The Current-June 2008 Feature Story 1

Rocklahoma Returns with Michaels, Queensryche

By Regan Henson

It’s that time of year again. Temperatures and gasoline prices are rising, a presidential election of historic significance is quickly approaching, the war in Iraq is far from over and metal heads all across the world don’t even notice because the one event that unites them all is just around the corner. Rocklahoma is almost here.

Billed as the only festival of its kind in the world, Rocklahoma has quickly grown into much more than just another Woodstock wannabe. In its second year, the festival, which takes place at the Catch the Fever grounds north of Pryor, Rocklahoma has now added a fifth day of music and entertainment to what was originally conceived as a three day event. Last year, the Thursday night lineup was added just weeks before the event, and this year it’s set to begin on Wednesday.

“The fifth day was added because of the magnitude of the new things we’re bringing,” said Dave Giencke, Director of Operations of the Pryor Creek Music Festival.

Among the new things being featured is the Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Band Camp, which will allow up to 120 participants to meet and play with ten counselors from their favorite bands, including Mark Slaughter of the group Slaughter and the drummer from AC/DC. Fantasy camp goers will be fed breakfast on Wednesday morning before being given the once in a lifetime chance to jam and learn from the counselors. At the end of the day, each counselor will form a band hand-picked from the participants and they will choose a song to play between sets during that night’s show in front of the Rocklahoma audience.

“Participants will get the true Rocklahoma experience,” said Giencke, “not just as fans, but of actually playing on stage.”

The entire Wednesday night lineup had not been announced as of this printing, except for the headliner, Ratt, who returns for the second year of the event. But even when Ratt is finished rocking the house the opening night festivities will continue with a midnight screening of Heavy Metal Baghdad on the huge jumbotron screens surrounding the stage.

The documentary follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Sadam Hussein’s regime through 2006 as the band struggled to find the freedom to perform and create the music they love as the country toppled around them. The film was an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival, South By Southwest, and the Toronto Film Festival, and the Rocklahoma screening will be one of only a handful in the United States.

The Wednesday events, like those on Thursday, will only be open to those festival goers who purchase three day passes. But the Thursday night lineup alone will be worth the purchase price, with performances by Jetboy, House of Lords, Vain, Enuf Znuf, LA Guns, Dokken, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Back and Bret Michaels of Poison and Rock of Love.

For those who only wish to spend a single day rocking out to hair bands, Friday night will serve as the opening option, and what an option it is with performances by XYZ, Armored Saint, Kingdome Come, Living Colour, Night Ranger, Lita Ford in her first performance in 15 years, Extreme and Triumph, which will feature a reunion of its original lineup performing on stage together for the first time in over two decades.

The party continues Saturday as the lineup includes performances by Pretty Boy Floyd, Every Mother’s Nightmare, Tora Tora, Black and Blue, Trixter, Lynch Mob, Kix, Warrant featuring Jani Lane and Cinderella.

Returning festival goers will remember that last year Twisted Sister closed the show in style with one of only two North American performances that wowed the audience. Well, Dee Snider might not be back this year, but Giencke and company may have even one-upped themselves with a Sunday lineup that includes performances by Axe, Zebra, UFO, Tesla and a one of a kind performance by Queensryche as they perform their classic Operation: Mindcrime album in its entirety, along with other hits from their 20-year plus career, in a theatrical stage show. It will be the only performance of its kind by the band this year as a celebration of the 20 year anniversary of the release of the album.

In addition to the bands playing the main stage, 60 more bands will be playing on two side stages, courtesy of Retrospect Records and Tri-Label Group. Rocklahoma begins this year on Wednesday, July 9 and continues through Sunday, July 13. One day general admission passes are $55 and three day general admission passes are $120. Three day VIP passes are $350 and all tickets can be purchased either online at www.feverfest.com or by calling (866)310-2288. The Catch the Fever festival grounds are located four miles north of Pryor just off highway 69.