Bilbao Goes Kobetasonik

Last Tour International is very happy with the new heavy metal fest it started in Bilbao, which attracted 51,000 fans across two days.

Kobetasonik, which is on the same 40,000-capacity Kobeti Mountains park site the company uses for its BBK Live Festival, is the first of the five outdoors that Last Tour will promote this summer.

The Spanish festival market has boomed in recent years, with Last Tour alone setting up five festivals since 2002, but the success of Kobetasonik has left company press officer Itxaso Hernández confident that it has room for the new designated heavy rock bash.

The June 21-22 lineup included KISS, Judas Priest, Apocalyptica, Slayer, Helloween and Europe.

The July 4-6 BBK Live Festival, now in its third year, has The Police, R.E.M., Lenny Kravitz, Morcheeba, The Charlatans, The Prodigy, The Gift, Fancy and The Wombats.

Last Tour’s longest-running festival is Azkena Rock Festival, which was started in 2002 on a 20,000-capacity site at the Mendizabala Park near Vitoria-Gasteiz. It’s scheduled for September 4-6 and the lineup will include Blind Melon, The Sonics, Los Lobos, John Cale & Band, Blue Cheer and Danko Jones.

Santander Summer Festival, which is three years Azkena’s junior and started in 2005, hasn’t confirmed dates but it’s expected to be around its usual mid-August slot in the European festival calendar.