The second annual ROCK CARNIVAL, the music festival that last year drew a staggering 50,000+ attendees in Clark, NJ, is relocating to Lakewood, NJ at FirstEnergy Park, the home of the Lakewood Blue Claws minor league baseball team. It’s right around the corner taking place the weekend 
of September 30 thru October 2. Get your tickets here!
Music will take place on multiple stages, including two main festival stages, side by side, on the field. Fans will have general admission access to the stadium field. The musical portion of the event will once again feature the Birch Hill stage, a very popular performance area of the famed rock n’ roll venue of yore, with the addition of another performance area showcasing developing artists.
ROCK CARNIVAL is going to be massive this year with ALICE COOPER, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, and TWISTED SISTER and will include many groups native to New Jersey, such as MONSTER MAGNET, OVERKILL, CYCLE OF PAIN, SEBASTIAN BACH, and TRIXTER. Over 60 band to perform in the 3 day festival including CLUTCH, ACE FREHLEY, DORO, ZEBRA, CINDERELLA’S TOM KEIFER, and the BULLETBOYS. This weekend long metal festival is going to be non-stop!
Friday night begins the celebration with a classic theme and will feature tributes to classic rock favorites! ALMOST QUEEN will play your QUEEN favorites faithfully, ALIVE! ’75 will take us back with some KISS, and ZAKK SABBATH featuring vocalist/guitarist ZAKK WYLDE (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE), bassist Blasko (OZZY OSBOURNE, ex-ROB ZOMBIE) and drummer Joey Castillo (ex-QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) will perform BLACK SABBATH classics.
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, who has sold over 24 million records worldwide producing hits like “Godzilla” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, will be rockin’ the stage Friday night with their classics from the 70’s and 80’s as well.
Friday’s headliner, shock rock king ALICE COOPER will blow your mind! A true renaissance man, ALICE COOPER’s stellar career spans over 5 decades and 26 albums, as a performer, a composer who experimented in multiple genres, a film actor, a golfing celebrity, a restaurateur, and a popular radio DJ with his classic rock show Nights with Alice Cooper.
Wait! There’s more…
Saturday’s headliner TWISTED SISTER is slotted to rock your socks off! This is their official farewell performance in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area where the group originated. The group are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band with the Forty and Fuck It tour, after which they will officially break up. They’ll also be paying tribute to A.J. Pero, the original drummer of TWISTED SISTER who died unexpectedly of a heart attack while on tour with ADRENALINE MOB on March 20, 2015.
DAUGHTRY is another headliner for the ROCK CARNIVAL on Saturday night. DAUGHTRY, named after lead singer and guitarist Chris Daughtry, was a finalist of the 5th season of American Idol in 2006 and had tremendous success with their debut album Daughtry (2007) which includes hit song “It’s Not Over” and “Home”.
Saturday also performing is long-awaited MONSTER MAGNET’s festival show rocking out tunes from earlier albums such as Spine of God, Powertrip, and Dopes to Infinity. This show is a treat for US fans who have yet to enjoy the band in a rock festival setting. PUNKY MEADOWS of 1970’s glam band ANGEL will also be playing with his new band doing tracks from his new comeback album Fallen Angel. JD DeServio’s CYCLE OF PAIN is also slated to “Come On” stage. Additionally, JACKYL, FUEL, and THE TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION are all part of the bad-assery on Saturday.
And the metal still doesn’t stop…
Sunday ROCK CARNIVAL features top-charting headliners HALESTORM and THE USE. Queen of Metal DORO who hails 4 decades of success will be sure to rock your asses off and urge you to “Raise your fists in the air”! Additionally, 80’s throwback bands will perform like SEBASTIAN BACH from SKID ROW, TRIXTER, THE BULLETBOYS, and CINDERELLA’S TOM KEIFER will blast his brand of blues-based metal.
ROCK CARNIVAL’s new performers include LIFE OF AGONY, 10 YEARS, and JIM BREUER AND THE LOUD & ROWDY. (JIM BREUER was one of the stoners from the Dave Chappelle comedy film Half Baked.) And so many more noteworthy bands will be at the ROCK CARNIVAL that you don’t want to miss!
All these rockers have solid reps of ruling the stage! See below for the current line-up, with more artists being added leading up to the main event.
Friday, September 30th
Alice Cooper
Clutch
Zakk Sabbath
Blue Oyster Cult
Almost Queen
Alive! ’75
Kyng
+ more tributes!
Saturday, October 1st
Twisted Sister
Daughtry
Ace Frehley
American Angel
Cycle of Pain
Four By Fate
Fuel
Jackyl
Jester
Killcode
Monster Magnet
Overkill
Punky Meadows
Shaman’s Harvest
Texas Hippie Coalition
Zebra
Sunday, October 2nd
Halestorm
The Used
10 Years
Bullet Boys
Cinderella’s Tom Keifer
Citizen Zero
Doro
Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy
Legion
Life Of Agony
River Monsters
Sebastian Bach
Trixter
Ticket prices range from $45 single day pass ($65 day of show) to $800 VIP Skyboxes. Get your tickets here!
ROCK CARNIVAL also has classic amusement rides and entertainment, high-action Professional Wrestling, a wide selection of tasty brews, pig racing and more. This year’s event will also see the addition of a children’s fun zone. It’s a weekend of big fun for the whole family!
The ROCK CARNIVAL is produced by Stan Levinstone Presents and GameLoud.
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by Jen Rubino 8/16/2016
