Don’t look now but the rock-etship known as Kanrocksas is about to attain lift-off…
Sources say, Kanrocksas is poised to make a partial lineup announcement next week and put phase two of its discounted two day festival passes on sale.
Other than a 12 hour pre-Christmas ticket sale late last month, mum’s been the word for the alternative rock fest slated for June 28th and 29th at the Kansas Speedway.
The bottom line being: This year’s lineup is a major go, organizers say.
“We’ve got solid bands booked for each night, we really do,” says organizer Bill Brandmeyer. “We’re going to do a festival that’s full of bands young people want to see, people 18 to 34.”
Which may explain in part why the rampant rumor that Kanrocksas was going after the Rolling Stones as one of its headliners will not be happening.
“I mean, I thought it would be cool to have the Rolling Stones, but it would also be cool to have Prince,” Brandmeyer says. “But that’s not the kind of festival we’re trying to build this year. And we don’t want to bring in an iconic band. We learned our lesson the last time with Eminem.”
Sources say Kanrocksas shelled out a million bucks for Eminem for its 2011 fest.
“Besides, the number’s not a million dollars for the Rolling Stones, it’s twice that,” Brandmeyer says. “I’d rather have Mumford & Sons but they’re not available for us.”
Speaking of which, Kanrocksas festival-goers will have to wait a while more before more of the acts are announced, but each of the four main stages will have its own headliner, Brandmeyer says.
“We’re going about this in the right way this year,” Brandmeyer adds. “We have a very close knit team including Ground Control out of Sacramento doing the ticketing, onsite credentialing and promotional work. They did Fun Fun Fun festival in Austin which was named Festival of the Year by Consequence of Sound. The Kanrocksas team also includes Director of Festivals and Art Curator and Festival Co-Producer for Coachella Phillip Blaine and local event management company evenergy doing logistics with local and regional pr powerhouse wgpr. wgpr has tasked national music agency MSO with industry outreach that did Coachella, Vans Warped Tour and Budweiser’s Made in America festival this past summer.”
In other words, Kanrocksas is swinging for the fences this summer.
Brandmeyer is also extending an Olive Branch to radio station The Buzz and its Beach Ball this summer at Livestrong (or whatever the soccer stadium is called by then after Lance Armstrong gets through tap dancing with Oprah).
“I’d love to have them as a media partner for Kanrocksas,” Brandmeyer says. “It’s smart business.”
Come one, come all to the PT Barnum kansapalooobus show.
The price? $150 of your hard earned duckets and we won’t even tell you a peep about what bands we have signed yet.
Good luck and goodnight, please make your way quickly towards the great egress suckers.
you don’t know how things work, do you
Can’t wait for this show. Glad we have a festival KC can be proud of – cuz Rockfest ain’t it.
Pfffffft. Rockfest continues to be the king of Kansas City music festivals. And the largest one day music festival in America. Kanrocksas (what a jerkoff name) was a flop and a huge money loser. And will continue to be.
Just because 50 thousand white trash come in from every small, crappy town within 50 miles of KC, doesn’t mean Rockfest is good. It is trashy people and even worse bands.
I am guessing you have never been to Rockfest, why yes, there are a large number of what you would cosnider inferior ‘white trash’ there, you would be amazed at all who are there. Funny how there are now festivals popping up all over the country that are using Rockfest as a model. You might rethink your opinion.
new young readers of kcc..
please excuse the negativity of the old whiners
on kcc.
they are always so negative.
It seems this festival is going to go on a long
time but the old geezers who are on here
are still waiting for 8 tracks to come back.
I apologize for the negative comment made
by the old guys…they just don
t get.
Have fun at the festival.Heres one person who
hopes it is a huge success……….
thanks….
anyone who says rockfest isn’t successful…
very successful is out of their mind.
no matter what the crowd…rockfest is
big time….been to 6 of them…..
“Just because 50 thousand white trash come in from every small, crappy town within 50 miles of KC, doesn’t mean Rockfest is good. It is trashy people and even worse bands.”
Uh, yeah it does. FYI.. a successful music festival isn’t about whether or not YOU like the bands, or what YOU think of the people that attend. What’s succesful is that it sells out EVERY year, and makes a pile of money without ripping anyone off for food and drink. Taste in music is always subjective, and not part of the equation.
Rockfest should be renamed methfest and held in independence…what a joke
Bahaha. I accidentally ended up by martini corner when rockfest was letting out a couple years ago. I almost hit 12 different unfortunate looking people in trench coats.
You guys seriously don’t know what Rockfest is really about. I’m 17 and I’ve gone for 3 years in a row now and not stopping. I have enjoyed the lineup each year and its not “methheads.” They bring a great show which many people attend. I looked at Kanrocksas lineup in 2011 and the only person that I really liked was Eminem. The other bands are pretty much a joke except a couple.
Every year thousands of people go to Rockfest to see the same bands. Let me list them for you since some people are impatient with waiting for a lineup:
Sevendust
Drowning Pool
BuckCherry
Shinedown
Five Finger Death Punch
(probably missing a few)
Why the methfaced rock fans of Kansas City want to keep paying to see the same shit bands three times a year is beyond me, but more power to them.
In regards to Kanrocksas, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella, and every other fest have presale tickets prior to lineup announcements. It’s risky, but you are rewarded for taking the risk by saving money. Hell some people don’t even care about who plays, they are going for the social aspect of the event. I’m sure some people look at Rockfest the same way.
“Why the methfaced rock fans of Kansas City want to keep paying to see the same shit bands three times a year is beyond me.”
Where you get the idea that faithful Rockfest goers pay to attend the event three times a year, when it is an annual event (annual being the word for “ONCE A YEAR”) is also beyond me.
Besides, $30-$50 for 12+ bands and the atmosphere of the show is a pretty inexpensive deal. Nobody is trying to force you to go, so why exactly do you feel the need to bitch about those who do choose to spend their own money on tickets?
Thank you Bill!!!!! Ignore the haters. Do you.
having spent lots of time with some of the biggest concert promoters in the
nation i know the concert promotion business is a very risky business.
congrats to mr. brandmeyer for being the huge risk taker he is. Hopefully
the festival will be very successful and will continue.
We need some people like mr. brandmeyer. He’s an entreprenuer…a
doer…someone with a vision….which we need more of.
Never met him but he seems to be one of those who’s willing to put
his dollars where his heart is.
Fritz…contemporary…fey…fox….plesser….charter….cc….and others
have made great music here in kc….
we need more of this music promoters…live music in kc would die without
them.t
I have seen many many live bands over the years in kc. But i just
saw one in op that was the best i’ve seen for a local group…jacob tucker
band…or tucker jacob band….if therse guys don’t hit it big somethings wrong.
outstanding and waiting to take off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! great young talent….singers are
great….hopefully they break out ofthe kc mold….
I’m totally insincere and please allow me to say, you are a genius, Harley.
thanks tom. If you are interested in other pieces i have email
us at law4life1000@yahoo.com.
have a great day.
Harley, you’re so effing stupid you couldn’t even read my remark in context. But, being quick on the trigger of self engrandizement and self praise you don’t decode meanings well. You’re so hungry to look relevant but repeat the same worn out drivel over and over. Thank God for Google, without it you couldn’t comment on the weather.
thomas….does “little” refer to your brain..
your c**k…or your personality.
Please stop showing your lack of intelligence
in the freaking world.
The story pertains to local concerts. Not
anything cerebral.
I’ve seen almostv every major act in the world..
traveled to some of the top entertainment
venuesv in u.s./europe. I’ve been involved
thru friends and family in the concert business.
Worked for a large midwestern promoter.
My knowledge of the biz is pretty concrete
and i can say that I’ve lately watched from the
outside how new promoters and new companies
have sprung up to go into the business.
My original comment was to say that bill is
a new breed of promoter. He comes back from
his first year with what should be a big show.
Whoever you are mr. little is just another
wanna be. You attack my comment butbmake
no intelligent comments on your own to refute
what i say.
Simply put mr. little people like you are a dime
a dozen.
If you choose to make comments…have facts
to refute what i say.
I understood your comment clearly. But since
your attempt to attack me was for personal
reasons and the fact that you have nothing
of value to add to the conversation shows you
are not just a loser but more importantly out
of touch.
If you want to discuss the music business on here and keep to the topic i invite you to
show the readers of kcc that you’re more than
a moron.
Til then little man…stfu…..and if you choose to
want to debate me i invite it. I know a lot
more abou this business than you do and
prefer to stay with the topic at hand.
til then little man..little brain…stay in your
hole.
And if you want more information…do as
hundreds of other people have done..
address me at law4life1000@yahoo.com.
thanks.
yes people i am a true jackoff! trust me i am. i knoe him her they us me i etc. i noe everybdy. if anybody wants to talk to me my number is 1-800- jack-off. thnks my followers admirers etc. love harley
Terrible name.
Hearne,
Do you have a policy regarding a kc con writer or writers plagiarising from a document or documents published on a different venue and then placing it here?
Why do you ask?
I had the time of my life at Kanrocksas! Come on A PERFECT CIRCLE played That in itself was a dream come true. To many people! Also the Black Keys were outstanding! Muse was great. I knew nothing about Muse and they really put on a show. Not to mention we danced until 5am in the DJ tents.
Probably not a right fit, but would love to the see the Sound City Players at it.
You are on the right track Bill, it’s going to be great and as always SOOOO much fun!!!!
I will be partially giddy as a partial schoolgirl when that partial lineup is announced next week.
Most of these festivals suck because the bands suck and can’t stand on their own. Most of them couldn’t sell out the Uptown on their own. They don’t have enough songs to attract a large audience and are often boring, faceless, nameless musicians. Seriously, if the guitarists from say Drowning Pool and Sevendust switched bands at Rockfest would anybody even know? No they would not. Pretty sure if Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen switched bands, the crowd would notice.
Jesus man, not every band has EVH or Angus in it.
People need to get over the fact that whether or not you like the music, doesn’t mean a hill of beans. You wouldn’t EVER catch me at a country music festival, but if the sumbitch draws 50,000 people for one day, you can damn well bet I’m going to call it successful. Like just this past year when Kenny Chesney and that other guy played that show at Arrowhead. Not my thing, but the show seemed to be VERY well attended, and people loved the music. Sounds like a success in my book.
Kansucksas.