March 3 was a big day for the two biggest festivals in Missouri as the line-ups for 98.9’s Rockfest and 105.7’s Pointfest were both announced. This is welcome news, as I noted in a blog that posted in early June Missouri has had a serious lack of metal. I skipped both of last year’s festivals in favor of small shows with artists I really wanted to see instead of Alice in Chains and Papa Roach as headliners.
I’ll jump right in!
I was woken up Monday morning by a continuous buzz of my phone as my friends bombarded me with news on the lineup to Rockfest. I scraped the sleep out of my eyes and checked out the video, and was pleasantly surprised!
I mean, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Staind, Steel Panther, The Pretty Reckless, Black Label Society, Pop Evil, Killswitch Engage, and more! I feel like this is a stacked lineup and I am proud to be going. Typically, Rockfest has been a festival where I want to see maybe one or two bands, but I feel like this day is going to be amazing.
So let’s move to Disappointfest…err.. Pointfest..
Organizers did a band by band announcement via Facebook and I don’t really know how I feel about the show overall.
This year’s show includes Queens of the Stone Age, The Offspring, Crosses, and… well.. a bunch of hipster bands. I don’t mean to discredit any bands, and I’m sure it will be a great show, but there isn’t a single other band I’m excited to see. Last year’s lineup, that I voiced displeasure at as well, included Volbeat, Three Days Grace, Halestorm, P.O.D., Alice in Chains, and Bullet for my Valentine. This year’s lineup? Who the hell is Morning Parade? I don’t even know most of these bands. I’ve heard that 105.7 re-branded to a more alternative station, but I feel like they’re burning a generation of fans that want to go to a big show an enjoy themselves but won’t because they have no idea who’s playing. I’ll probably still go to the show, and I love giving new bands a chance. The kicker is that I’m not a very big fan of A.F.I., Blue October or Neon Trees. So if the other bands sound like them, it’s just something I don’t identify with.
We’ll see though, it’s good to see some decent groups coming to Missouri. I’m excited for the Mayhem Festival lineup, which is due to be announced March 31. The show plays in Kansas City on July 15 and St. Louis July 16.
Marchion of Chaos 