Metal Sludge — This past weekend’s Rocktember music festival in Hinckley Minnesota was a hit as thousands attended.
Fans are taking to social media to express their opinions about who was good, who was great and who was a little out of shape.
The weekend was full of rock and included an array of the usual 80’s suspects, but the gathering also included a few newcomers.
The Grand Casino hosted the annual event on September 10th and 11th 2021.
Friday night was headlined by Christian rockers Skillet and Stryper as direct support.
The first night also included Warrant, Autograph, Riley’s L.A. Guns and the show opener Def Leggend (A tribute to Def Leppard).
Saturday was headlined by Sebastian Bach, with Lit as direct support, preceded by Steven Adler’s Appetite, Kingdom Come, Dangerous Toys, Hurricane and Tora Tora opened the day.
Kix were slated to play the weekend along with BulletBoys, both of whom had pulled out for Covid-19 and personal reasons respectively.
Kingdom Come appeared and slayed the crowd with their Zepplin-esque performance on Saturday afternoon with perfect weather in tow.
Even though a familiar name in 1988 when they appeared on the massive Monster’s Of Rock stadium tour, the band had been in hibernation for the better part of the last 30 years and only recently reunited in 2018 to play shows.
However do to Covid-19 the band’s plans for 2020 and much of 2021 were hindered from the outbreak.
The 5-piece now features Keith St. John on lead vocals along with all 4 of the other classic era members Danny Stag (lead guitar) Rick Steier (rhythm guitar), Johnny B. Frank (bass) and James Kottack on drums.
A few of the surprises from the weekend were Skillet who headlined Friday night and Lit who supported Bach on Saturday.
Skillet was Friday’s closer with Stryper in support and it appears that they may have hit it off together.
So much so, that Michael Sweet asked fans if his band should tour with Skillet via his official Twitter: “Should Skillet & Stryper tour together? If this post breaks records with comments and shares then I’ll take that as a yes. ;-)”
Another event surprise was the addition of Lit.
Many know Lit as the mid 1990’s pop-rock group from their mega hit “My Own Worst Enemy” from their double platinum “Place In The Sun” release, but the band is a product of the Sunset Strip, who in their younger years were all long haired glam rockers and went by the name Razzle.
It’s apparent in their performance they come from an old skool 80’s rock background, including their traditional end of set pyramid (ala Scorpions) that they have ended their show with for decades.
Without a doubt – sans their younger years long hair – it’s safe to say that Lit went over great as thousands sang along to their mega hit that ended their set.
The annual event is unique from many others as it is located adjacent to a casino and hotel, along with having camping facilities walking distance from both the casino and outdoor stage.
By the looks of the live videos on social media it appears Rocktember was well attended with large crowds of several thousand both Friday and Saturday.
Look for more photos, reviews, updates and news from Rocktember’s social media platforms noted below.
Rocktember @ WebSite – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube
