“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
That was the collective first reaction from Idaho Falls magazine staffers after learning about the recently announced Idaho Rockfest, set for Aug. 24-25.
The hype is well warranted according to Ron Heyrend, owner of EKR Entertainment and Productions. The Friday-Saturday extravaganza has a 10-act lineup that should send any rock fan into cartwheels.
Case in point: our very own production department specialist, Jim Donovan. “Ya know, this is huge for me, because I used to be big metalhead,” he told Heyrend earlier this summer.
“I still am,” replied Heyrend. “It keeps me young.”
After a long row of research and relationship-building, the eastern Idaho-based concert promoter is bringing in some humongous talent for a rain-or-shine rock festival at Melaleuca Field. The tentative cap on ticket sales is 8,000.
“We’re talking big names, totaling up to about 200 million in album sales,” Heyrend said.
That figure might sound far-fetched, but not when you consider the tentative roster. Scheduled performances include Dokken, Ratt, Wasp, Great White, Royal Bliss, Lynch Mob, Vince Neil and Sebastian Bach.
“Nowhere in the state have we had a rock festival like this before – especially one right here in Idaho Falls,” Heyrend said. One of the keys to making it happen was lining up band travel schedules. In a fortunate coincidence, Heyrend discovered an almost perfect lineup for touring bands in the fourth weekend of August.
Two-day passes will start at $100 with Friday-only for $35 to $60 and Saturday-only for $35 to $70. For more details check out Idaho Rockfest on Facebook or visit the festival homepage at www.idahorockfest.com.