxtrot Lesson
3:00 PM	East Coast Swing Performance
3:10 PM	East Coast Swing Lesson
4:45 PM	West Coast Swing / Foxtrot Performance
4:55 PM	West Coast Swing Lesson
6:35 PM	West Coast Swing Performance
6:45 PM	Music And Open Dancing
Sunday, September 22
Better In The Bluegrass Stage (culinary)		Kentucky Gold Stage (bourbon)
12:45 PM	Ouita Michel	11:15 AM	Welcome
2:05 PM	Rusty Hamlin & Coy Bowles (Zac Brown Band)	12:05 PM	Manhattan Vs. The Old Fashioned
3:35 PM	Amanda Freitag & Tierinii Jackson (Southern Avenue)	1:15 PM	Sweet Mash: The Whiskey Revolution
4:15 PM	Jamie Bissonnette	2:35 PM	Master Taster: How To Taste Like A Pro
		4:15 PM	Executive Round Table
		6:15 PM	Slavery In American Whiskey History
Derby Dance Hall
12:40 PM	West Coast Swing / Charleston Performance
12:50 PM	Charleston Lesson
2:40 PM	Jitterbug Lesson
3:20 PM	East Coast Swing Performance
3:30 PM	East Coast Swing Lesson
5:10 PM	West Coast Swing Performance
5:20 PM	West Coast Swing Lesson
6:05 PM	Music And Open Dancing

Festival doors open at 11:00 AM each day. Download the official Bourbon & Beyond mobile app through the Google Play and Apple stores. The app allows attendees to build their own schedules, learn more about the artists and personalities appearing at the festival, and get the latest information through push notifications.

Those looking to kick off the weekend early are encouraged to attend a number of exclusive events on Thursday, September 19:

• The official Bourbon & Beyond Pre-Party featuring Pearl takes place at 9:00 PM at Fourth Street Live! in Louisville
• The Bourbon & Beyond Supper Club at Seviche will offer a special menu that showcases what makes Chef Anthony Lamas’ food so unique
• Chef Edward Lee will host the Expect The Unexpected Supper Club with friends at Falls City Market at the Omni Hotel
• Bourbon & Beyond bourbon curator and author Fred Minnick will host the The Art of Bourbon at Speed Art Museum, a night of cocktails, a bourbon-inspired Kentucky Bison dinner and a live auction of extremely rare bourbons and one-in-a-lifetime experiences

Visit https://bourbonandbeyond.com/experiences for details and to purchase tickets.

The festival’s centerpiece, the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar presented by Louisville Courier-Journal, will feature more than two dozen hand-selected bourbons from top distilleries, and a unique opportunity to enjoy bourbons and exclusive one-time specialty cocktails from 1792, Angel’s Envy, Barrell Bourbon, Coopers’ Craft, Elijah Craig, Four Roses, Jefferson’s, Jeptha Creed Four Grain Bourbon, Kentucky Peerless, Michter’s, Rebel Yell, Old Forester, Stonehammer and Wild Turkey.

Take a step back in time at the Derby Dance Hall, located inside the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar presented by Louisville Courier-Journal, where nothing is prohibited! You’ll find inspired Jazz Age tunes, roaring ‘20s style dance performances and lessons sure to tickle your fancy. Performances and schedule times are curated by Dance Louisville, the top rated dance studio for ballroom, country, swing and salsa dancing as well as tap, jazz, ballet and hip-hop for children.

Fred Minnick’s Mini Bar–hosted by the Bourbon & Beyond bourbon curator, author/expert, and Amazon Prime host (Bourbon Up)–will showcase craft selections from Louisville’s world-renowned distilleries. Acclaimed Louisville whiskey bar The Silver Dollar will operate The Hunter’s Club, where attendees can find vintage bourbons dating as far back as the 1930s, as well as contemporary collectibles.

In addition to performances from top music artists and various onsite attractions, attendees at Bourbon & Beyond will enjoy a variety of onsite food and beverage offerings that celebrate menus and flavors inspired by Kentucky. Selections from local and regional restaurants were curated by Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC, DWP’s affiliate concessionaire.

As part of Danny Wimmer Presents’ innovative partnership and Kroger’s commitment to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, 25 cents from every Bourbon & Beyond ticket sold will be donated directly to Dare to Care Food Bank (www.daretocare.org). Dare to Care Food Bank works to ensure that no one in our community lacks enough food to live an active, healthy lifestyle, and Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative is their bold plan to end hunger in our communities and eliminate waste in their company by 2025.

Bourbon & Beyond partners include 291 Colorado Whiskey, 1792, Angel’s Envy, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Balcones Distilling, Barrell Bourbon, Blade and Bow, Boone County Distilling, Bourbon Women Association, Bulleit, Catoctin Creek, Cooper and Thief, Coopers’ Craft, Eagle Nest Outfitters, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Four Roses Bourbon, Fxck Cancer, GE Appliances, High West Distillery, Jack Daniel’s, Jefferson’s, Jeptha Creed Distilling, Jim Beam, Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, Kentucky Distillers Association, Kentucky Peerless, Kentucky Tourism, Knob Creek, Kroger, Lagunitas, Larceny, Louisville Tourism, Maker’s Mark, Metro by T-Mobile, Michter’s, Rebel Yell, Red Bull, Robert Mondavi Private Select, Old Forester, Smooth Ambler, Stonehammer, Southern Comfort, Take Me Home, The Music Experience, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, US Marine Corps, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve, Z. Alexander Brown Wine and Zyn.

The Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center are located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bourbon & Beyond is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. DWP events include Aftershock Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, Chicago Open Air, Epicenter Festival, Hometown Rising, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, and Welcome To Rockville.

For more information on Bourbon & Beyond please visit:

Website: BourbonAndBeyond.com

Facebook: @bourbonandbeyond

Instagram: @bourbonandbeyond

Twitter: @bourbonNbeyond

Hashtag: #BourbonAndBeyond

We believe in quality before quantity. Please drink responsibly

Bourbon & Beyond Releases Full Schedule Of Music Performances, Culinary And Bourbon Workshop Times first appeared on Game On Media.

Danny Wimmer Presents

Wraps Incredible Spring 2019 Festival Season

With Attendance Of Nearly 350,000

And Memorable Performances From

Foo Fighters, Tool, System Of A Down, Disturbed, Korn, Rob Zombie,

Bring Me The Horizon, Ghost, And Many More

At 9^th Annual Welcome To Rockville,

The Debuts Of Epicenter And

Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival,

And Chicago Open Air Presents

It’s been another memorable spring festival season for Danny Wimmer Presents, with record-breaking total attendance of nearly 350,000 during three consecutive weekends in May. Fans from around the world came together to enjoy performances from some of the biggest names in rock and metal, as well as enhanced onsite experiences at the 9^th annual Welcome To Rockville in Jacksonville, FL May 3-5, brand-new events, Epicenter in Rockingham, NC May 10-12 and Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival in Columbus, OH May 17-19, as well as Chicago Open Air Presents in Bridgeview, IL May 18-19.

Here are some highlights from each festival:

“…one of the best-attended music events in Northeast Florida”

—Florida Times-Union

“Welcome To Rockville was truly an experience; one that I won’t be missing next year”

—WKMG News Orlando

Welcome To Rockville had its biggest year ever in 2019 with 99,000 in attendance over a sold-out weekend, May 3, 4 & 5 at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, FL. The 9^th annual festival featured some of the biggest names in rock, with Tool, Korn, Rob Zombie, Judas Priest,  Incubus, Evanescence, Shinedown, Bring Me The Horizon and Chevelle leading a lineup of over 50 music artists for Florida’s biggest rock experience.

The weekend began with a Thursday night pre-party headlined by Amigo The Devil, and concluded with a marquee set from Tool, which featured the debut of a pair of new songs, “Invincible” and “Descending,” the band’s first new music in 13 years. In between, Korn (Friday) and Rob Zombie (Saturday) closed out the festival’s first two nights with memorable sets that covered the span of each act’s enduring careers. Judas Priest delivered performances of rare tracks like “Out In The Cold” that they haven’t played live in 33 years. Papa Roach paid tribute to The Prodigy – originally slated to kick off their first U.S. tour in a decade at Welcome To Rockville before the untimely passing of frontman Keith Flint – with a cover of “Firestarter,” and Zakk Wylde offered a piano-led tribute to the late Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell during Black Label Society’s set. Evanescence played their first rock festival in 2 years, and The Damned Things reunited for their first performance since 2011. Up-and-coming acts Boston Manor, Badflower and Yungblud delivered high-energy sets that showcased the best of music’s emerging talent as well.

See a special Welcome To Rockville video with sights from the weekend here:

https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville/videos/406664996844457/

Welcome To Rockville sponsors and experiences included: Monster Energy, Bud Light, Zippo, f.y.e. Fan Experience, Fxck Cancer / Dyin 2 Live Dreams Program, Take Me Home, Three Olives, Jose Cuervo, Kraken Black Spiced Rum, The Music Experience, Jack Daniel’s, Demons Behind Me, Cigar City Brewing, Fearless Records, Roadrunner Records and Sweetwater Studios.

For more information on Welcome To Rockville, visit:

Website: www.WelcomeToRockvilleFestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/welcometorockville

Twitter: www.twitter/rockvillefest

Instagram: www.instagram.com/welcometorockville

“[There’s] great promise for the future of this three-day rock fest”

—The Pilot

“Epicenter proves to be one of the best festivals out there”

—Chimera Magazine

Epicenter entered its first year with an impressive audience of 80,000 converging on the purpose-built Rockingham Festival Grounds in Rockingham, NC over the course of May 10, 11 & 12. The new three-day destination festival provided a unique experience with after-hours programming plus various camping options and amenities.

The weekend kicked off with a special Campers’ Pre-Party on Thursday featuring tribute acts Nightrain and Thunderstruck, as well as the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow and local Charlotte band Killakoi. The main event featured a rousing finale from chart-topping rock act Foo Fighters, who offered an incredible two-and-a-half hour set including a special rendition of “My Hero” dedicated to frontman Dave Grohl’s mom on Mother’s Day. Korn closed out night one with a jam-packed set list of hits after a moving tribute to late young rock fan Ally, who lost her battle with cancer in late 2018 after attending previous Danny Wimmer Presents festivals through the partner organization Fxck Cancer / Dyin 2 Live Dreams Program.

Some of the other highlights of the weekend included guitar phenomenon Nita Strauss joining Evanescence for a surprise collaboration on the song “Disappear,” The Crystal Method’s special tribute to Keith Flint, the late frontman of fellow electronica act The Prodigy, the reunion of Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine from That Metal Show during two rare sets, and after hours performances from Wilson, Hyro The Hero, and Arrested Youth.

At both Welcome To Rockville and Epicenter, guests were able to experience the Boilermaker pop-up featuring Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey and Enter Night Pilsner. Blackened, a super-premium American whiskey blend, crafted by the late Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and finished in the earth shattering music of Metallica, and Enter Night Pilsner, a collaboration with the rockstars of craft brewing Stone Brewing Company, came together under one roof to offer guests a one-of-kind musical festival experience.

Epicenter sponsors included: Monster Energy, f.y.e., Fxck Cancer, Zippo, Jack Daniel’s, The Music Experience, Sweetwater Studios, USMC, Zyn, Four Saints Brewing and Hugger Mugger Brewing.

For more information on Epicenter, visit:

Website: https://EpicenterFestival.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpicenterFest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/epicenterfest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicenterfest

“Sonic Temple satisfied all expectations and should take the reins as the premier annual hard rock event in the United States moving forward”

—Glide Magazine

“Reminded us all of why we cling to unifying moments like this, and, overall, the entire weekend at the Sonic Temple Festival”

—Loudwire

The inaugural Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival capped off the Danny Wimmer Presents 2019 spring festival season with sold-out crowds of 120,000 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, OH, May 17, 18 & 19. In addition to massive performances from Foo Fighters, System Of A Down,  Disturbed, Ghost, Papa Roach and Lamb of God, the weekend offered one-of-a-kind art experiences, including legendary street artist RISK, art installations, live mural painting, live screen-printing and the popular Art Tent. The SiriusXM Comedy & Spoken Word Tent presented sets from Andrew Dice Clay, Henry Rollins, Tom Morello, Craig Gass, Nadya of Pussy Riot, and more.

Foo Fighters capped off the festival with an extended set featuring special surprises including The Struts’ frontman Luke Spiller appearing alongside Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in a cover of the Queen / David Bowie song “Under Pressure” and Pauly Shore contributing to a rendition of the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” (dedicated to the comedian’s father who had passed away over the weekend). The Cult performed several tracks from their same-named album Sonic Temple, System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian joined Tom Morello on stage for a performance of  Audioslave’s “Like A Stone” (dedicated to the late Chris Cornell on the anniversary of his passing), and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe made a guest appearance during Gojira’s set.