MONSTERS OF ROCK - LINE UP (Milton Keynes)

[Steve Price]

***JUNE 3RD 2006 @ MILTON KEYNES BOWL

DEEP PURPLE, ALICE COOPER

+ FULL SUPPORT BILL***

Monsters of Rock, the legendary one-day hard rock festival which was born in 1980 on the crest of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, returns to the UK festival calendar on June 3rd 2006 at Milton Keynes Bowl. Tickets, priced £38.50, are on sale from January 20th from all usual agents, and via credit card on 0870 400 0688. A dedicated coach service hotline has also been set up on 0870 166 0430. www.getLIVE.co.uk.

Monsters Of Rock is synonymous with the very cream of hard rock and heavy metal. Acts such as AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Dio, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Metallica, Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Status Quo, Van Halen, Whitesnake and ZZ Top have all graced the Monsters’ stage over the years.

Monsters Of Rock 2006, promoted by Live Nation, marks the welcome return of the Daddy of all one-day Heavy Metal festivals to the rock music calendar. While hard rock has never gone away, it has to be said that interest in heavy music’s glorious heritage has never been more intense, with new young rock fans eager to check out legendary colourful giants of hard rock and heavy metal such as Deep Purple and Alice Cooper.

Monsters Of Rock will be headlined by hard rock pioneers Deep Purple, currently being lauded for their latest studio album ‘Rapture Of The Deep’. The self-proclaimed ‘heaviest of heavy rock bands’, have also just had their ‘Best Of’ Three-CD set ‘The Platinum Collection’ voted ‘Collection Of The Year’ by the readers of Classic Rock Magazine, who also awarded the band their inaugural ‘Classic Album’ award for 1970’s ‘In Rock’ opus at their debut awards ceremony in October 2005 at London’s Café De Paris. Classic Rock Magazine and Planet Rock Radio are co-promoting / sponsoring Monsters Of Rock. Expect a plethora of mega-hits, from ‘Smoke On The Water’ to ‘Child In Time’ and ‘Black Night’.

Ian Gillan comments that “For Deep Purple to headline the return of the mighty Monsters of Rock Festival in 2006 is somewhat appropriate, as this brings two venerable giants of hard rock together for the first time. I have great memories of playing the Monsters of Rock as a solo artist back in 1982, and am very much looking forward to Deep Purple’s debut appearance.”

Special Guest is Alice Cooper, who has just released his new ‘Dirty Diamonds’ album and sold out a massive UK Arena tour. The opening lines of his official biography on alicecooper.com say it all:-

“30 albums and some of the most famous rock songs ever recorded, you’d think Alice Cooper’s demons would’ve been conquered by now—or maybe locked in a cage and fed undercooked meat. But the man who changed the course of rock music in the ‘70s with bloody guillotines, sparking electric chairs, slimy boa constrictors, and a little blood and eyeliner still has more to slay in 2005. Alice Cooper is master at re-inventing himself, shedding his skin like one of his snakes to become everything from a mascara’d grave robber to a leather-wrapped street hooligan, a film noir detective, insane asylum honor student, and nihilistic dada-ist.”

Additional acts will be added to the line-up of Monsters Of Rock and announced in the next few weeks as they are confirmed.

[shaggy]

just cant wait - you can keep your "Download" (3 day) Festivals and Ozzfest freak shows were music is second to the carnival and freaks that attend. I dont want to go a gig where 90% of the bands wouldnt know a melody if it threw a bottle of pee at them. I can deal with Anthrax and Megadeth but this Nu Metal with a few exceptions is for the most part just a noise (IMHO). Only Monsters Of Rock brought the best of the different elements of rock and metal together on ONE stage. I'd rather go and see 7 top quality bands then a plethora of sub-standard wannabe's who have all jumped on the same genre band wagon and all sound the same and look the same. I remember being dragged to a Cradle Of Filth gig once and it was like being at an Uncle Fester Appreciation Society nite. Casper the friggin ghost would have felt so at home amongst that crowd of Halloween Night rejects. I'm more goth than them anyways - I can poo bats!!

[metalhead]

I've never been a big fan of either of the headliners, so I'm hoping the support acts are more up my street, otherwise I won't bother.

[metalhead]

Found this on the forum at MR.Com

From Dave Ling's website ;
Friday 24th February
So it's finally official... Journey, Queensrÿche, Thunder and Ted Nugent have all been added to the Monsters Of Rock bill on June 3 (with one or two more acts still to be confirmed). Now that's what I call a freakin' festival! Never having seen Journey before, I'll admit that I can barely contain my excitement!

Holy Shit!!!

I'll see you there ;D

[shaggy]

Ted Nugent too? damn I best hide badger if he comes with me. Saw Journey in 2002 in Springfield Illanois and they were fantastic. This looks a very strong line up at present. I'm up for this one. What it needs though is a metal band from the 80s like an Anthrax or Megadeth to keep the balance of genres and provide something for everyone - that's what was special about Monsters Of Rock - it catered for all the rock spectrum. It's a shame Nickleback are doing the Jovi support slot cos they'd really give the show some ballsy stuff.

[metalhead]

shaggy said:

What it needs though is a metal band from the 80s like an Anthrax or Megadeth to keep the balance of genres and provide something for everyone - that's what was special about Monsters Of Rock - it catered for all the rock spectrum.

I couldn't agree more shaggy. I think the reformed Anthrax on the bill would be awesome, although I've heard a strong rumour that Whitesnake will be joining the bill, and rumours that Twisted Sister might be there as well!!

Either way, it's a fantastic line up ;D

[shaggy]

Whitesnake? would they really be happy being so far down the billing? Twisted Sister would just rock major style

[shaggy]

tell ya who I would love to see doing an ourdoor set.... TNT

[ARfm Press Office]

***JOURNEY, THUNDER AND TED NUGENT ADDED TO MONSTERS OF ROCK BILL JUNE 3RD @ MILTON KEYNES NATIONAL BOWL***

Journey, Thunder and Ted Nugent have all been confirmed to play at the Monsters of Rock Festival on June 3rd, prior to Alice Cooper and Deep Purple at the Milton Keynes National Bowl.

JOURNEY, will be performing live in the UK for the first time in 26 years since playing a sold out, packed-to-the-rafters gig at the now defunct 3,000 capacity Rainbow in Finsbury Park on September 22nd 1980. Journey are arguably the biggest AOR (Adult Oriented Rock) band of all time, having scored numerous top ten US singles and sold over 75 million albums since their inception in 1973.

Journey, formed by former Santana guitarist Neil Schon in 1973, were honoured with the 2,275th Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on January 21st, 2005 which will forever be known now as ‘Journey Day’, as declared by Hollywood’s Mayor Johnny Grant. Their latest album, ‘Generations’, was released by Frontiers Records in the UK last August.

“As Journey albums go, this is as heavy as they have sounded in many a year. In fact, not since ‘Frontiers’ have Journey sounded as varied and as heavy as they do on ‘Generations’. It’s also the best album they’ve made since ‘Raised on Radio’ and, as AOR albums go, this is the big one. This is the album of the year and make no mistake. 10/10” wrote Rob Evans in Powerplay Magazine’s September 2005 issue.

THUNDER, one of Britain’s most popular Hard Rock acts, whose blues tinged star has been on the up and up over the last few years, have been confirmed fourth on the bill, sixteen years after they first played Monsters of Rock in 1990. “Am I looking forward to playing at Monsters again? F**k Yeah! Absolutely” says Singer Danny Bowes, continuing “We got a fabulous kick-up when we played Monsters Of Rock in 1990, there was such an incredible collective release of energy and adrenaline when we got on stage. And we are an even better band now!!!”

Thunder have scored 17 top 40 UK chart singles since their ‘Dirty Love’ debut in 1990 on EMI. Thunder’s most recent hit, 'I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll', which charted at 27 in November 2004, was the first to be released by the band themselves on their own label. Thunder’s last studio album, ‘The Magnificent Seventh’, was also the first to be released on their own STC Recordings label, in 2005. They came up with a blinder.

“For their seventh album, Thunder’s pursuit of cool remains the same lazy saunter as ever. Quite patently, this is a band that stopped trying to impress media twats a long time ago. As always, their emphasis remains on well-crafted hooks, good-time lyrics and songs so honest you’d trust them to babysit the kids. Danny Bowes is still a powerhouse vocalist and band lynchpin Luke Morley has delivered arguably his most solid set of songs for years. For honest-to-goodness rock’n’roll played with finesse and balls, Thunder take some beating.” Henry Yates – Classic Rock Magazine March 2005.

TED NUGENT, the larger-than-life survivalist hard rocker, who lists his vital stats as ‘6'3", 180 lbs., hazel eyes, lots of hair, surplus attitude and energy’ on his official tednugent.com site, is making a very rare appearance on the UK live stage. His last, heaving, sold out Astoria gig in June 2002, was his first UK concert for more than a decade.

Ted Nugent, the number one guitar showman extraordinaire, has sold over 30 million albums to date and his 2005 US tour set attendance records at venues nationwide. Former Damn Yankees man Ted is the best selling author of books like ‘God, Guns & Rock-N-Roll’, and ‘Kill It And Grill It’, and is a regular columnist and contributor to over 40 publications.

Ted Nugent has surfed the rollercoaster of rock as a solo artist for over thirty years now. His 19th studio album, ‘Craveman’ was released in 2002; “‘Craveman’ proves the Nuge proves can still churn out likeable, loutish lyrics with unwavering energy and conviction. Ultimately, they're as earthy, powerful, and primal as the macho man who's created them” said Amazon.com. “His fiercest effort in decades, and certainly his heaviest ever. Having realized that any attempt at subtlety or grace would be a waste of his precious hunting time, even "Damned if You Do," which sees him reunited with former Damn Yankees bandmates Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades, is surprisingly ballsy and un-cheesy” wrote artistdirect.com.

Tickets for Monsters of Rock 2006, priced £38.50, are available from all usual agents, and via credit card on 0870 400 0688. A dedicated coach service hotline has also been set up on 0870 166 0430. www.getLIVE.co.uk.

[Steve Price]

Queensryche now confirmed as the latest addition. Not the worlds best kept secret but glad it's all now official