Rock Fest, largest rock and camping event in US, turns 31
Described on its webpage as 'Our Motherfest'n Reunion,' the festival promises three days of rock favorites as well as up-and-coming musicians.
Headlining on Thursday is Rob Zombie in his return to Rock Fest.
When not making films, Zombie is best known for horror and sci-fi themes in his music and is best known for songs like 'More Human than Human' and 'Creature of the Wheel.'
Friday brings heavy-metal fan favorite Five Finger Death Punch, known for songs like 'Remember Everything' and 'Wash It All Away.'
Metal band Bad Omens hits the stage in Cadott on Saturday, known for the songs 'Just Pretend' and 'The Worst in Me.'
There will also be a 'Bonus Bash,' featuring bands that include Drowning Pool, Born of Osiris, A Killer's Confession, Convictions and Left on Red.
'This will be our 31st rendition of Rock Fest, so it'll be a big year,' said Rock Fest promoter Wade Asher. 'We changed our branding a little bit and gave it a new and refreshed look, but we still have that nature of Rock Fest that everybody loves and knows.
'Rock Fest is about the music — that's the number one thing for us. It's an incredible lineup, with Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch and Bad Omens. It's just really well lined-up this year.'
This isn't to say, of course, that music will be all that will be taking place at the festival grounds.
'There's going to be a full tournament-style kickboxing event that's going to be on site,' explained Asher. The WFC tournament is said to feature over 100 fighters. He explained that there will also be photo ops, art installations, and more.
'There will be different activities that are going to be onsite that you normally wouldn't see anywhere,' said Asher.
The event started about seven years after its country cousin, Country Fest, back in 1994. It was at that point specifically more for classic rock, said Asher, with the first Rock Fest attracting the likes of Eddie Money, REO Speedwagon and Cheap Trick. The festival has since evolved into the behemoth it currently is, which is now the largest rock and camping event in the country. In the last few years, Rock Fest has feature well-known names in the industry such as Jelly Roll, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, Mötley Crüe, Korn, KISS and Pantera.
Despite the rock-heavy lineup in each Rock Fest, Asher stated he thinks it's an asset to the festival to include artists outside the genre when making the lineup each year.
'We try to get a bit multi-genre and dabble in other stuff as well,' he said. 'We have Ja Rule this year, for instance. We had Ice Cube one year; we had Snoop Dog in another. We want to give the fans just something a little bit more than they would expect.'
Asher takes pride in being able to bring some of the biggest names of music to a part of the country that might surprise some of the uninitiated.
'It's definitely a destination festival — that's for sure, in the middle of nowhere. They say they count as many cows on their way out here as they do people when they get here,' he said with a laugh. 'But it feels pretty good — we've built an infrastructure over time, and now artists call us to come play, even the headliners. They know they're going to have a good day and the fans are going to be great. It's evolved into something special — something beyond my wildest dreams.'
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift announces new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' — what we know about Swift's 12th album
Taylor Nation teased the upcoming album with an Instagram post featuring 12 photos of the artist in orange. It's been a long time coming…and now, we have a title for Taylor Swift's 12th album. The new work, titled The Life of a Showgirl, was announced via a video clip from the upcoming Wednesday, Aug. 13 episode of Travis and Jason Kelce's podcast New Heights. It was shared on Instagram at 12:12 a.m. E.T. on Tuesday, Aug. 12 as a nod to Swift's 12th album. In the clip, Swift shows the brothers a briefcase, which is mint green with the letters T.S. on it. "This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl," the singer declared. The album cover has not yet been revealed, and Swift's website shows only a blurred orange and green image with a lock on the cover. However, fans can already pre-order the vinyl, cassette and CD editions. Thus far, there is no tracklist for the album, so fans will have to stay tuned. There is also no release date: though the website states pre-orders will ship Oct. 13, it also said that an official date will be shared at a later date. Eagle-eyed Swifties first noticed something was in the works with the Eras Tour icon on Aug. 11, when Taylor Nation — the official platform for all things Swift — took to social media to share a post featuring 12 photos of Swift, all in the same shade of orange. The caption of the post was 'Thinking about when she said 'See you next era…'' along with a red heart surrounded by orange flames. Meanwhile, Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, announced that Swift would be the surprise guest on his and his brother Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast episode dropping on Wednesday. The brothers initially hinted that Swift could be joining them in a post Monday afternoon that featured Travis in Swift merch with a sparkly orange background, which fans caught on to immediately. The 12th album marks Swift's first new music release since announcing that she officially owns her first six albums after a lengthy battle over her master recordings. The artist began a re-recording project after she learned in 2019 that her masters were sold to Scooter Braun against her will. Swift went on to release enormously successful 'Taylor's Versions' of her 2008 album Fearless, her 2010 album Speak Now, her 2012 album Red, and her 2014 album 1989, and now owns the original works as well. 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' Swift wrote in a letter to fans posted on her website when she purchased her masters. 'All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy.' While fans were initially anticipating re-recordings of her 2006 self-titled album and her 2017 album Reputation to be among her next releases, Swift instead appears to be focusing on making new music. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Apple Cinemas Addresses Trademark Dispute with Apple Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, August 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Apple Cinemas issued the following statement in response to a trademark lawsuit filed by Apple Inc: "For over a decade, Apple Cinemas has proudly delivered a best-in-class moviegoing experience to audiences across our growing network of theaters. Our name reflects our roots, beginning with our first planned location at the Apple Valley Mall in New England—a project that inspired the launch of the Apple Cinemas brand and set the foundation for our expansion. Since its inception, we have been actively working on a growth plan across the country, collaborating with national retail companies on the acquisition of existing movie theaters. Apple Cinemas is now a top 25 movie theater chain in the country and one of the largest IMAX AND ScreenX partners. We are committed to defending our brand, our history, and our continued right to operate as Apple Cinemas—an identity that is and has always been clearly distinct and fully compliant with all applicable trademark laws. Apple Cinemas is a long-established independent theater chain with no connection to Apple Inc. Our name reflects our geographic roots and has never been intended to suggest, or used to imply, any affiliation with their brand. Furthermore, claims of consumer confusion are unfounded. Apple Cinema's branding is clearly differentiated. We have responded reasonably and transparently to all legal communications regarding this matter and remain focused on growing our business and brand in good faith, as we have for over a decade. As a company built around welcoming people through our doors and into theaters every day, Apple Cinemas remains committed to providing and revitalizing exceptional in-person entertainment experiences for the communities we serve. We appreciate the continued support of our customers, partners, and neighbors as we focus on doing what we do best—delivering outstanding cinema." View source version on Contacts Media Contact: David MarksMobile - 202.828.5862Email - Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jennifer Aniston Opens Up About Matthew Perry: 'This Is Better'
Jennifer Aniston got candid about her friendship with 'Friends' co-star Matthew Perry and his 2023 death, telling Vanity Fair that she's happy he's no longer fighting addiction. 'We did everything we could when we could,' Aniston told Vanity Fair about trying to help Perry. 'But it almost felt like we'd been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight. As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there's a part of me that thinks this is better.' She added, 'I'm glad he's out of that pain.' Perry was found dead in 2023 in his hot tub. The medical examiner said ketamine was the main cause of Perry's death. Perry was using ketamine to treat his depression, but he began seeking more ketamine outside of therapy. Salvador Plasencia, the doctor who supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine starting about a month before his death, was one of five charged in connection with Perry's passing. Plasencia pleaded guilty last month to four counts of distribution of ketamine. During a 2021 reunion for 'Friends,' Perry admitted he didn't remember filming Seasons 3 through 6 because of his substance abuse. Perry told Diane Sawyer in a 2022 interview that he would go to open houses in Los Angeles and steal pills. 'And I think they thought, 'Well, there's no way that Chandler came in and stole from us,'' Perry said, referencing the name of his character on 'Friends.' He also told Sawyer that he would show up to film 'Friends' 'shaking and crazy hungover,' with Aniston once telling him that the cast could smell alcohol on him. During a 2004 interview with Sawyer, Aniston became emotional thinking about losing Perry. Sawyer asked Aniston what Perry needed to hear. 'That he's all right,' Aniston said. She continued: 'He struggled. 'We didn't know. We weren't equipped to deal with it,' the star said about herself and her fellow 'Friends' castmates. 'Nobody had ever dealt with that. And the idea of even losing him … he's having a road. But he's all right.' Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline. Related... Doctor Who Supplied Matthew Perry Ketamine And Called Him A 'Moron' Is Set To Enter Guilty Plea Accused Jennifer Aniston Stalker Ruled Mentally Incompetent To Stand Trial Jennifer Aniston Has Major Intruder Incident While She's Home
