There's a new festival coming to a town near you... assuming you live somewhere near the rural confines of Pryor, Oklahoma (population 8,659). The tiny town may not be known for its rock 'n' roll history, but it's about to get a big ol' dose of metal mania. A spandex-clad, eyeliner-wearin', grunge-resenting dose. That's right - Pryor is about to play host to
Rocklahoma.
This is the festival's inaugural year, but the lineup pretty much explains what Rocklahoma is all about. Bands like Quiet Riot, Poison, Winger, Dokken, Warrant, Slaughter, Slaughter, Steelheart, and Ratt are dotting the bill, which looks like something from an '80s time capsule.
Rolling Stone recently reported on the concert, noting that "its calling card seems to be bands that many of us haven't listened to (in public) since the early 90s."
The event can hold up to 50,000 metalheads/attendees, and tickets are currently on sale for the
July 13th-15th dates. If you get 'em now, they're
$30 for a single day,
$70 for the whole package. After April 9th, however, you'll have to shell out a bit more cash to catch Vince Neil's solo act and Great White's pyro-free stageshow. Keep in mind that this is the same weekend as Pitchfork's festival, even though the typical audience of one of these hair-metal acts probably wouldn't be caught dead listening to a Cat Power album.
BONUS: Rocklahoma will feature the largest single stage in all of Oklahoma and Texas. Oh boy! Maybe Mr. Neil can do some jogging to work off his post-Motley Crue chubbiness.
