By this time I am sure you have all heard the news about the 2nd annual Rocklahoma, the BIGGEST ‘80s metal 5-day rock festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma! What else can I say other than Mother Nature was the BIGGEST and most unexpected star of the whole event.
Saturday July 12th will be a memorable day for some who attended this year’s event. The day started off pretty nice until a 2½-hour rain delay – and winds in excess of 65 miles per hour appeared out of nowhere, causing the collapse of both side stages. But Rocklahoma and all its ‘80s rock bands would not be denied their performances, said Rob Miller of the event’s marketing group. As Mother Nature demanded center stage, “There was not even enough time to warn everyone in advance,” said Mike Orange, an onsite weather expert.
But the storm didn’t stop the music for long. After General Manager Mark Nuessel of Catch The Fever Music Festivals felt that everyone was safe once again, the show continued on.
At about 8 p.m. Lynch Mob took the stage back and gave Mother Nature the boot! Performing to thousands of ‘80s rock fans, George Lynch tore up the stage with a killer set. Lynch Mob was followed by Kix and Lita Ford, and Warrant finished out the evening.
Every band received their full set time, even with the rain pouring down on Warrant’s Jani Lane at approximately 1 a.m. Jani Lane thanked the fans for their dedication and proceeded to douse himself with bottled water, proclaiming, “If you’re going to be wet then let’s get wet together!”
122 bands performed at this year’s Rocklahoma as scheduled, but a few really stuck out in my eyes, including Kingdom Come and Night Ranger. Brad Gillis, guitarist for Night Ranger, put on amazing show to say the least. Vocals by the band were also outstanding. These bands still have what it takes to put on an amazing show after all these years.
Queensryche… what can you say other than AMAZING as usual. But in my opinion, Tesla stole the show! They are definitely my top pick of this incredible 5-day rock fest. Showmanship, vocals and rocking is what Tesla was all about.
I actually had the honor of performing on the side stage south, the one stage that sustained most of the damage from the rain and wind. I play the drums for a band called The Cauze, and thank God our set rocked with all the early bird people with hangovers from the night before. Thanks for joining us to raise your beer and rock out with us. (Ya gotta love festivals!)
The mud was already bad from the first rain that came through on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Rocklahoma staff did a great job with hay to soak up what they could. I would just like to thank all the staff at Rocklahoma and everyone associated with this event for being so nice and helpful with anything that was needed.
Rocklahoma is the world’s largest Rock Festival of its type featuring bands from the ‘80s. Attendance came from all 50 states and every continent in the world with Antarctica being the only exception. Both the rain and beer kept flowing, but everyone had a spectacular time despite the unexpected appearance of Mother Nature taking center stage! It just goes to show you that ‘80s music is still loved by thousands of fans, and nothing will stop Rock n’ Roll!
Read all about the festival at www.rocklahoma.com.
MORE PHOTOS By Honey Burford at myspace.com/allaccessmagazine
