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Rockfest pumps up its lineup and cleans up its act
from: ottawacitizen.com
by TONY LOFARO, OTTAWA CITIZEN
OTTAWA â€" California punkers Blink 182 and iconic rockers Motley Crue are among the headliners at a revamped and re-ordered Amnesia Rockfest June 20-21 at the Montebello, Quebec Marina.
Other headliners joining the ninth annual edition of what bills itself as the largest music festival in Canada are metal pioneers Megadeth and Primus. grunge band Alice in Chains and the alternative band Weezer. Already announced was punkers NOFX. In all about about 150 bands will shake, rattle and roll the small West Quebec village about two hours east of Ottawa.
After a problem-plagued festival last year that included long lines at the ticket kiosks, delayed bus shuttle service, unsanitary conditions around the portable toilets and debris scattered across the festival site, organizers have moved to clean up the event's image. They entered into a partnership with the Festival d'ete de Quebec which will run all production logistics for the festival. The Festival d'ete de Quebec runs a major event in Quebec City every summer.
Rockfest organizers admit the event got too big last year and that led to unexpected problems.
"I'd say before, it was a great festival but we were not yet in the big leagues. Now the festival matters on a national and international stage," said Mathieu Marcotte, a festival spokesman.
"The festival got really big and how things were organized last year weren't quite up to par for the amount of people we had. All in all it was a positive experience and a learning experience, but every year there are going to be issues and some people are not going to be happy so we have to address those issues."
With headliners last year including Marilyn Manson, Offspring, Alice Cooper, Pennywise and Rancid drew an estimated 160,000 over the two days into a site with only one main entrance and one exit. That proved to be problematic, said Marcotte.
He said there will now be two main entrances and two exits, plus a landing at the Montebello marina where festivalgoers can arrive by boat, creating a better flow of people throughout the festival site. He said more portable toilets will be installed to accommodate the crowd.
Festivalgoers will also see other changes on site including a reconfiguration of the festival grounds, an improved sound system and the addition of LED screens, and a restructuring of the parking lot and bus shuttle system and camp site. The festival is also going to wristbands as a ticketing system and they will be embedded with a chip.
Marcotte said he's pleased that all the logistics are being handled by Festival d'ete de Quebec but it's the festival programming that he's excited about.
"For me it's a much deeper lineup than last year and we have a greater selection. It's going to be crazy fitting that all into two days. I wouldn't say last year's lineup was weaker but there was less things to get excited about as opposed to this year," he said.
Canadian rock band Billy Talent is on the bill, as well as Five Finger Death, Cypress Hill, A Day To Remember, JOAN JETT, Reverend Horton Heat and Fishbone. Other punk and hardcore bands include Cock Sparrer, Black Flag and Fear, some of whom have not appeared in Quebec for more than 20 years, will be at the festival, he said. And groups such as Misfits, Dead Kennedys, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra and Suicidal Tendencies are also booked.
"I'm pretty sure any kid who grew up with punk rock and pop punk is going to be excited about the lineup. And when you talk about metal heads we have Cradle of Filth, Cannibal Corpse and August Burns Red, big names that I didn't think we could get two or three years ago but now it's a possibility," he said.
Some of the pillars of the Quebec alternative music scene will also be there this June, said Marcotte, and some performances will be exclusive reunions. They include Despised Icon, Mononc' Serge & Anonymus, Reset with Pierre Bouvier and Chuck Comeau, bandmembers from Simple Plan, The Sainte Catherines, Exterio, Obliveon, Anonymus and Fifty Nutz.
The festival was also criticized last year for charging small unknown bands a fee to perform. That policy has been dropped and so any bands from the Montreal and Ottawa-Gatineau-area who will perform this year will receive a small fee, said Marcotte. The festival has not yet decided how many local bands it will take on board.
Also back this year is Punk Rock Karaoke in which festivalgoers get a chance to sing their favourite songs onstage with members of NOFX and Bad Religion. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at 6 p.m. and start at $99, plus fees and taxes. VIP Packages will be also be available soon as well as bus tours from selected cities.
For more information visit www.amnesiarockfest.com |
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