Danville, VA’s Blue Ridge Rock Fest was a festival like no other. It was the largest festival this little Virginia city has ever hosted, it was a lineup, voted on by the fans, for the fans, with nearly 200 bands, and included an exclusive club experience from artists like Lil Jon, Ludacris, and T-Pain (what? a rock festival with a club? okay.)
The festival itself was scheduled to take place Thursday, September 9th through Saturday the 12th with early camping access on Wednesday September 8th for those who decided to stay on grounds through the weekend. With the anticipation of concerts returning since Covid and the festival hosting some of the largest names in rock, fans were ready to make the best of what the weekend had to offer.
Despite having hour long delays getting to and from the festival and staff last minute quitting on Wednesday and Thursday, the festival quickly addressed the issues at hand and festival was able to mostly resolve the fans issues – which included camping, showers, long lines, and shuttle issues. A fan driven Rock Festival.
Thursday held headliners included Breaking Benjamin, A Day To Remember, and Halestorm with support from POD, Tech N9ne, Spiritbox, Slaves, and more. Though Thursday was off to a rocky start due to long waits and parking issues, the performances of the day were exactly what was expected. Friday Rob Zombie, Chevelle, and I Prevail headlined the main stages while Atreyu, D.R.U.G.S., Fever 333, and Sevendust supported throughout the day.
The rest of the weekend seemed to go a lot smoother, whether that’s because all the fans were already inside the event or the promoters got it figured out, we’re not sure. Headlining the rest of the weekend included Megadeth, Seether, Shinedown, Papa Roach with support from artists such as 10 years, Beartooth, Bodycount, Currents, Ice Nine Kills, The HU, Underoath, and dozens more.
photos by Josh Lohrman
As a festival that blew up over night, there are a lot of growing pains for not only the promoters and staff, but for the fans. 2022 date has already been announced despite the hiccups and fan complaints.
We can’t wait for 2022’s Blue Ridge Rock Fest and hope the kinks will be worked out and be better than ever.
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