Two big-time concert announcements came down the chute today, representing the broadest of broad spectrums of musical stylings. The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival returns to Riverbend for the fifth straight year on July 24. Metal fans will find this year's Mayhem lineup to be the best yet, with headliners Slipknot and Slayer alone making it one of the bigger concert events of the summer. Others appearing on the tour include As I Lay Dying, Anthrax and High on Fire (the lineup changes along the tour route, so all of those bands might not be on the Cincy show). Official "Get Off Your Ass" pre-sale tickets (Mayhem's name, not mine) go on sale April 6 (click here for details). A "very special guest" addition to the main stage won't be announced until March 5.
My guess is that it isn't Soft Rock superstar Barry Manilow (Kenny G would be a better fit), but Manilowmaniacs will be able to catch Barry at his own concert. On April 20, Manilow performs at Northern Kentucky University's Bank of Kentucky Center. —-Tickets (starting at $34.99 and going up to $124.99, plus fees) go on sale Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. at the Bank of Kentucky Center box office and Ticketmaster outlets (including online here).
Those on a budget, trying to decide between the two shows and thinking, "Well, I'll just go see Slayer, because they're getting older and might whip out a version of 'Mandy,' " you are out of luck. Check out this 2007 interview with Slayer's Kerry King where he talks about why he doesn't even listen to Manilow. Still, if Swedish metallers Woods of Infinity get back together and join the tour, your Metal Manilow dreams could become reality:
