Twisted Sister, Ace Frehley, Overkill Lead 2016 Rock Carnival Lineup
The second annual Rock Carnival is set to descend on Lakewood, N.J., this fall. The three-day festival will pack the best classic rock and metal acts from all levels, internationally down to local talent from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2. Leading the first wave of bands are Twisted Sister, Ace Frehley and Overkill.
This will mark Twisted Sister's final New York City area performance as they wind down their '40 & F--k It' tour, after which the band will retire from the road. Founding guitarist Jay Jay French exclaimed, "As 2016 marks the end of our live performing career, Twisted Sister is looking forward to returning to the tri-state NYC area for the final time to the Rock Carnival at First Energy Park in Lakewood, N.J., on Oct 1, 2016. In celebrating our 40th anniversary and our farewell to live performing, we are bringing our '40 & F--k It' worldwide farewell tour one last time to the area that created us!
Ace Frehley will be promoting his newest album, Origins, Vol. 1, which features covers and a guest vocal from former KISS bandmate Paul Stanley. Overkill are expected to release a new record this year and will be sharing the stage with a wealth of other acts, including Monster Magnet, Fuel, Cinderella's Tom Keifer, Dokken, Texas Hippie Coalition, Doro, Four By Fate, Killcode, Jester, American Angel with more announcements still to be made.
"This year's lineup far exceeds our expectations," said Rock Carnival producer John D'Esposito. "The incredible new layout, amenities and resources are sure to enhance the Carnival experience for our fans and their families." In addition to an unstoppable lineup, the festival will also boast carnival rides, more than 50 food trucks, GCW professional wrestling, craft and beer gardens and, yes, high stakes pig racing.
Tickets will go on sale Friday, May 13, at 12PM ET for three-day general admission and reserved seat weekend packages. Skybox, reserved seats, daily general admission and VIP experiences will be on sale June 7. For more ticket information, click here.
In our interview with Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, he discussed the early days of the band and their stranglehold on the live scene in the tri-state area. "If you’re from the Northeast, there’s a reverence and understanding of the importance of Twisted Sister," he said. "That’s why you’ll see bands like Cinderella and Bon Jovi, Kix and Poison, Anthrax and Overkill. When they talk about Twisted, it’s like they’re talking about somebody that’s in their band. The bands I mentioned, growing up in the Northeast, they were aware of the Twisted presence and the Twisted influence over these bands. So many of them would get in line with thousands of others to see Twisted Sister in a bar or a club, packed to the rafters to see this band."
Following the death of drummer A.J. Pero, Twisted Sister made the decision to perform for one last tour before calling it a day. Mike Portnoy will be filling in as the band's stickman.
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