KISS, System of a Down, A Day to Remember lead Download Fest 2021 lineup

Download Festival is ready to return and rock your socks off!

On Monday (Aug. 3), the United Kingdom-based music festival announced its first wave of performers for the 2021 incarnation of the event.

KISS, System of a Down, Biffy Clyro, A Day to Remember, Korn, Deftones, Black Veil Brides, the Pretty Reckless, Killswitch Engage, The Darkness, and a slew more are set to take over four different stages during the first weekend of June 2021.

At the end of the weekend-long festivities, over 70 bands would have descended and performed at the annual event.

Like every other music festival, Download had to cancel this year’s show due to the worldwide pandemic. This year’s event would have included performances from Iron Maiden, System of a Down, and KISS.

Thankfully, the festival was able to once again secure KISS and System of a Down as headliners for next year’s gig.

“2020 has been a tough year for us all, and we were beyond gutted not to be able to experience Download Festival with you all,” Download Festival’s Andy Copping said in a press statement.

“We gave you Download TV to reflect on memories of the past, and what the festival means to all of us.

Download 2021 is going to be something special and go down in the history books as when the Download family reunited. We’re going to be working hard behind the scenes to make Download 2021 an unforgettable experience and a celebration of the festival we all love.”

“We’re disappointed we weren’t able to make it over this year, but we’re looking forward to next,” System of a Down’s Shavo Odadjian said.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Mostly, we all just want to make sure everyone is provided with a safe and secure environment, so we were prepared to wait as long as we needed to.”

Download Festival will return to its home of Donington Park during the weekend of June 4-6, 2021. General tickets for the three-day show will go on sale this Friday, Aug. 7 at 9 a.m. on the festival’s website.

The first wave of performers can be found below.

KISS to embark on one final outing in 2019

Are KISS really going to put the band to rest following their upcoming massive tour? If fans are to believe the band this time around, then the answer to that question is “yes.” On Monday (Oct. 29), the iconic rock band announced plans to embark on a massive final tour. Titled the “End of the Road” world tour, the excursion will find the band performing 65 shows across two different continents during the first half of 2019.

The tour, which will kick off in late January, will find the guys performing at venues across North America during the months of January, February, March, and April. Following a month or so off, the group will make their way across the pond to Europe during the months of May, June, and July.

The North American leg of the “End of the Road” tour will begin on Jan. 31 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia and conclude two-and-a-half months later on April 13 at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The band will resume their touring schedule on May 27 at the Leipziger Messe in Leipzig, Germany. The whole tour will then conclude on July 16 with a massive gig at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.

KISS will be offering several pre-sales for the upcoming tour. The KISS Meet and Greet experiences will go on sale beginning this Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. local time while the KISS Army pre-sales will begin this Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 10 a.m. local time. General ticket will go on sale beginning this Friday, Now. 2, at 10 a.m. local time.

In a statement about the upcoming tour, KISS revealed that they will be going big during this tour as a way to thank their fans who have been behind them for the past four decades.

“All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who’ve filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years,” the band’s post about the tour reads.

“This will be the ultimate celebration for those who’ve seen us and a last chance for those who haven’t. KISS Army, we’re saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we’ll go out the same way we came in… Unapologetic and Unstoppable.”

The complete list of upcoming tour dates can be seen below.

END OF THE ROAD WORLD TOUR DATES:

Jan. 31 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Feb. 01 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Feb. 02 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
Feb. 04 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
Feb. 07 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
Feb. 08 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Arena
Feb. 09 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Feb. 12 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Feb. 13 – Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
Feb. 15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Feb. 16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
Feb. 19 – Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Center
Feb. 21 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Feb. 22 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Feb. 23 – Memphis, TN – Fedex Forum
Feb. 26 – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
Feb. 27 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
March 01 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
March 02 – Chicago, IL – United Center
March 04 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
March 06 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
March 07 – Omaha, NE – Centurylink Center
March 09 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
March 10 – Moline, IL – Taxslayer Center
March 12 – Louisville, KY – KFC! Yum Center
March 13 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
March 16 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
March 19 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
March 20 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
March 22 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Coliseum
March 23 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun
March 26 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
March 27 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
March 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
March 30 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
April 02 – Quebec, QC – Centre Videotron
April 03 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
April 06 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
April 07 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
April 09 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
April 11 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
April 12 – Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
April 13 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Arena

May 27 – Leipzig, DE – Leipziger Messe
May 29 – Vienna, AT – Stadthalle
May 31 – Munich, DE – Konigsplatz
June 02 – Essen, DE – Georg Meiches Stadium
June 04 – Berlin, DE – Waldbuhne
June 05 – Hannover, DE – Exo-plaza
June 07 – Norje, SE – Sweden Rock Festival
June 11 – St. Petersburg, RU – Ice Arena
June 13 – Moscow, RU – Dinamon Stadium
June 16 – Keiv, UA – NSA Stadum
June 18 – Krakow, PL – Tauron Arena
June 25 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
June 27 – Oslo, NO – Tons of Rock
June 28 – Trondheim, NO – Trondheim Rocks
July 02 – Milan, IT – Ippodromo Snai San Siro
July 04 – Zurich, CH – Hallenstadion
July 06 – Iffezheim, DE – Reenbahn
July 09 – Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Arena
July 11 – London, UK – O2 Arena
July 12 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena
July 14 – Newcastle, UK – Newcastle Arena
July 16 – Glasgow, UK – SSE Hydro

Chicago Open Air 2017 lineup unleashed

The lineup for the second annual Chicago Open Air has been unveiled and it looks like rockers and metal heads alike will be stoked. On Tuesday (Jan. 17), festival organizers unveiled the lengthy list of  artists set to hit Chicago in mid-July. KISS, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Anthrax, Korn, Godsmack, Seether, Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Stone Sour, and Lamb of God are some of the over 40 performers scheduled to take over Toyota Park.

“Walking through the site last year, I saw people from all over the world. Different ages, different races – people celebrating rock culture. When curating the 2017 version of Chicago Open Air, we wanted to find that balance for everyone who attends the festival. From iconic artists like Ozzy, KISS, Korn and Slayer to Rob Zombie, Godsmack and Stone Sour to Amon Amarth, Meshuggah and Behemoth. If you are a rock fan, this is a must see experience,” said Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents.

In addition to the rocking music, Chicago Open Air will also feature craft beer, the Gourmet Man Food festival, as well as several parties and experiences.

Chicago Open Air will return to this home of Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL, just outside Chicago, during the weekend of July 14-16. Tickets for the music festival will go on sale beginning this Friday, Jan. 20. At that time, there will be four different options to choose from. The three-day general admission field pass that will cost you around $209.50. the three-day general admission bowl pass will cost around $119.50. For those not sure if they want to go one day or all three days, single day passes will cost $50. If you want to experience the music festival and not to worried about prices, there will be a three-day VIP pass that starts at $425.00. For more information about passes or the artists, head on over to the music festival’s website.

For now, the daily list of artists can be seen below so you can begin to pan accordingly.

Friday, July 14: KISS, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Anthrax, Meshuggah, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Falling In Reverse, Vimic, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Crobot, Code Orange, Hell or Highwater, Failure Anthem

Saturday, July 15: Korn, Godsmack, Seether, Clutch, Steel Panther, Body Count, Avatar, Mushroomhead, Metal Church, Pig Destroyer, Dragonforce, Cane Hill, Night Verses, Black Map

Sunday, July 16: Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Stone Sour, Lamb Of God, Amon Amarth, Behemoth, Hellyeah, Demon Hunter, DevilDriver, KYNG, Norma Jean, Whores., DED

Download Festival Add 23 Artists to Line-Up

It’s been a little over two months since England’s Download festival has announced the acts to be taking the stage at the annual summer festival.

Now, after their dry spell or maybe they were trying to build suspense, festival organizers have unveil a total of 23 new artists who will be making their way to Donington Park in June.

Joining previously announced acts like Muse, KISS, Mötley Crüe, Marilyn Manson, and Faith No More will be: Andrew W.K., In Flames, Testament, We Are Harlot, newly reunited L7, and many more. Check out the full list of the newest additions below.

2015 DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL UPDATED LINE-UP:

Slipknot
Muse
KISS
Judas Priest
Five Finger Death Punch
Faith No More
A Day to Remember
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
Black Stone Cherry
Marilyn Manson
Enter Shikari

Andrew W.K.
In Flames
Testament
We Are Harlot
L7
Hellyeah
All That Remains
Fearless Vampire Killers
Ace Frehley
Tremonti
Black Star Riders
Thunder
The Ghost Inside
King 810
Defeater
Chelsea Grin
Evil Scarecrow
Bombus
Gnarwolves
Hands Like Houses
Stray From the Path
Creeper
Blood Youth

Download Festival will take place during the weekend of June 12-14, 2015 at Donington Park in England. Tickets for the event are currently on sale.

Download Festival Unveil More Acts

The year hasn’t even ended yet, but Download Festival is already well underway with the unveiling the performers for next Summer’s event.

Previously, acts like Slipknot and A Day to Remember had been confirmed to take the stage during the weekend-long festival. Today, festival organizers have revealed a couple of more names that will head out to England to perform.

Muse, KISS, Mötley Crüe, Marilyn Manson, and Faith No More are the names that were added to the continuously growing line-up.

Muse will headline the event on Saturday night for the first time ever. Considering that the group have been around for almost 20 years, played stadiums, and call England home, it comes as a surprise that this would be their first time performing at the event.

“We’ve never played the festival before so it’s going to be really special,” the band said in a joint statement about their addition to the line up. Fittingly, the band’s upcoming new album will reportedly be released around the time of Download, at least according to frontman Matt Bellamy.

Also joining the line-up will be Faith No More. The last time they performed at Download was back in 2009, but this time will be different because they will be releasing a new album; their first in 18 years.

“The last time we played Download, the focus was on bringing back the past; now it’s all about the present and the future. Where it should be.”

Marilyn Manson has also been added to the growing list, but unlike his previous times at the festival, the shock rocker will be headlining the second stage rather than playing the main stage as a supporting act.

The final new addition to the line up will be Mötley Crüe who are currently in the middle of their “good-bye tour.” According to The Guardian, their appearance at Download will mark their last ever festival performance at a rock event before they officially call it a day on the band.

Download Festival will take place during the weekend of June 12-14, 2015 at Donington Park in England. Tickets for the event will go on sale beginning at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Nov. 20).

Fashion Rocks Special Announce Performers

Fashion Rocks will be returning this year and they will be bringing along with them one of fashion’s most read magazines as a sponsor, InStyle.

Fashion Rocks which celebrates the combination of fashion and of course music announced today the line-up for their event that will be taking place in September.

The acts already confirmed for the live, two-hour programs will include Miranda Lambert, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora, Usher, newcomers Nico & Vinz, Afrojack, and The Band Perry. Two major surprises on the list are two groups that personified the crazy fashion spectrums of the 80’s; KISS and Duran Duran.

The show will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday, September 9 with Ryan Seacrest taking the position, of what else, host of the TV special.

“Fashion Rocks is the only show that celebrates the inextricable link between fashion and music, a relationship that is more relevant today than ever before,” executive producer Richard Beckman said in a statement.

“For the first time, we’ll air the event live during Fashion Week from Barclays Center. It will be a spectacular affair, featuring some of the world’s most talented musicians as well as today’s hottest fashions.”

Tickets for the event go up on sale beginning August 1, though Amex pre-sales begin on July 28. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster through Barclays Center’s website or Ticketmaster’s site.

KISS and Def Leppard to Co-Headline Summer Tour

The day isn’t even half over and another set of iconic bands have announced that they will be heading out on tour together. This time though, the set of bands are from another decade, the 80s.

This afternoon, KISS and Def Leppard have announced that they will be going on a massive Summer Tour. The tour which has been named the “2014 Heroes” tour is slated to begin on June 23 in West Valley City, UT and stop in more than 40 cities. The summer tour will then wrap up on Aug. 31 in Houston, TX. Tickets will go on sale this Friday and a dollar from each ticket sold on the tour will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Like many bands announcing major tours this year, both 80s bands held a press conference at the House of Blues in Los Angeles where it was revealed that the tour had been though of a few years ago when they had gone on tour together in South America.

KISS guitarist Paul Stanley said during the conference it was just a natural fit to have both of them on the same bill. It wasn’t the fist time they had performed on the same stage, so why not just make a tour of it.

This Summer will also mark a big anniversary for the make-up wearing band; it’s their 40th anniversary of their first album, Hotter Than Hell. In honor of that, they will release a slew of archival releases, including a 34-LP vinyl box set and a two-CD compilation called KISS 40.

But for those worrying that one band will outranks another, Def Leppard frontman, Joe Elliot said that both bands will play the same amount of time.

Looks like the Summer of 2014 is going to be one for the books in the form of awesome tours.

2014 HEROES TOUR feat KISS and DEF LEPPARD:

June 23, 2014-West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater

June 25, 2014-Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center

June 27, 2014-Ridgefield, WA @Sleep Country Amphitheater

June 29, 2014-Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre

July 2, 2014-Concord, CA @Sleep Train Pavilion

July 3, 2014– Wheatland, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater

July 5, 2014-Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

July 6, 2014-Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre

July 8, 2014-Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum

July 9, 2014-Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion

July 12, 2014-Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheatre

July 13, 2014-Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Paviliion

July 15, 2014-Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center

July 16, 2014-Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena

July 18, 2014-Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood

July 19, 2014-Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion

July 20, 2014-Raleigh, NC @ Walnut Creek Amphitheater

July 22, 2014-West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre

July 23, 2014-Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater

July 25, 2014-Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

July 26, 2014-Holmdel, NJ@PNC BankArtsCenter

August 1, 2014-Mansfield, MA @ XfinityCenter

August 2, 2014-Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall

August 3, 2014-Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna BankCenter

August 5, 2014-Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center

August 6, 2014-Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

August 8, 2014-Virginia Beach, VA @ Farm Bureau Live

August 9, 2014-Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion

August 10, 2014-Hartford, CT @ The Xfinity Theater

August 12, 2014-Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

August 13, 2014-Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing ArtsCenter

August 15, 2014-East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theater

August 16, 2014-Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

August 17, 2014-Minneapolis, MN @ Target Centre

August 20, 2014-Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena

August 22, 2014-Noblesville, IN @ Klipsch Music Center

August 23, 2014-Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre

August 24, 2014-Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion

August 26, 2014-Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center

August 28, 2014-Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

August 29, 2014-Tulsa, OK @ BOKCenter

August 31, 2014-Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced today those lucky nominees for the class of 2014. This year’s list includes Hall and Oates, Nirvana, The Replacements, KISS, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, LL Cool J, N.W.A, Link Wray, the Meters, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, Yes and the Zombies.

The lucky nominees that get the most votes by the end of the voting period will get the honors of being inducted into the hall of fame. For the second year, the public has been given the chance to also vote alongside artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body.

For those that would like to have their voices heard and vote for their favorite nominees, Rolling Stone’s website is currently playing host for the public. According to Rolling Stone, “the top five acts will comprise a “fan’s ballot” that will count as one of the more than 600 ballots that determine the Class of 2014.” Fans have until December 10 to get their vote included in those ballots.

To be eligible for this year’s ballot, those that ended up on the bill had to have released their first single or album in 1988 or earlier than that. If some of the nominees look like they have been nominated once before, many of them have had the honor bestowed on them before.

While some may have seen the ballots once before, some of the nominees such as Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, the Replacements, Linda Ronstadt, Link Wray, Cat Stevens, Yes and the Zombies are getting their names on the ballots for the first time. For those the feel like arguing about Peter Gabriel then yes, he was inducted in 2009 as a member of Genesis.

On a side note, Nirvana is the only act this year to land on the ballot during their first year of eligibility. Their cover of “Love Buzz” by Shocking Blue was their first single, hitting stores in late 1988.