Review: Rockfest 2010

Photos by Rich Sugg/The Star 

Long after ears cease ringing and souvenir T-shirts have faded, the 2010 edition of Rockfest will be remembered for mud. Rain let up only momentarily during the annual hard rock and heavy metal blowout Saturday at Penn Valley Park.

Ashlie Frazier of Pleasant Hill, fresh off Mud Slide Hill at Rockfest.

The muck was two inches deep in the area surrounding the main stage. Conditions were marginally less precarious near the second stage. Some fans delighted in the messy environment, playfully sliding down hills and artfully applying mud as body paint. Others reacted adversely to the sodden grounds. The handful of hooligans that hurled sod and instigated brawls made the sloppy surroundings even more treacherous.

Billed as "the biggest one-day festival in America," over 50,000 tickets to Rockfest were reportedly sold. It's unlikely, however, that more than 35,000 were on hand simultaneously. Cold and caked in mud, thousands of celebrants abandoned the event in the afternoon. Other fans opted to arrive in the evening.

Festival organizers KQRC, 98.9 The Rock, shuttled bands on and off the two stages with impressive efficiency. Although all 15 bands are to be commended for their professionalism in difficult circumstances, most traffic in what tastemakers deridingly characterize as corporate rock. It may not be innovative, but the formula has paid off handsomely for Godsmack. The new release by Saturday's headliner currently tops "Billboard" magazine's album chart.

Even so, Godsmack's popularity failed to withstand the heavy toll exacted by the elements. Torrents of fans began streaming toward the exits a few songs into their 80-minute set. By the time Godsmack closed around 11 p.m. with the appropriately titled "I Stand Alone," the majority of their original audience was gone.

Three Days Grace didn't fare much better. The pyrotechnics that provided the audience momentary flashes of warmth were the most pleasing aspect of their desultory showing. The leaden gloom of Seether also seemed to accentuate the day's frigidity. Just as Seether serves as a watered-down Nirvana, Airbourne is a third-generation version of AC/DC. They may not possess a single original idea, but Airbourne's joyful noise and manic enthusiasm were infectious.

Rich Luzzi of Rev Theory. 

The sunny melodic rock of Papa Roach and Rev Theory also served as ideal anecdotes to the weather. Papa Roach's "Scars" provided the day's best singalong while Rev Theory's "Hell Yeah" is ideally suited to carefree festivals. The similar approach taken by Adelitas Way makes them a sort of promising farm team version of the two more established acts.

Ryan McCombs of Drowning Pool. 

Efforts from the festival's two most extreme bands netted different results. Drowning Pool's mid-afternoon time slot didn't suit their dark sensibility. The Texans seemed uncharacteristically subdued. Five Finger Death Punch, however, was electrifying. Headlining the second stage, the band's taut bursts of rage ignited Rockfest's most manic crowd surfing.

The artful leanings of two bands offered a welcome change of pace. A cover of A Perfect Circle's "Judith" revealed Veer Union's prog-rock leanings while Janus evoked the industrial rock of Ministry. Far less successful were the awfully anachronistic Halestorm and a disappointing appearance by Burn Halo, a band more adept at posing than at rocking.

Missouri-based band Shaman's Harvest acquitted themselves admirably. And retro boogie band Taddy Porter kicked off the festival at noon with a satisfyingly hopeful set.

"The rain can't keep you down," marveled Taddy Porter vocalist Andy Brewer.

He forgot to mention mud.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Tony Cheray]

I was there but after Rev theory I had enough and left. I got cleaned up and observed some of the going ons outside the main gate I noticed about as many people leaving as comming in and not in the best of spirits some had minor injuries one guy was clutching on to his gf he was going to the hospital after takin a knee to his slower spine. I noticed this mass exodus going on for a a bout an hour.I also noticed with in that hour of about 3 ambulances that left with lights blazing. 98.9 the rock will of course spin this to be one of their best rock fest ever.One thing that was upsetting is how poor the sightlines are with mild hills and grades through out the concert site only about 7000 people can have a good look at the stage.I also noticed the sound system was very ill equiped to handle a concert of 50000 people I am a big rock fan but seing how this show was put on leaves a lot to be desired this is my last rockfest I will ever attend.

[mankvill]

Ew.

[Cletus Randy Cody Otis Knucklemeyers]

My neighborhood is completely littered w/ Muddied and ripped Old Navy Jeans, White sneakers and an endless pile of Bud Light cans. I don't come to Grain Valley and leave all my Banana Republic, Kenneth Cole and piles of Bud Light on your gravel road. Total "White Trash" maneuver. Thanks 98.9!

[Kat]

Bitch much? It's a concert, don't like the way your neighborhood looks after it, go out and clean it and quit posting on an online column. Cletus, sounds pretty rednecky to me :) Thanks.

[Wyandotte County]

Rockfest is overrated. This is the second one for me and I have seen enough.

I came to see and hear the bands but they are so hard to see and hear that I have finally figured out that it just ain't worth the hassle. The venue is too small and too overcrowded and there is literally no place to even stand and chill and take in the concert and enjoy the day. 98.9 and Corporate Radio herds in as many wallets as they can possibly fit in there and then stand comfortably on stage right and count the money while the crowd dopes, drinks, and beats each other and themselves into oblivion.

There there's this Johnny Dare character. You know, the guy who is "one of us". Not only did he have a roof over his head throughout the concert, his shoes were even clean and dry. Johnny Dare's occasional appearances, macho spewing of profanity, and references to those "MFer's in Johnson County" creates enough self satisfying feeback from the empty headed drunks and junkies to allow him to maintain, in his own mind, his wannabe rockstar personna. In actuality, he has become sort of cheezy which may just be something that comes with age when you just aren't that cool anymore. He is kinda like the Officer's we had in the military. Send the boys out to fight, stay where it's safe and dry, and then march home a war hero with the boys AS IF he actually participated in the action. Better watch how you rag on folks in JoCo Johnny, you don't want to be a hypocrit now do you? Rockfest needs a new mascot, preferrably someone who still has a pair.

Rockfest would be much better with about 25k or 30k people. I would gladly pay $50 a ticket to get rid of the other half of the crowd, be able to spread out a little and have some room to enjoy the show. Most of the people there could probably afford that extra price if they spent just a little less on dope and bad tats. Heck, a few less Twinkies might help the finances and the ass cheese at the same time.

Eventually corporate greed screws everything up and A-Hole Bob and the boys must have decided that being "big" is better then being "good". $25 is a pretty good deal, but the product isn't that much of a bargain when it comes with all the hassles, free of charge.

Bye bye Rockfest. I can't say I'll miss ya.

[Johnny Wild]

If this is the year we're gonna base our entire sense of Rockfest on, then yeah it's gonna not look as good as other years. Lets face it, it was muddy, it was wet, it was dreary, and yes, Rockfest is usually crowded. But on my fourth time out, I can honestly say, I enjoyed it. It's a party.

Don't like the music? Then what are you doing there to begin with? It's not like they hide the bands until the day of or wait until after you've got your ticket. I don't like Godsmack that much, that's why I was over watching Five Finger Death Punch rip it up on the second stage. I'm not a huge fan of Papa Roach, so I went to watch Veer Union. That's the beauty of it. You don't have to stay in one place and suffer through something you don't like. Walk around, have some fun.

And screw all this white trash bull. I don't do drugs, the group I went with doesn't do drugs, and we can safetly say that none of us have ever lived in the trailer parks. That's not to say there's not people there that don't. Rockfest is all inclusive. You want some party that isn't? Go to Power and Light, I hear they love keeping people out who don't fit a certain criteria.

This isn't the best Rockfest, not even close, but even caked in mud, soaked to the marrow, I was out from 10 till 10 that day. I saw a bunch of others who were as well. Does that make us hard core? Maybe. Stupid? Probably. But I occupied my time, I had a blast, and I have memories I can share. and I know a lot of people who would say the same on that one.

If you're gonna base your view of Rockfest on this year alone, without another chance? You probably didn't belong there to begin with. If you're going to rag about how 15 bands played and how all of it sucked? You probably didn't belong there to begin with. If you're going to complain about the hippies, the preps, the white trash, the druggies, the mexicans, the blacks, the whites, the degenerates. Well, besides not belonging there to begin with, you must be pretty shallow because you or atleast one or two people you know probably fit into about one or two of those categories, maybe even three.

[Green]

They should move it to the longview lake, it would handle the crowd better, i suppose it might be more expensive to put on but scene would be much better. This years line up didnt do much for me, although, not sure many of them do, anyone have a run down of the line ups from year to year? These shows are tough on yea, all day, all those bands, its a nice bang for your buck and some braging rights to say you saw all the bands but I kinda like a two band show better, the set times are cut so short with the festival stuff, usually leaves you wanting more but then again you do see more bands. I hope everyone had fun, gotta love a muddy show, who was the best band???

[BB fan]

Keep on keeping on Bill Brownlee.
Its a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.

I have a growing respect for you sir.
You seem to draw the rock straw and your reviews are always good to see and they getting better and better.

Thanks Bill, we need you in this city, keep up the great work.

[mankvill]

If anyone wants to read a review on the Mastodon show last night (05/16) click my name for my blog!

[fiddler]

not like a nice cozy jazz club, eh bill? - mike t.

[observe&report]

I dont know if there is "combat pay" for this type of review, but there should be.

The promoters and that over the hill goofball janey dare ( btw- only in KC's small market pond could a lil fish, fart humor, dork like janey do .... ) did not have to put up with the mud, rain and BS, like our hero Bill did.

[seems odd]

How old is dare these days, like 53-54 years old?

Isn't it kind of creepy that he is still trying to act like an 17 year old, he must have some pedo in him, what a weirdo.

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

It's hard to sit here and read such a harsh review from someone who, clearly, wasn't too thrilled about reporting on RockFest to start with. Did you even read the lineup before you got there? If you didn't recognize more than one band on there, (which was probably Godsmack) you should have handed the assignment to someone else.

The crowd pic you show looks like THEY were having a good time! Did you talk to the people, or quietly observe? Did you get involved in the atmosphere, or just whine about your penny loafers getting dirty?!

We were there. We arrived late, hoping the rain would go away, but we put our big-kid pants on, and went out. By choice. Free will. And, man, are we glad we did! This was our 4th RockFest, and it will NOT be our last.

BTW - if your neighborhood is littered, go clean it up. *sigh* always wanting someone to fix your problems for you, hu? Yes, it sucks that people are disrespectful of your property, but I bet, at some point in your life, someone thought the same of you. I'm sure I have offended someone in my lifetime, as well. Never intentionally. Well, except for that one time.... but get over yourself, and just deal with it.

FYI - a little background. No drugs in our past, present, or future. None. Zero. One tattoo on me, two on my husband. They are not trashy by our parents' standards, so don't judge us sight unseen. We are US born, employed full time, and raising 4 beautiful, intelligent, faithful children. We have dinner at the kitchen table with our kids each night, with the TV off, and we are usually in bed by 11pm. We live in a nice home, with a full basement, and no hitch on the back. And even WE had a good time. Imagine that!

As for Johnny Dare... he grew up in Olathe. He still lives in JoCo, so when he says, "Scream so those MF'ers in JoCo can hear you" he knows who he was talking about. The nose-in-the-air, don't-get-dirty, what-will-my-neighbor-think snobs that think they are better than the next person. He finds humor in little things, says what most of us wish we could, and laughs at farts. He's down to Earth, and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Thank goodness we have him in this small pond, as a break from the image-driven attitude that is so easily found around here.

But since those are the people mostly reading this column, I believe I'm preaching to the choir here. My suggestion: Get a little mud on you, relax a little, and laugh at yourself. After all, life's too short to take yourself soooo seriously.

[bob]

Johnny Dare is a fucking tool.

[The Stevo]

I don't have a problem with Rockfest happening every summer. I think that it's great that a pure rock/metal show can occur and draw so many fans wanting to have a good time.

What annoys me is how it is basically the same lineup of bands every single time, and how the devoted throng of fans seems to not have a problem with it. Hell, I would get sick of seeing even Metallica twice a year for 7 straight years.

And when you look at the playlist of what 98.9 plays every day, surpise surprise, these same bands are getting heavy airplay. That's to be expected if you are promoting the event, but you'll hear Seether and Drowning Pool multiple times a day in November, too. You scratch my back, and we'll scratch yours.

I don't know....it just bugs me that they package up the same thing every time and feed it to the masses, and they eat all of it up with a spoon. You'd think that with iPod's and the ability to broaden your musical perspective with the click of a mouse-that there would be a more diverse listening audience in Kansas City. Instead, I saw countless "Rockfest! Can't wait! 5th straight year!" Facebook status updates. I guess that I like a little variety, that's all. Rockfest seems like the pre-packaged ready to eat meal, and say, the Mastodon show in Lawrence last night is an actual restaruant. Different tastes for different folks, I guess.

Oh, and Johnny Dare isn't a creepy poser. His show has gone dramatically downhill in the last decade or so (I'm hearing the same shenanigans that I heard in high school....in 2000), but he is truly a cool guy who has given back greatly to the community. I've met him several times, and he is a genuine cool dude.

[MetalHEAD]

98.9 is still on the air?

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

Stevo, it's not just about the music. It's the rare atmosphere. It's the festival fun. It's the people watching. It's just a good time!

Also, I disagree with your "same 'ole" attitude. No Shinedown this year. No Buck Cherry. No Federation Horsepower (Greg's band, from the morning show). There was, of course, some repetition, but it's what the fans enjoy. They are the ones requesting the music. Halestorm is up and coming, and I hope they are back next year. Godsmack was here a few years ago for Rockfest, and they put on a good show. It was time for them to come back. Can't have a new headliner each and every year, but cycling them thru is ok with us. :-)

While we missed the staple of Shinedown, they have become just that - a staple. Time for someone else to take the stage!

[fiddler]

good grief "this is me...", if you had a good time, just say so and leave it at that. why lecture everyone else and try to prove how you aren't trailer trash? who cares? your sactimony was palpable.

[onthemark]

Sounds like 'Mudfest' could have used a heaping portion of woodchips. Anybody know where any are available???

[Really?]

I would rather eat the puke of a homeless person than to go to this thing ever again. I'm not from JC. I'm from a small town in Kansas and I have never seen so many straight up mildly retarded white trash people in one place at one time in my life. It was like going to walmart and picking the nastiest person in the place, cloning that person 30k times, getting into a bus with them (that you had to stand up on the whole time) and driving to Colorado.

So this is rock? It's come to this? Rock is dead and rock fest is the muddy maggot filled corpse.

[NEW]

"BTW - if your neighborhood is littered, go clean it up."

Sorry, I don't buy into this one. There was no reason why you all had to trash our neighborhood to begin with. But you did anyway but somehow it becomes the problem of those of us who live in the area? That's totally lame and to tell us to clean up your mess is BS. At least ask nicely.

As I was walking the dog Subday morning, I did run into a couple of guys who were still looking for their car. Since I had nothing going on, I figured I'd drive them around to look for it since it was raining so hard. We found it eventually.

[Green]

Its a music festival people, its gonna be littered with trash, happens at every show, does it suck, yes, but its typical of a concert, just pick it up or wait for someone else to pick it up.

If there were broken windows and fires started, thats a different story, but its trash, usually these places lack trash cans and thats why it ends up on the ground.

[dio fan]

This was my second Rockfest. Went last year and vowed I wouldn’t go again – mostly because my expectations were wrong, in that I had hoped to have a decent view of the bands.

But that’s not really what this is about for most people who only see the main stage from a very far distance. It’s really about the spectacle and the people-watching with some decently loud music playing.

This year I knew what to expect, and I was prepared with a poncho and waterproof shoes. Other than slipping and falling in the mud once, I was glad the weather was not hot like last year. And, there were no long beer lines.

And it was an unexpected bonus to get pretty close to the second stage for Airbourne, who had a great set.

What really bothered me was the endless hype from The Rock. The announcers were downplaying the rain all week and even the day of the show as the water continued to pour down. And they were going on and on after the concert about how everyone stayed through the rain. That is just a huge lie.

I also agree with the previous post about Johnny Dare keeping clean and dry. It’s easy to talk about how great the day was when you’re hanging out in VIP.

If Johnny had been out to the middle of the main crowd, past the few thousand in front who could really see the stage, he would have seen many, many people standing still, not rocking, and not looking like they were having a whole lot of fun. In fact, some of them looked really miserable.

If this show wasn’t all “fun,” it more than made up for that being extemely memorable. And that is exactly what I was expecting.

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

@NEW

"There was no reason why you all had to trash our neighborhood to begin with. But you did anyway but somehow it becomes the problem of those of us who live in the area? That's totally lame and to tell us to clean up your mess is BS. At least ask nicely."

There you go generalizing. Exactly the point I was trying to make. "YOU ALL" didn't leave trash in your neighborhood. We didn't even park in a neighborhood, so I know we weren't near your house, or dogwalking route, or whatever.

Had I parked in your neighborhood, I would not have left trash. Had I left trash, and not realized it, I would apologize now. But I didn't. And I bet a good percentage of Rockfest ticketholders didn't either.

I will apologize for this: I'm sorry that some people are inconsiderate of other people's space and property. I'm sorry that, if you want the trash removed from your yard, you will be responsible for removing it yourself, unless your neighbors are already tired of your fussing about it, and do it for you to shut you up. I'm sorry, too, that you generalize so that anyone who attended the concert near where you live is considered is responsible for your mess.

And since it isn't mine, I will not ask nicely. Your cross to bear, not mine. :-)

[Wyandotte County]

REALLY!!!!!

"It was like going to walmart and picking the nastiest person in the place, cloning that person 30k times, getting into a bus with them (that you had to stand up on the whole time) and driving to Colorado"

Serioulsy Dude, that was FUNNY AS HELL what you wrote!!!! Only it felt more like driving to the Southern most tip of South America because I thought it would never end.

[casual encounters]

@ "this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am."

Is your ad still up on craigslist? You know, your ad where you and your white trash husband are "MW looking BM to satisfy bored housewife".

You white trash losers leaving your trash in NEW's yard are pathetic.

[NEW]

That's sort of harsh, Casual, We're just having a dialogue here.

Not necessarily generalizing there "This Is.." I refer to the perps as Rockfest attendees in general. I figure since you wear the since you wear the badge proudly, you can maybe be proactive with people who park and hang out in the surrounding neighborhoods. I actually like having the festival here in town and I like the people watching. It's not a big deal but I just don't know why it is such a burden to hold on to your beer cans, empty cigarette packs and empty 12 packs until you get to the gate, or even leave them in the car. I go to festivals all summer long and we are always cool about stuff like that. Inside the gate is one thing since there is staff to clean up but outside is another story. The way I see it, it's simply a matter of respect and civility. Then you come along and tell me to deal with it and get over it. Go figure.

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

@NEW, thanks for having my back, re: Casual Encounters. :-)

For the record, I am enjoying the dialogue.

This is the only festival we attend. As it happens, my husband and I always comment, each year, about the trash left behind. When we parked this year, we were astounded by the beer cases, cans, etc., all over the grassy hill we were parked in. It was as if some of the concert attendees were flaunting the lack of accountability. We don't really play along well. While inside the concert, my cousin says to me, with an empty beer cup in hand, "Is there a trash can around here... or what?! Will I get ticketed for littering if I drop it?!" We all had a good laugh, looking around at the mud-covered cups, shoes, blankets, water bottles, etc., all over the ground.

Unfortunately, some people just don't get it. Clean up after yourself. But when they don't, someone will have to. Most likely, it will be you and I.

:-)

[NEW]

Well said, "This is me...". Like I said, it's not a big deal and good for you for being congnizant of the whole thing. I just don't get the mentality of those who are not. At the risk of sounding granola, I like to subscribe to the "leave only footprints" principal.

[The ghost of Gene Siskel]

Picture Francis Ford Coppola's, "Apocalypse Now" if it were remade as a Musical, soundtracked by a handful of third-rate Neo-Metal bands, whose juvenile lyrics are completely indecipherable, and all the extras (fans) are cast-offs from a George Romero Zombie-flick, and you come close to capturing the Cinematic Nightmare that was ROCKFEST 2010. Sounds COOL, huh?? Um, not so much......

[Wyandotte County]

I am going to have to disagree with you Gene. If you look through some of the photos I think you will agree that the cast actually comes from that movie, MY BIG FAT ARKANSAS WEDDING. I met a cool guy there while standing next to the porta pooper who introduced me to his Cousin and his Uncle. Since it was just him and I it took me a second to realize that he was referring to himself. His Sister / Wife / Former Mother in Law / Former Sister in Law then walked up and they showed me the matching tats they bought on Friday night in honor of their favorite Rockfest Band: Sether.

[lmao]

You better watch out or that green girl is gonna come on here and start whining about you being mean to people from Arkansas. She is kind of sensitive, and enjoys trying to censor what people can say. I think green must want to be a cop or something.

[Movin' On Out]

What everyone's missing here is the fact that Schlockfests like this continue to happen and yet great festivals like the Spirit Fest and Blues and Jazz Fest have been snuffed out by a lack of financial support from big sponsorships. Set down the Bud Light and ask yourself how our great KC economy has money for P&L and Sprint Dome(taxpayer funded I might add), but yet no one can step up to bring a diverse lineup of national talent to the Liberty Memorial for a very affordable price. I will be in Little Rock on Memorial Day weekend for the Black Crowes at RiverFest($25 or $15 presale). Check out Loufest in STL too. KC, you used to be relevant, but now you're being run by Townie Powerbrokers hellbent on turning you into The Branson of the Plains.

BTW: "This is Me..." - thanks for going ahead and doing your part to continue the overpopulation of the planet, but you're eating dinner at the table with the TV off, so it's ok.

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

@Movin' on out
what makes SpiritFest or Blues and Jazz Fest any better (or worse) than RockFest? Each crowd has its negative aspects, the concert-goers who could be considered the "bad apple" who ruins the whole bunch. Who are you to decide KC is not relevant, when we have the largest one-day rock festival in the country? We brought in dollars from all parts of the country for Rockfest, but, because it's not your taste in music, it's irrelevant?! You must be good friends with Aggie Stackhaus. Black Crowes? Seriously? Oh, yes, because a band who had their 5 year high in 1990-95 is SO MUCH MORE relevant and desirable than Godsmack and 14 other rock bands. And no one at your precious RiverFest or Loufest will be drinking beer, smoking pot, or having fun. And, God forbid it rains at either of those events. The grass could suffer (but I'm sure it will be in pristine condition sans rain) and you may find one lone ranger who wants to slide down a hill in the mud for a good laugh.

No, perhaps we *ahem* YOU could take a different approach. Rockfest was very relevant to those who attended. It was VERY relevant to Liberty Memorial, who is able to afford keeping that flame lit for another year. It was relevant to the bands who were in town. It was relevant to the hotels and restaurants who made money. It was relevant to PV who made money. It was relevant to the stores that made money. It was relevant to the city, who earned $150k UP FRONT in sales tax, paid by AEG. None of that would be different if the genre of music changes. But if *you* are satisfied, that's ok, right?!

As for my kids, they are outstanding children who I am proud to be the parent of. I wish there were more families out there like ours, having dinner at the table with their kids, rather than plopping them on the couch with a TV dinner. Suck it.

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

@ Movin' on out. Take your criticisms and judgmental attitude, and MOVE IT ON OUT to St. Louis. You'll soon find that it's no different there, but at least we won't have to deal with you.

[Greg]

Questions to Movin' On Out: You have a choice where you make your purchases right? Some of those advertisers who you don't purchase from eventually go away due to lack of business. So what part of Spirit Fest, Blues and Jazz Festivals should automatically be kept alive if there are no buyers? If you were an advertiser, would you just throw away your money to something that isn't working? Why do people or organizations need to "step up" to keep something alive that doesn't have a very good demand?

I could care less about Rockfest. I went to one a couple of years ago. Enjoyed it, just like I used to enjoy the jazz festivals at Penn Valley park. I support many different events locally but I have a choice to do so - not because I have to. I just question why you or others feel that A)Your choices for entertainment are any better/worse than anyone else and B)Why ANYTHING needs to be supported with corporate dollars as if to imply they should give entertainment as a charity? Have fun with the Crowes. That is a band I always enjoy seeing.

[Movin' On Out]

This is Me, I now crown you Straw Princess for going ahead and providing some superfluous points unrelated to my original posting. I only mentioned the Black Crowes to highlight the fact that national talent can be had for a reasonable price at these sponsored events. I saw Willie Nelson and Buddy Guy there last year for a fraction of the price a single night in KC would have cost me. I could give 2 rats' asses who was at Rockfest and whose member is larger. I'll leave that argument for you to have with your computer. It sounds like you are having some personal issues with your entertainment choices, perhaps you should talk to someone before another internet blogger sends you over the edge. As for relevance of cash expenditures, judging by the demographic of attendees, I'd say these folks were going to spend every penny in their pocket on Saturday anyway, whether or not they went to Rockfest. So how does that make for relevancy?

Why ANYTHING needs to be supported with corporate dollars as if to imply they should give entertainment as a charity?

Because every venue in town is supported by corporate dollars some way or another. Sprint Center, AMC Midland, Grinder's Verizon Concert Series, et al. You don't think those venues would be able to run w/o those names do you? So why do you have a problem w/ festivals getting corporate sponsorship? You are right though, if the customers don't come, sponsors do have the choice to pull the plug. Fair enough. Maybe my comments should be taken as more of a rhetorical question. Why does Rockfest succeed and others fail?

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

Ooh, yay! A crown! *sigh*

[Supportin Rockfest All]

Wow i have never seen as much bullshit writen in my life on one page..Rockfest kicks ass just because you like to rock out and have fun don;t mean your white trash, a drug addict, and all the other harsh crap you people have write. I am NONE of the above I'm a mother of two special needs children and I have enjoyed going to Rockfest for the last 11 years, and as for the man writin this article, you have no clue dude, Godsmack Three Days Grace all of them rock out hard core and all their fans kicked it and hung in there right with them. So seriously you all need to get a life maybe go kick it at Rockfest and loosen up,

[Move Rockfest to Arkansas, like Wakarusa!]

First off, 'Supportin,' your grammar is atrocious, but if we were to give an English test to that muddy throng of ne'er-do-wells at Schlockfest 2010, it would make Strunk & White (look it up) spin in their graves. Jeez, this fest is brought to you by a radio station who employs a mandanna-wearing troglodyte like Johnny Dare!

Also, you abandon your two Special-Needs children for a whole day of debauchery amongst the biggest drug abusers in the Midwest? That almost constitutes abuse. But most offensive is the fact that you think these lame, third-rate Corporate RAWK bands "rock out hard core." That's almost funny in it's foolishness.

[Frebird]

This size and type of fest needs to get back to the days we called "stadium rock". Move it to one of the stadiums, charge the $10 for parking and everybody wins.

[this is me. take it, or leave it. here I am.]

@Move Rockfest:
How dare you make a personal attack. You are out of line, and have no right to accuse a mother of abuse because she went to a concert. @$$hole. Just because you use big words, or random references does not make you better than anyone else.

Your $#it stinks just as much as the next person's. Perfect grammar does not make a person good or bad. An ivy league education does not make a person good or bad.

You may want to be careful of who you judge. I have seen many a nurse, doctor, police officer, fire fighter, electrician, parent, teacher, counselor, politician, etc., etc., etc., who write in less than perfect grammar, but who are still good people, who contribute to society, and would save your a$$ because it's their job and sworn duty to do so. I would hope you would have more grace than tact.

[jumping stilts]

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[Dave C.]

ER... yah someone definitely forgot to mention MUD lol!