The 5^th annual Blue Ridge Rock Festival took place in Alton, Virginia on September 8 – 11, 2022. Day one was headlined by Ghost, with notable support coming from a wide spectrum of artists, including Ice Cube, Anthrax, Daughtry, Jelly Roll, In This Moment, Stone Temple Pilots and Nothing More.

The massive 4 day rock music festival tried to recover from the logistical nightmares of 2021 by moving to a new site near the Virginia International Raceway. While the venue was a slight improvement over the remote park used last year, I never saw any racetrack, facilities or parking lots.

The parking was over 5 miles from the event, and there did not seem to be nearly enough buses. Fans could be seen waiting in massive lines to leave the parking field, to enter the venue, and to return to their vehicles after the show. The third and fourth stages were miles from the side-by-side main stages, up and down big hills which left little time to move between sections and actually see all of the bands.

Despite all of the hardships and difficulties, fans were excited to see an incredible lineup, representing every genre of rock and roll. The overall production and sound were on point. The only problem with such an extensive collection of bands was deciding which ones to see, and which sadly had to be missed. While the two main stages alternated acts, it was a long walk to the other side, and making that trek meant missing someone else.

I definitely missed more acts than I saw. The highlights of the day for me were Ghost, Anthrax, Ice Cube, Daughtry, Nothing More, Spiritbox, Fire From The Gods and a rare reunion show from Shadows Fall. Blue Ridge Rock Festival definitely goes out of their way to deliver special shows, such as reunion shows and rare appearances.

I managed to capture photographs of the aforementioned highlights, as well as A Skylit Drive, Unearth, Vampires Everywhere, Pop Evil, Bad Wolves, and In This Moment.

I would have loved to see other bands, but there are just too many stages and too many bands. Among the bands I would have loved to experience were Islander, Palisades, Red, Brand Of Sacrifice, Hawthorne Heights, Hinder, We Came As Romans, Cannibal Corpse, Sleeping With Sirens, Stone Temple Pilots and Jelly Roll.

It may have been better to book fewer artists, and invest more money into supporting the fans, including more buses, more facilities and more showers for the campers. BRRF bills itself as being “Fan-Driven”, so hopefully they will continue to listen to, and support, their dedicated fans.

Tickets and campsites are already selling well for next year, proving that die hard metal fans will endure anything to experience the power of live music, and the feeling of connecting with other people who are just as mental about metal as they are. Go to https://blueridgerockfest.com/ to get yours.

BRRF22 Day 1

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Ghost, Anthrax, Ice Cube and Nothing More on Day 1 of Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022 first appeared on Game On Media.

The Fan Driven Lineup for Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022 has not even revealed 3 of the top 6 artists, but it is already set to be the American rock music festival of the year.

This year’s event has moved to a real facility, the Virginia International Raceway. It will rock your world with: 4 Full Days. 5 Stages. 1 Epic Pre-Party. 3 Electrifying Club Experiences. 171 Total Artists.

Uniquely Powered by a Record-Setting 285,000+ Fan Votes, the lineup features returning favorites and unique shows.

There is an almost impossible amount of special shows planned for Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022. These include Anthrax 40th Anniversary, Saliva Exclusive Reunion with Josey Scott, Sevendust performing “Animosity” in its entirety, Starset returning for a special full production nighttime set, God Forbid reunion show, Shadows Fall reunion show, All That Remains performing “The Fall Of Ideals” in its entirety, Electric Callboy exclusive U.S. festival appearance, The Devil Wears Prada performing “Zombie” in its entirety, Fear Factory reunion show, Demon Hunter playing in Virginia for the first time in a decade, Saving Abel featuring the return of original vocalist Jared Weeks, The Union Underground reunion show, Mushroomhead rare 2022 appearance
Texas In July reunion show, A Skylit Drive original lineup reunion, Siamese U.S. debut, Close Your Eyes reunion show, and the global debut of Sion featuring Howard Jones & Jared Dines.

Despite several high-profile acts yet to be announced, the lineup for Blue Ridge Rock Festival already features a Who’s Who of the rock world: Slipknot, Disturbed, Ghost, 3 Doors Down, A Day To Remember, Lamb Of God, Alice Cooper, Tenacious D, Falling In Reverse, I Prevail, Stone Temple Pilots, Seether, Gojira, Skillet, Pierce The Veil, Killswitch Engage, Hollywood Undead, In This Moment, Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, Jelly Roll, Down, Nelly, Nothing More, Theory Of A Deadman, Wage War, Pop Evil, Badflower, Knocked Loose, Candlebox, Starset, Black Veil Brides, Thrice, Sleeping With Sirens, In Flames, Jinjer, Gwar, Apocalyptica, Grandson, Spiritbox, Puddle Of Mudd, The Amity Affliction, We Came As Romans, Bad Wolves, Hatebreed, Silverstein, Kittie, Queensryche, Insane Clown Posse, Story Of The Year, 3Oh!3, Hoobastank, Hinder, Zero 9:36, Bad Omens, Fire From The Gods, Butcher Babies, Adelitas Way, Attila, Nonpoint, Lacuna Coil, Lacey Sturm, Powerman 5000, Alien Ant Farm, Nita Strauss, Blacktop Mojo, Otherwise, Islander, and so many more.

Do not miss your chance to be at the premier American rock music festival of 2022. This has sold out before, and it will sell out again. 100 days from now, you will be thanking me.  https://blueridgerockfest.com/festival-passes/

Photos from Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2021:

BRRF21 Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2021

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In 100 Days, Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022 Will Blow Your Mind first appeared on Game On Media.

Islander played a very special Pop Up Show at Ace Cafe in Orlando, Florida on September 26, 2021.

The band was scheduled to play the Rebel Rock Fest, which was unceremoniously canceled just as doors were set to open.

Ace Cafe in downtown Orlando once again stepped in, hosting a show, just as they had done a few days earlier for some of the other bands who were suddenly left without a gig.

Stay up to date with all shows, regularly scheduled and otherwise, at https://www.acecafeusa.com/ .

Check out Islander Online  for all music and touring news.

RR21 Islander

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Islander Pop Up Show At Ace Cafe Orlando first appeared on Game On Media.