When I first saw this promo for the big glam fest in Oklahoma… I must say, I did not realize that Oklahoma was an "80's Glam‑Metal Hot‑Spot”... all I could think of was...wow, think of all the great hair‑bands that came from there… there's… um... ah... I forget their name, and there's those guys... uh... hmmm..., well, anyway there were all of these great rock clubs, the... Thirsty Cactus Club I think it was? Oh, and the Prickly Place Grill....
Well, it looks as tho an onslaught of metal fans will soon be invading the small town of Pryor, OK., for the three day festival called “Rocklahoma”. Fans from all over the world are expected to attend the largest 80's rock festival of its kind to ever be organized. The momentum of increasing interest and ticket sales may indicate that even with the festival grounds’ 50,000-plus capacity, fans waiting to buy their tickets until the last minute may come up empty-handed, said Dave Giencke, director of operations for “catch the fever music festivals” in a press release. “it’s an amazing response. People from all over the world are wondering where Pryor, Oklahoma is. When I Googled ‘Rocklahoma,’ this one-of-a-kind music festival and the city of Pryor are mentioned in over 39,000 web sites on the worldwide web,” Giencke said. “All I can say is anyone that wants to be a part of Rocklahoma better get their tickets now it appears Rocklahoma will exceed all expectations in attendance.”
The festival is now scheduled to appear on VH1 pay-per view so people world-wide will be able to feel a part of the event, with VH-1 classic host, Eddie Trunk, serving as master of ceremonies.
The current line-up is scheduled to be as follows:
Friday, July 13: Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter and Y&T, Greg Leon Invasion
Saturday, July 14: Vince Neil, Dokken, Winger, Skid Row, Warrant, Firehouse, Enuff Z Nuff, Faster Pussycat, Bulletboys and Bang Tango, 36 Inches.
Sunday, July 15: Pedal Point, Soul Rider, Jackyl, Britny Fox, Steelheart, Great White, W.A.S.P, LA Guns and Twisted Sister.
Event sponsors jpotmusic.com are also organizing contests for bands to enter to have the chance to win various incredible prizes, including a 45 minute set to play the main stage, an onsite photo shoot with “All Access Magazine’s photographer, Valerie Nerres as well as an interview to help promote their band. We at “All Access Magazine”, will also be one of the sponsors for the event as well!
I recently spoke to Rob Miller from “Event Marketing Group” who is responsible for the public relations and marketing for the festival and asked him a few questions about how this whole event came into fruition.
Rob, it’s great to talk to you again, tell me, how did this whole idea of getting 80's metal bands come about, who's idea was it?
Mark Neussle who is the general manager of the Pryor Creek Music Festival had already booked Poison for the event. Brad White who is the talent buyer, along with Max Baker and myself began discussing the idea of having an eighties music festival. Brad spoke with some of the agents who represented many of the eighties bands... and Max Baker spoke with the bands themselves and everyone became excited about the prospects of something happening. Originally it was going to be a two day festival... but because so many bands responded we decided to make it a three day festival. There was a one day Rocklahoma event back over twenty years ago that Van Halen played at and because of it not being used in a long time and the tie in with the centennial celebration (Oklahoma,s one hundred years of statehood, we decided to call it Rocklahoma.
There's a whole team of behind-the-scenes people that came together to pull this off who did all of you get together and delegate who does what? Did you all know each other prior to putting this festival together?
Rob Miller, president of Event Marketing Group along with Megan Waters/media relations are responsible for marketing and public relations. We have been working on our second “Country Fever” and the first Rocklahoma Rob Rogers, who is the director of production. His job is running the entire production of the event. He has three “Country Fevers” under his belt. Dave Giencke, who is the operations director of the Pryor Creek Music Festival. Dave is one of the chief investors in “Country Fever” and “Rocklahoma”. Been involved with all five Country Fevers and the first Rocklahoma. Mark Neussle is the general manager. It is a real team effort in making this event happen. He also has been involved with all five Country Fevers and the first Rocklahoma. Mark is also one of the chief investors in the Pryor Creek Music Festival.
It seems as though the bands have been very receptive to the idea of getting together and "reviving" the 80's metal heyday, who's idea was it to get the specific bands that were chosen to play?
Brad White who is the talent buyer, along with help from Max Baker who knows many of the bands personally. Both Brad and Max have years of experience in putting together concerts from talent buying to production.
It also seems as though the fans have really come together and are excited about the festival, have you sold more tickets than expected and is Pryor, in all honestly ready for a festival of this magnitude??
We originally thought if we got ten thousand people per day we would be happy and we would have made money in our first attempt. After our press conference in Los Angeles... it really took off. The response from the media has been amazing! We have sold tickets in every state and every continent with the exception of Antartica. The venue will easily hold fifty thousand people and nationally we were hearing from the media that they thought we could easily approach that figure with the attendance. Pryor and surround areas I believe are ready for this event. While there may be a lack of hotel space in the immediate vicinity, Pryor and surrounding communities have been instrumental in helping to roll out the red carpet for all the fans. The true hospitality of the Oklahoma spirit will shine through brightly.
I've noticed that the event will be on VH1 pay-per-view worldwide, how did VH1 become involved, was that their idea?
There are ongoing discussions about a possible pay per view. There is a feasibility study that is taking place to see if the bands would be interested in such an event. We should know within the next few days to see if it can happen. It appears that VH1 will be involved, but to what degree has not been decided.
Are you expecting this to be a yearly event? What are your plans for future festivals?
We are expecting it to be an annual event. More than likely next year will be a four day event with some of the eighties biggest bands performing. This event has caught the eyes of the world and now bands from all over the world are wanting to play next year.
Is there anything that you'd like to let people know that maybe they can expect?
Rocklahoma is a celebration of an era of music that helped to shape a generation. We expect that Rocklahoma will help the fans of this music to re-live this era. We are expecting all kinds of celebrities to make an appearance along with artists who celebrate this style of music.
For more information on the festival, visit them on the web at www.rockfeverfest.com, on MySpace, www.myspace.com/jpotmusic. For information on how to enter your band into the contest or to vote for your favorite unsigned band, go to www.jpotmusic.com
