Rocklahoma 2011

It’s Festival Week once again at The Rock And Roll Guru. This week I will be discussing five select festivals including the highs, the lows, the bands on the bill, the places to go, and why you should attend.

Rocklahoma
http://www.rocklahoma.com
May 27 – 29, 2011
Pryor, Oklahoma

Overview
Mixing classic 80s metal with today’s modern rock heroes, Rocklahoma is a hard rock music lover’s delight. Once again taking place over Memorial Day weekend, Rocklahoma looks to be one of the best festivals of 2011 if you are judging purely on the lineup. For the last couple of years, Rocklahoma has been taking a beating as abuse has been hurled by fans far and wide. It appears that they are going to turn that around this year. With headlining acts Motley Crue closing out the festival and a wide variety of other bands ranging from Pop Evil to Whitesnake, Rocklahoma may be the hardest rocking festival of the year.

Ticketing
Ticket prices are not too bad considering that this is a 3-day event. General Admission tickets for all 3 days are $139. Single day tickets run $55/day ($65 for Sunday), so if you are only interested in seeing one particular band, the single day ticket would be your best bet. I don’t know why Sunday’s single day ticket costs more, but my guess is because Motley Crue is headlining that night.

VIP packages are also available for Rocklahoma. For $350 you get the best parking, the best seating, access to an air conditioned VIP tent (which in Oklahoma during late May is a good thing) and all the Bud Light you can drink along with soft drinks, water, and a full buffet. All you can eat and drink, beer included? $350 for 3 days of that is not a bad price at all.

Tickets can be purchased through Rocklahoma’s website – www.rocklahoma.com

Lineup
The 3-day lineup for this year’s Rocklahoma is one of their best ever. Friday night includes All That Remains, Skillet, Hinder, and headliners Whitesnake. On Saturday night Taddy Porter, Pop Evil, Cavo, Drowning Pool, and Sebastian Bach will all grace the stage before the headliners of the evening, Staind, close things out. Sunday will see performances by Saving Able, Black Label Society, Seether, Papa Roach, Poison, and the headliners of the whole event, Motley Crue. That is quite a power packed lineup!

History
Rocklahoma is now in its 5th year. What started out as the biggest hair metal festival the world has ever seen, morphed into an all hard rock festival beginning last year. This festival was originally held in July and was the hair metal fest of choice. However, the hot weather and central location found hair metal enthusiasts attending other festivals. This forced Rocklahoma to re-examine their lineup and festival as a whole. The change in format and dates started last year and continues into 2011.

With five years of experience, Rocklahoma as a festival knows how to run things. The waiting time between acts is minimal, the vendors are plentiful, and the venue is well kept. The campgrounds are just next door and the festival works hard to make sure that all attendees have a great time.

Places To Stay
The best place to stay for Rocklahoma is the campsites that are just next door. Camping for the weekend is reasonably priced at $50 for General Admission Camping and $70 for VIP Camping. Fans can arrive at the campsite starting on Sunday, May 22nd (almost a full week before the start of the festival) for no additional charge. There will be a campground stage featuring local acts and up and coming bands.

If you aren’t the camping type, there are several hotels/motels in the nearby area where you can stay for an affordable rate. Days Inn, Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, and Econolodge are all within a few miles of the festival site. However, if you want a hotel room, book early (as in now). It is Memorial Day weekend after all.

Overall
Rocklahoma has the perfect blend of old and new acts to satisfy all hard rock fans. After changing their format last year, Rocklahoma learned from that experience and strived to make this year’s festival even better. With great modern bands like Staind, Skillet, Seether, and Pop Evil alongside classic hair metal bands like Whitesnake, Poison, and Motley Crue, Rocklahoma is going to be one amazing rock festival. It could be the best way to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend.

Ryo’s Final Word
Rocklahoma looks like a fun filled festival with some amazing bands on the bill. I may have to travel out to Oklahoma and check this festival out.

Rocklahoma 2010

It’s festival week here at The Rock and Roll Guru! This week I’ll be discussing the upcoming summer festivals and highlighting the highs, lows, and all the in-betweens of each. I’ve selected five festivals and will post daily on each. Enjoy!

Rocklahoma
http://www.rocklahoma.com/

Originally launched as the hair metal lover’s fantasy, Rocklahoma has totally revamped their format and lineup for 2010. Whether that takes away from the experience remains to be seen, but early indications show that fans are not happy about the lineup decisions being made by Rocklahoma and their new promoter, AEG.

AEG took what was a glam metal dream and tried to modernize it in an attempt to increase ticket sales and make Rocklahoma a better draw. The plan may have backfired on them, but only time (and ticket sales) will tell.

Taking place over Memorial Day weekend (May 28-30), Rocklahoma, located in Pryor Oklahoma, hopes to draw a lot of music lovers to travel to middle American and enjoy the festival.

Ticketing
Ticket prices are average for this year’s festivals. The General Admission tickets are $110 for the three day event (before fees). Camping, which is offered on the festival grounds, is not included in that price.

If you are looking for a more lavish experience, Rocklahoma offers a special VIP packages ranging from $290 - $749. VIP packages include PIT access which is located right in front of the stage, a backstage lounge tent (no word on whether the performers hang out there, but food service is included), and special seating in Rows 1 or 2. Packages vary with extra amenities depending on the level of VIP access purchased.

Lineup
The lineup for Rocklahoma is what causes this festival to suffer. While it had the potential to be an incredible festival that everyone would want to attend, the bands selected to play are crippling Rocklahoma 2010. After the major headliners of ZZ Top, Godsmack, Buckcherry, Tesla, Cinderella, Theory of a Deadman, Saliva, and Fuel, there are several bands that you’ve probably never heard of. Rocklahoma is banking on a lot of new, up and coming bands to be a huge selling point to fans. I have to think that it’s not. It’s hard to believe that people would travel from all over the country to see a plethora of unknown bands perform over three days. It was poor selection on the part of AEG.

History
Rocklahoma started in 2007 as a place for all hair metal acts and their followers to gather and celebrate 80s metal. For three years, this was the hair metal festival of choice, held in July. The hot weather did not go over well with fans, and the biggest complaint of Rocklahoma’s past was that the festival was held during the month of July.

Now in their fourth year, Rocklahoma has experience and they know how to run the festival and the adjacent campgrounds. All rookie mistakes have been ironed out and the experience is a professional one. However, with the lineup being totally revamped for 2010, and the festival moving to Memorial Day weekend, it’s hard to say what this year’s festival will be like. One thing is certain; the weather will be much nicer.

Places To Stay
If you are interested in the great outdoors, campsites are available right at the festival grounds starting at $50. The campgrounds include shower facilities, parking for one vehicle per campsite purchased, 24-hour security and night lighting.

Not an outdoorsman? There are nearby hotels where you can stay. Days Inn, Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, and Econolodge are all within a few miles of the festival grounds. However, with this rock fest happening on Memorial Day weekend, early reservations (as in now) are highly recommended.

Overall
Rocklahoma has to be considered one of the weakest festivals for 2010. While there are some great bands headlining, there aren’t enough solid supporting acts to make this a festival of choice. When compared to M3, Rock on the Range, and other festivals, Rocklahoma doesn’t match up. If you live in the Oklahoma area, this may be a festival worth visiting, but even then, it’s only a maybe.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Rocklahoma 2010 - Better or Worse?

My initial reaction to this year’s Rocklahoma upon seeing the lineup was “What the heck? They’ve destroyed this festival.” I’ve had a few days to since digest the new direction of this year’s Rocklahoma and now I’d like to dissect it a little bit and point out the good, the bad, and the what the…?

The Good
The modern bands scheduled to perform are exceptional ones. Theory of a Deadman, Buckcherry, and Saliva are all up and coming massive hard rock acts in their own right. Godsmack (even though I don’t particularly care for them) is coming off a successful stint at CrueFest and they are loaded with a huge fan base that loves them. Adelita’s Way, Chevelle, and Saving Able are up and comers that have a nice follow of fans.

The classic rock bands on the bill are awesome ones. Cinderella, Tesla, and ZZ Top are about as good as it gets when you go back to 80s rock. Cinderella is huge as they haven’t toured in a while and a lot of fans are dying to see them in concert again. Tesla always deliver an incredible show and ZZ Top are classic rockers at their finest.

The decision to move this festival to May (rather than the ultra-hot and humid July) was also a good decision. One of the biggest complaints of Rocklahoma’s past was the disgusting weather that the fans had to sit through. The heat was sweltering during the day and not much relief was offered under the cover of night. Having the festival in May should alleviate a lot of the weather concerns.

The Bad
The total makeover of this festival. Now that AEG is promoting Rocklahoma, they’ve got their hands all over it. They took what was an awesome collection of 80s hair metal bands and they destroyed it. Now it’s a modern rock festival with the occasional 80s band thrown in to appease the masses. And who the hell are half of these bands on the bill? Janus? Aranda? Taddy Porter? Like A Storm? Never heard of them! Am I really going to shell out the money and travel to Oklahoma to see Within Reason and Year Long Disaster?

While moving the festival to May was a good idea, moving it to Memorial Day Weekend was a bad decision. This is a very busy travel and getaway weekend, and while a holiday weekend may make it easier for some fans to attend, others have annual plans that weekend, and this may make it more challenging for them.

What The…?
Out of the 27 bands performing, I’ve heard of 12 of them. That means more than half of the acts are ones that I don’t know, and I suspect not a lot of others do either. This is AEGs way of filling the bill with bands they don’t have to pay that much. I have to be honest, this lineup SUCKS. It is not a listing of acts that is going to make people fly in from all over the country. It’s more of a lineup that would make me say “Hmm, I might go to this,” only if I lived in a nearby state. I don’t know what AEG was thinking when they put together this lineup and I don’t know who the “very special guests” still to be announced are, but unless it’s the Beatles or Kiss, don’t expect it to change the attendance of this festival.

Look, if you’re going to change the entire chemistry of the festival by switching from hair metal to modern rock then at least add a lot of bands that people know and want to see. The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Rob Zombie, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, and Pop Evil all would have helped beef up this lineup and create a buzz. Now, it’s just a joke. It’s a shame to see what was a great hair metal festival go down the tubes due to a major concert promoter that is only looking at lining their pockets with more cash.

What are your thoughts? Are you planning on attending this year’s Rocklahoma, or are you planning on attending a different festival with a lineup suited toward your tastes? Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

For more information or to order your tickets visit: http://www.rocklahoma.com/

Rocklahoma 2010 - The Good, The Bad, and The What The...?

I wanted to share some thoughts on this year’s Rocklahoma festival. You know... the festival that’s been known as the hair metal fans dream for the past few years? Well, this year, for whatever reason, Rocklahoma has gotten a new promoter (AEG) and suddenly the festival is going through drastic changes. Let’s pick apart the good ones and the bad ones, shall we?

The Good
The dates have changed. One of the biggest complaints of Rocklahomas past is that the heat was too brutal and the July festival was a killer in the daytime. This year, the promoters hope to rectify that situation by making Rocklahoma a 3-day event over Memorial Day Weekend. Choosing May to hold the festival was a wise idea as the triple digit temperatures should be non-existent and people can enjoy the great rock and roll without baking in the intense heat.

Adding new artists. This could be a good thing. If bands like Puddle of Mudd, Black Stone Cherry, and Saliva play alongside bands like Jackyl, Stryper, and Winger, that’s a good thing. Some fans may not like the format change, but I think it was that format change that had many fans excited for last year’s (total failure) Rock Gone Wild festival. Mixing in new rock acts with the established classic rock veterans is a definite good thing.

The Bad
AEG is now promoting this festival. It’s like making a deal with the devil. A national promoter such as AEG is going to charge insane fees to promote this festival and just where do you think the costs are going to be passed off to? Oh yeah, the fans. Ticket prices are going to skyrocket and AEG is going to push VIP packages like there is no tomorrow. These packages will not be cheap either. Obviously we won’t know until they are announced, but I have a strong feeling that they will cost much more than they have in the past.

Changing the dates was a good thing, but picking Memorial Day weekend was not such a smart idea. Tons of people are on the road that weekend and the airports may be jammed. Getting in may be easy, but getting out? That’s an entirely different story.

Removing an extra day of the festival and adding modern bands. What concerns me with this part of the announcement is that we will lose some of the cusp bands that make this festival a fun one. Bands like the BulletBoys, Dangerous Toys, and other similar acts, may now be dropped from the bill in place of some modern act that AEG is promoting. The great thing about Rocklahoma was that it was always THE nostalgia festival and now it’s going to be just another rock fest.

Personally, I will be attending M3 this year but that’s for more than just the lineup (and the fact that it’s a one day festival closer to home). My friends over at Hard Rock Hideout are going to be attending as well, so it’s an excuse for us to get together and party!

Those are my thoughts on the pros and cons of this year’s Rocklahoma. What are your thoughts? Are you going? Not going? Love it? Hate it? Post a comment and let us know!

Here’s a link to the official press release:
http://rock.feverfest.com/press-11302009.php

UPDATE:
The bands have officially been announced (see below). Expect a post next week dissecting the good, the bad, and the what the...? regarding these bands.

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Fantastic Four Edition

I’ve been revisiting my long lost collection of Fantastic Four comics lately. It’s been a long time since these were read, but while doing some cleaning a few weeks ago, I decided to pull out my comics, organize them, and store them away again. When I started flipping through my collection, I got very nostalgic. Before I became such a heavy music collector, comic books were a huge part of my life. I spent years building my Fantastic Four collection. I collected others (most notably Spider-Man), but for some reason the FF were always my favorite. I decided to start re-reading my entire FF collection from start to finish. It’s been a lot of fun. Some of the stories were amazing, the artwork was always great, and now that I’m older, I actually look up the writers online to see what else they’ve worked on. There’s nothing like a little visit down memory lane with old (fictional) friends when time permits. Anyone else out there collect (or used to collect) comics? Can anyone update me on the FF now? I stopped collecting in 1997 due to the amount of money I was spending every week. Perhaps I should go catch up with the current adventures of the Fantastic ones. Hmmm….

And while I was being fascinated by the war cry of “It’s Clobbering Time!!!” here’s what rocked this week:

Hard Rock Hideout Radio
It’s coming, and it’s coming very soon by what I’m told. Hard Rock Hideout, one of the best rock and metal sites on the web will be launching Hard Rock Hideout radio. Sources tell me that it will be launched sometime this month. I’m hopeful that’s true, because I can’t wait to listen. I’ll pass more info along as I get it, but in the meantime, you can always visit http://www.hardrockhideout.com/ for more details.

Springsteen Talks Tour’s End
Bruce sat down with Billboard magazine to discuss plans after the current tour. Apparently, the band isn’t heading into retirement (yet), so that’s good news. I’m hopeful that during the time off, Springsteen will put together a Tracks II set of unreleased material. That would be excellent. http://www.billboard.com/#/features/bruce-springsteen-the-billboard-cover-q-1004049585.story?page=1

George Lynch and Don Dokken Perform Together
This is just another reason why I love Bring Back Glam! so much. Who else would dig this up for us? Yes, George Lynch and Don Dokken actually appeared on stage together. That’s as surprising to me as it to you.
http://www.bringbackglam.com/journal/2009/11/30/it-happened-don-dokken-and-george-lynch-perform-together.html

Rocklahoma 2010 Dates Announced
Make your reservations now. Memorial Day weekend, 2010. Hair metal meets modern metal. Personally, I’m waiting until the full line up is announced before I make any reservations.
http://www.rocklahoma.com/

The Music Elitist
Have you visited this site lately? If not, you probably should. After months of infrequent activity, The Elitist has added additional writers and the blog is updated with some regularity now. While I prefer the Elitist’s posts, one new staff writer (talker) is starting to grow on me. And at least there are frequent entries now. Check it out http://www.themusicelitist.com/.

Musical Watersheds
This is a great post over at Muzzle Of Bees that traces the roots of personal music appreciation. Discussing and making you consider where and how a certain album or band changed your life or really made you think. You’ll note Wilco’s influence, not only in my comment but in several of the comments.
http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2009/12/02/golden-moments-shifting-tastes-musical-watersheds

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Favorite Holiday Edition

Next week is Thanksgiving, here in the United States. A chance to reflect and remember what we have and all that we are thankful for. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by far. It’s a time for family and friends to gather together and spend quality time with one another with no other hidden agendas (such as the lure of gifts on Christmas). It’s a holiday that allows families to be themselves, enjoy a grand meal along with one another’s company. It’s a period of relaxation just before the holiday rush kicks into overdrive.

This Thanksgiving, as I’ve done for the past few years, I’ll be heading north with my wife and step-daughter to my brother in-law’s farm. Cathy’s brother's home provides such an amazing escape for us, especially this time of year. It’s also great to see my niece and nephews and spend the weekend with them. It is a trip that I look forward to every year like none other.

With all the travel, and Thanksgiving preparations going on, The Rock and Roll Guru will be silent next week. No new posts, no new concert or CD reviews, and very few tweets. My apologies to the regular readers who look forward to their daily dose of the Guru. I’ll be back the Monday after Thanksgiving and we’ll start doing it all over again, all the way to the New Year. December is going to be a very enjoyable month around here as we reflect on the great things that happened in 2009 and prepare ourselves for 2010.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone! And to my regular readers, thank you for stopping back time and time again. It means a lot to me and I’m thankful to have readers like you.

Here’s what rocked this week:

Megadeth To Tour With Slayer
Megadeth, Slayer, and Testament on a winter tour beginning in January. Talk about mayhem and destruction! Tickets for most dates are on sale now.

More Concerns About Steven Tyler
This is sad. It’s obvious that Tyler has fallen off the wagon and needs help. Addiction is a very tough thing to overcome, no matter how many years you’ve been clean. And while I would love to see a new Aerosmith CD and tour with Steven at the helm, more importantly, I want to see him get well.

Rocklahoma 2009 DVD Available To Order
Covering most of the bands that appeared at this year’s Rocklahoma, this DVD is a 57 retrospective of the past summer’s glam metal festival from Pryor, Oklahoma.

Ladies Of The 80s
Christine over at Hell On High Hells posted this at the end of last week. Matel has announced a new line of Barbie’s featuring out favorite rocking ladies from the 80s. Hmmm, I wonder how they would look next to the original Kiss dolls?

Bob Dylan’s Must Be Santa Video
I was going to write my own post about this, but Sami at Rock It Out Blog already summarized everything that I would have said. I’m just speechless.

Shameless Self Promotion
And finally, you can read my review of Les Claypool’s latest record, Of Fungi And Foe by clicking on the link above which will take you over to Hard Rock Hideout, one of the best, if not the best rock sites on the web.

The Summer Concert Wrap Up Part Two: The Festivals

On Monday, we discussed the tours that took place during the summer of 2009, which ones were great, which ones were not so great, and which ones just plain sucked. Today I’d like to examine the concert festivals that happened (or didn’t) during this past summer.

Rock On The Range
May 16 – 17
Technically a spring concert, Rock On The Range was a 2-day hard rock festival that featured top acts Motley Crue, Alice In Chains, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, and Korn. This was the event that kick started the summer concert festivals. Other great bands that performed included Buckcherry, Shinedown, The Used, and Black Stone Cherry, just to name a few. Held at the Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Rock On The Range was a great event to launch the summer concert festivals. With great bands on the bill and two days of hard rock mayhem, Rock On The Range was an excellent festival.

M3
May 30
The M3 Festival was a one day only rock event held at The Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. A gathering of the best in hair metal, the festivals headliners included Ratt, Extreme, and Twisted Sister. Other notable bands that performed were Kix, Dokken, Slaughter, Jani Lane, Y&T, and the BulletBoys. 2 stages were set up for the daylong event, with the only downside being that fans had to pick and choose which performers they wanted to see as most of the performance times overlapped. The reviews that I read showed this was one strong, fun, metal packed day of music. If it happens again next year, it might be on the top of my list for festivals to visit.

Bonnaroo
June 11 – 14
This year’s Bonnaroo festival packed in some great bands and great performances for a reasonable price ($250 for a full pass). Bruce Springsteen, Nine Inch Nails, The Beastie Boys, Wilco, and David Byrne all gave headline worthy performances. In addition to those bands, Phish performed for 2 nights as the main headliner (Bruce Springsteen was the other main headliner). The crowd was enamored with Phish and their performances were outstanding. Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band gave one of their most memorable shows on their current Working On A Dream tour and fans had a hard time determining which act was the best of the weekend.

Rocklahoma
July 9 -12
Billing this year’s Rocklahoma with the tag “It’s All About The Party,” was a marketing ploy that wound up working against the festival. Some fans cried that it was all about the party because the band and performances were awful. The reviews from this years’ Rocklahoma were not favorable to say the least. Held in Oklahoma in the sweltering summer heat, the first obstacle that fans had to overcome was the weather. Temperatures with the heat index hit over 110 degrees at one point, making it the hottest concert of the summer (in terms of the weather). With Stryper and Anthrax as two of the main headliners, fan complaints were strong that these were not headline worthy performers. The overall feel was that Rocklahoma lost some luster in its third year and there is hope that next year’s festival (should it be held again) will have better planning and better headline acts.

Lollapalooza
August 7 – 9
With Headliners Jane’s Addiction reunited and back in full swing, this year’s Lollapalooza was a spectacular event. Kings of Leon, Depeche Mode, Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Killers rounded out the top bands for the festival. Other notable acts included Lou Reed, Ben Folds, and The Gaslight Anthem. Multiple bands and event tents rounded out Lollapalooza, providing an enjoyable and entertaining event for all who attended.

Rock Gone Wild
Scheduled for August 20 – 23
In what was beyond doubt the biggest disappointment of the summer, Rock Gone Wild never took place. Depending on who you believe, either the promoters were crooked, greedy, and screwed a lot of people (bands and fans) out of a lot of money, or, the promoters got screwed over by the casino grounds (where the concert was supposed to take place after being moved from its original site) and were left to take the hits.

Disappointments aside, I have to think the promoters were shady on this one. They moved the location from what was supposed to be awesome festival grounds to a much smaller area that they supposedly never had a legal contract with. They did this at the last minute (less than a month before the festival date). This only goes to show that ticket sales were not doing as well as they initially claimed. Even with their giveaways and special packages, fans were not buying.

Perhaps the promoters were too greedy. Perhaps an amazing festival (by the looks of the lineup anyway) met up with an awful economy and created an explosion. Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that a lot of fans got screwed. Rock Gone Wild has set up information on how to get a full refund on their website (www.rockgonewild.com). If you bought tickets and haven’t received refund information, visit their site.

Outside Lands Festival
August 28 – 30
The summer festivals closed out with the Outside Lands Festival in California. Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, The Black Eyed Peas, and Modest Mouse (just to name a few of the top groups) performed to the delight of fans from all across the United States. Held at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Outside Lands Festival was an excellent end to the summer festivals and perhaps the most diversified event in terms of the different types of music. From rock, to hip hop, to alternative, to folk, this festival offered something for everybody. The 2nd annual Outside Lands Festival looks like a strong leader for best festival of 2009 and with the direction this event is moving in, it is certain to be a hit again next year and is another festival that will be moving to the top of my consideration list.

What was your favorite festival? Did you have the opportunity to attend more than one? Drop a comment and let me know. The Guru would love to hear all about it.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Rocklahoma or Rock Gone Wild

Festival season is nearing! The weather is warming up and rock fans are making their travel arrangements. For metal-heads and hard rocking headbangers there are two big festivals to choose. These two have removed themselves from all other festivals and have really become the festivals of choice; Rocklahoma, in Oklahoma and Rock Gone Wild, in Iowa. Yes, there are other rock/metal festivals happening over the summer, but these two seem to be the biggest. So, which festival would be the better one to attend? Let’s examine the acts, the prices, and the overall perks.

Rating Criteria:
The rating criteria have been broken down into the five most important categories, listed below.
Bands
Venue
Amenities
Ticket Price
History

Rocklahoma: July 9 – 12

Bands
Rocklahoma boasts an impressive lineup of heavy metal/hard rock acts that were at their height of fame during the late 80s/early 90s. Twisted Sister, Kix, Great White, Nelson, Warrant, and Night Ranger, just to name a few.

Venue
This is the 3rd annual festival for Rocklahoma, so they have worked out most of the kinks and growing pains. The location is central US, so relatively easy to get to.

Amenities
Camping/RV parking is offered and RV rentals (delivered to the site) are available. Camping prices were not listed on the website.

Ticket Prices
$120 for reserved seating. $400 VIP: which includes unlimited beverages (and tap beer) and 2 buffet meals a day + ticket for all four nights.

History
This will be the third year for Rocklahoma. They also hold two other annual festivals on these grounds, so they are rich with experience and understanding.

Rock Gone Wild: August 20 – 23

Bands
Much different from Rocklahoma, Rock Gone Wild boasts both hard rockin’ heroes from the 80s and modern rock bands of today. Puddle of Mudd, Saliva, Skid Row, Kix, Saigon Kick, and Dokken are the bigger names. Warrant, Lita Ford, Eve 6, RhinoBucket, Dangerous Toys, and Junkyard are also on the 4-day bill.

Venue
This is the first Rock Gone Wild, so they may not be prepared for certain crisis or issues (Woodstock 99 comes to mind). They seem to have pretty solid organization, but they have no history of running a festival. They are also in Middle America, and easy to travel to.

Amenities
Camping is available, as is RV parking. Campsites are $20 for the entire event, and campsites can be set up as early as Monday, August 17th.

Ticket Prices
General Admission - $175
VIP Package - $365 which includes seating in rows 11 – 30, buffet style meals, unlimited beer (tap I presume) and unlimited soft drinks.
Platinum Package - $565 which includes everything that the VIP package has plus liquor, champagne, poster, T-shirt, and access to the sinner’s lounge (which will have a night club atmosphere complete with pole dancers)

History
This is Rock Gone Wild’s first year. Their stages are still being built and there is no picture up yet on what the venue will look like seating-wise. How many seats, how much lawn for general admission, are there reserved seats, etc? These questions currently remain unanswered.

So, which is the better festival? Let’s go point for point.

Bands
I have to give the nod to Rock Gone Wild which currently has a better lineup. Now, both of these festivals have yet to finalize the rosters, so this could change, but as of now Puddle of Mudd, Saliva, Dangerous Toys, and Junkyard trump Twisted Sister, Kix, Nelson, and Night Ranger. Not by much, but a trump is a trump. Point – Rock Gone Wild

Venue
Rocklahoma hands down. Rock Gone Wild’s venue is still being built. Rocklahoma has the history. Point – Rocklahoma.

Amenities
This is a close call. Both sites offer the basic showers, water, port-o-johns, RV spots, and general store. RGW is $20 for the entire festival and you can set up 4 days prior to the event. Rocklahoma does not have their price listed yet, and you can only set up the day before the event. Rocklahoma does offer the option of renting an RV and having it delivered. According to the websites, Rock Gone Wild offers a more scenic campground nestled in the woods and surrounded by a beautiful stream. This gives RGW a slight edge. Point – Rock Gone Wild

Tickets
Clearly this goes to Rocklahoma. Their general admission is much lower and while their VIP is slightly higher, they don’t have the uber-expensive platinum VIP option of RGW and thus don’t have the high cost. Point – Rocklahoma.

History
Again, Rocklahoma has the edge, as they have done these festivals before. RGW is a first year festival. First year festivals usually have a lot of growing pains. While the organization seems spectacular and it looks like the organizers have things tied down pretty tight, the proof is in the event, which no one will know until August. Point – Rocklahoma.

Final Score:
Rocklahoma – 3
Rock Gone Wild – 2

There you have it, a point-by-point breakdown of the better summer rock/metal festival. While it is a very close race, Rocklahoma currently has the slight edge, and thus is a better spend of your hard earned dollar.

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