A Bigger, Louder RockFest

The Hard Rock RockFest takes a huge step up this year with a lineup of major stars and a bevy of amenities for the fans. The July 22 concert at Chicago Motor Speedway will feature full sets from Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Kid Rock, The Tragically Hip, Third Eye Blind, Barenaked Ladies, Veruca Salt, Tonic, Guster, Vertical Horizon, and Nine Days.

The crowd at the 1999 festival at Atlanta Motor Speedway exceeded 127,000 and this year’s event could top that number.

“We’ve stepped it up a notch,” said Chris Tomasso of Hard Rock Productions, one of the fest’s producers. “Our goal is to make this a premier annual event. Last year’s show really put us on the map and this year should solidify the strength of RockFest.

The all-day concert is put together by Hard Rock Productions and TBA Entertainment, both of which have been working hard to become major players in producing and promoting live events.

During the past year, TBA has made its presence felt by purchasing a number of live entertainment companies. Hard Rock has been proving it’s more than a glitzy chain of hamburger joints by promoting its concert venues in Orlando and Mexico City.

The Atlanta RockFest was the first major event Hard Rock Productions had done and it went very well, despite triple-digit heat and high humidity. There were no big arena headliners on the bill but tickets were a steal at $28.50.

Hard Rock RockFest 2000 is a different story. The names are bigger, as is the $65 ticket price. “If you look at other shows, we’re still a good value,” Tomasso said. We’re going the extra mile to make this a great experience for the fans. We want to give people the best show possible and that costs money, but we’re not out to take advantage of the audience in any way. We want everyone to leave knowing they got their money’s worth and more.”

RockFest organizers have come up with several ways to make the show what industry insiders call a “value-added” experience. Concert-goers will have access to reduced-price public transit to and from the festival, free parking-lot shuttle, free water sites and free long distance phone calls.

The festival site will also include misting tents, an enormous waterslide, full-scale Olympic beach volley ball, food and merchandise vendors, a Hard Rock Cafe and loads of activities.

“It’s a huge task,” Tomasso said, “but I think it’s going to be about as much fun as you can have in one day.”