Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival 2024 Headlined By Shinedown, Godsmack & Breaking Benjamin first appeared on Game On Media.

The Blue Ridge Rock Festival tried to recover from a confusing and frustrating Day 1, hoping to do a better job of transporting fans from the day parking lot 5 miles away, on a couple dozen school buses, to the campgrounds near the Virginia International Raceway in rural Alton, Virginia on September 8, 2023.

It was a very hot and humid day, and any rain and mud that had come the day before had dried up. On this day, the only focus was to move between stages, stay hydrated, and rock out. Ben Wells, guitarist for Black Stone Cherry, had a tribute to Jimmy Buffett painted on his amps – a fitting nod to an entertainer who helped create the festival friends vibe, which continues to bring people together, across all genres of music.

The day was owned by Motionless In White, returning for their 3rd year in a row, playing a night-time slot on the Monster Energy Main Stage. They played to the largest crowd ever witnessed at Blue Ridge Rock Festival (possibly so large as to violate their permit) and everyone shined their lights and sang along to “Another Life”, prompting Chris Motionless to take the time to share the band’s appreciation for the fans demanding that they return and perform at night on the main stage. It was a truly special performance from a band that continues to elevate.

The Monster Energy Main Stage had it all going on that Friday. Sudden star Oliver Anthony from Virginia kicked it off with a short set. Demun Jones, Crown The Empire and Trustcompany braved the heat early in the day. Next up was reunion time, with Coal Chamber and Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm delighting their long time fans with superb performances. Slipknot finished off the long day with a brutal performance that had exhausted festival goers re-energized and in constant motion.

The Zyn Main Stage had a wide variety of acts on Day 2. It went from the country rock sounds of Struggle Jennings and Black Stone Cherry to the hardcore strains from Of Mice & Men, Knocked Loose, Danzig and fan favorite Sleep Token, whose unique sound and stage show had them stand apart from everyone else performing that day.

The Famous Monsters stage was a constant swirl of activity, with mosh pits and crowd surfing throughout the day. The lineup was straight up heavy and aggressive. Angelmaker, Upon A Burning Body, Chelsea Grin, The Acacia Strain, After The Burial, The Black Dahlia Murder, Job For A Cowboy and Lorna Shore tore up that stage. It was so hard core, I got a concussion and head bruise leaving the photo pit, after walking into the video screen. Oh well, our scars remind us that the past is real.

The Smartpunk Records stage also had a diverse lineup. Standouts included Afterlife, Electric Callboy, VV, Testament and Polyphia.

BRRF23 Day 2

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Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2023 Day 2 Review first appeared on Game On Media.

The first 100 artists have been announced for Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2023, taking place at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia from Septmber 7th – 10th, 2023. With 5 headliners yet to be announced, and a total of 144 acts scheduled to appear,

BRRF 23 is shaping up to be THE rock festival of the year.

Get tickets, camping spots, and all lineup and venue information at https://blueridgerockfest.com/

Blue Ridge Rock Festival actively involves their fans in the selection of artists, using social media polls to help set the stage. The first 100 performers for 2023  have been announced:

Pantera, Shinedown, Limp Bizkit, Evanescence, Megadeth, Three Days Grace, Chevelle, Parkway Drive, Pierce The Veil, Motionless In White, Coheed And Cambria, Beartooth, Highly Suspect, Corey Taylor, Coal Chamber, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm, Bad Omens, Black Label Society, Machine Head, Blue October, The Ghost Inside, Asking Alexandria, Spiritbox, VV, Tech N9ne, Testament, Biohazard, Job For A Cowboy, Cavalera Conspiracy, Jinjer, Vince Neil, Avatar, Static-X, The Amity Affliction, Slaughter To Prevail, Stephen Pearcy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Exodus, Overkill, Electric Callboy, Sleep Token, Atreyu, Finger Eleven, Taproot, Death Angel, Drowning Pool, Trustcompany, Memphis May Fire, Crown The Empire, Dayseeker, Senses Fail, Stabbing Westward, The Color Morale, Cold, CKY, Dope, After The Burial, Emmure, Northlane, Bury Tomorrow, Escape The Fate, Attila, Fit For An Autopsy, Gemini Syndrome, Adema, Alpha Wolf, Woe Is Me, Make Them Suffer, Holding Absence, Born Of Osiris, Kublai Khan Tx, Like Moths To Flames, Upon A Burning Body, Caskets, I Set My Friends On Fire, Vended, Landmvrks, Psychostick, Rain City Drive, Bleed From Within, Bodysnatcher, Stitched Up Heart, Eva Under Fire, Thousand Below, Angelmaker, Paleface, No Resolve, Tallah, Catch Your Breath, Ten56., Hanabie, Patient Sixty-Seven, Until I Wake, Dropout Kings, Eternal Frequency and Heartsick.

Campers get a free bonus on-site pre-party on Wednesday night, featuring Scott Stapp of Creed, 10 Years, Nonpoint and Tantric.

One of the great features of Blue Ridge Rock Festival over the years has been its ability to deliver unique special performances. So far, this year’s event promises:

• Parkway Drive bringing their full pyrotechnic performance usually only seen in Europe.
• Cavalera Conspiracy performing a special set of Sepultura songs.
• Electric Callboy exclusive U.S. festival appearance.
• Finger Eleven rare U.S. performance.
• Hanabie U.S. debut.
• Patient Sixty-Seven U.S. debut.
• Cold 30th anniversary performance of “Year Of The Spider” in its entirety.
• Attila performing “About That Life” in its entirety.
• Heartsick fan voted talent search winner.

Once again, BRRF will satisfy its fans desire for band reunions, including:

• Lacey Sturm and Flyleaf original lineup reunion.
• Biohazard original lineup reunion.
• Trustcompany original lineup reunion.
• Woe, Is Me original lineup reunion.
• Coal Chamber reunion.
• Job For A Cowboy reunion.
• Taproot reunion.
• The Color Morale reunion.

In addition to most of your favorite bands playing shows, this fest also showcases some speical lead vocalist solo performances:

• Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour.
• Ville Valo of HIM.
• Vince Neil of Motley Crue.
• Stephen Pearcy of Ratt.
• Scott Stapp of Creed.

Blue Ridge Rock Festival offers VIP upgrades, hip-hop after parties, acoustic performances and artist meet-and-greets. Plus plenty of music-based vendors and charities, and all the food and drink options you have come to expect.

Don’t wait. Get tickets, camping spots, and all lineup and venue information at https://blueridgerockfest.com/

For reviews and photos from previous editions of the Blue Ridge Rock Festival, click here.

BRRF22 Day 1

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BRRF22 Day 2

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BRRF22 Day 3

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BRRF22 Day 4

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Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2023 Announces First 100 Artists Including Pantera, Shinedown, Limp Bizkit, Evanescence first appeared on Game On Media.

The 5^th annual Blue Ridge Rock Festival took place in Alton, Virginia on September 8 – 11, 2022. Day 3 was a wet one, with a slow and steady rain throughout most of the day and into the night. Thankfully there were no lightning storms forcing evacuations, which has seemed to plague so many outdoor rock festivals.

Once again, there were too many bands playing too many stages, and the concert you missed was probably as good as the concert you saw.

Between dodging raindrops and hiding under stages protecting my camera equipment, I was able to capture Butcher Babies, Adelitas Way, Powerman 5000, Mushroomhead, Starset (both acoustic and electric headliner set, complete with pyro and fireworks), Motionless In White, Skillet and Tenacious D featuring Kyle Gass and Jack Black.

The show I didn’t see included The Dead Daisies, Crowbar, Upon A Burning Body, The Word Alive, Apocalyptica, Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills, Queensryche, From Ashes To New, God Forbid, Thrice, Pierce The Veil, Gwar, Pennywise, I Prevail and Slipknot.

Sion (featuring Howard Jones) and Lacuna Coil (featuring Cristina Scabbia) were late scratches, and unfortunately did not perform.

Despite days of exhaustion, muddy grounds and soaked clothing, the crowd never let up on their passion and physicality.

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 3

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Starset, Tenacious D, Motionless In White and Skillet Power Through Day 3 of Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022 first appeared on Game On Media.

Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022 has announced their full lineup and daily schedules, and we cannot wait for this event to start its engines. With the world-class lineup in place, plans for the new venue at Virginia International Raceway are taking shape. Ghost, Mudvayne, Slipknot and Disturbed are the main headliners on Thursday through Sunday, September 8-11, 2022, with a bonus Wednesday night event featuring Puddle Of Mudd. This time around, you won’t have to worry about miles of walking and figuring out which artists you will miss. There will be two main stages, side by side, without overlapping of major bands.

Wednesday’s warmup lineup is Puddle Of Mudd, Alient Ant Farm, Cold, Crazytown, Burden Of The Sky, Kings County, Last Nights Villain.

Thursday kicks it off proper with Ghost, Ice Cube, Falling In Reverse, Stone Temple Pilots, Anthrax, In This Moment, Daughtry, Jelly Roll, Nothing More, Pop Evil, Sleeping With Sirens, Spiritbox, We Came As Romans, Bad Wolves, Kittie, Shadows Fall, Hinder, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Attila, Hawthorne Heights, The Union Underground, Red, Counterparts, A Skylit Drive, Comeback Kid, Fire From The Gods, Unearth, Norma Jean, Smile Empty Soul, Palisades and more.

Friday gives you Mudvayne, A Day To Remember, Halestorm, Alice Cooper, Gojira, Underoath, Down, Theory Of A Deadman, Sevendust, Badflower, Candlebox, Insane Clown Posse, In Flames, Hatebreed, All That Remains, 3OH!3, Buckcherry, Electric Callboy, Bad Omens, Memphis May Fire, Whitechapel, Zero 9:36, Slaughter To Prevail, Saving Abel, Dayseeker, Bleeding Through, Fit For An Autopsy, Nita Strauss, Emo Night Brooklyn, Blacktop Mojo, He Is Legend, Silvertung and more.

Saturday is just insane, with Slipknot, Tenacious D (Jack Black & Kyle Gass), I Prevail, Pennywise, Skillet, Pierce The Veil, Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, Nelly, Starset, Black Veil Brides, Thrice, GWAR, God Forbid, Apocalyptica, Queensryche, Fit For A King, Adelitas Way, Lacuna Coil, From Ashes To New, Chelsea Grin, Mushroomhead, Powerman 5000, The Plot In You, Stick To Your Guns, Sion, The Acacia Strain, Municipal Waste, Butcher Babies, Terror, Upon A Burning Body, The Word Alive, Crowbar, Kublai Khan, Redlight King, Hollow Front, The Dead Daisies and more.

You had better save something for Sunday, because it is relentless – Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Lamb Of God, Seether, New Found Glory, Killswitch Engage, Hollywood Undead, Saliva, Wage War, Knocked Loose, Grandson, Fever 333, The Amity Affliction, Silverstein, Story Of The Year, Baroness, Hoobastank, The Devil Wears Prada, Enter Shikari, Suicide Silence, Demon Hunter, Nonpoint, John 5, Lacey Sturm, Texas In July, Erra, Stray From The Path, Tetrarch, Attack Attack!, Silent Planet, Otherwise, Twiztid, Jeris Johnson, Project 86, Icon For Hire, Hed P.E. and more.

Go get your tickets and your campsites or hotel reservations. All the info you need is available at https://blueridgerockfest.com/. See you there!

Here are some examples of last years epic performances at Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2021:

BRRF21 Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2021

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Ghost, Mudvayne, Slipknot and Disturbed to Headline Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2022 first appeared on Game On Media.