[Heeplist] Epicenter Concerts

[lethridge@carolina.net .]

ROCKINGHAM — The Epicenter Festival coming to Richmond County in May will be headlined by Foo Fighters, Tool and Korn, the festival’s producer, Danny Wimmer Presents, announced Monday.
The inaugural 3-day festival will include over 65 music acts that will perform from Friday, May 10 to Sunday, May 12, 2019. The festival will be held on the newly created Rockingham Festival Grounds which encompasses the Rockingham Dragway, The Rock Speedway and Entertainment Complex and the property other local land owners, with the primary location being a grassy area connected to the Dragway.
“The creation of the ‘Epicenter of rock n’ roll’ in the heart of North Carolina gives us the ability to expand on the festival experience with enhanced camping amenities, nighttime entertainment with no curfew, and expanded food and beverage offerings, all highlighted by a massive music lineup covering the spectrum of rock, metal and alternative rock music,” said festival producer Danny Wimmer.
DWP has signed long-term deals with each of the landowners that make up the Grounds, with the owner of the Dragway Steve Earwood confirming last week that he has signed a 10-year deal with the festival. It unclear if the other landowners have signed deals for the same timespan. The site of the festival is subject to change based on the development of the Speedway, according to Danny Hayes, CEO of DWP.
The full schedule as of Monday is listed below:
Friday, May 10: Korn, Rob Zombie, The Prodigy, Evanescence, Machine Gun Kelly,
Meshuggah, Skillet, Beartooth, Mark Lanegan Band, Dorothy, Black Pistol Fire, Zeal &
Ardor, Knocked Loose, Slothrust, Wilson, Hands Like Houses, Hyro The Hero, Amigo The
Devil, Arrested Youth, Vein, Black Coffee (and more TBD)
Saturday, May 11: Tool, Judas Priest, The Cult, Bush, Black Label Society, Circa Survive,
Yelawolf, Motionless In White, The Damned Things, Starset, Grandson, Badflower, Memphis
May Fire, Issues, High On Fire, Wage War, Crobot, Sylar, Counterfeit., Pretty Vicious,
Shvpes, Dirty Honey, Alien Weaponry, Hyde
Sunday, May 12: Foo Fighters, Bring Me The Horizon, 311, +Live+, Mastodon, Killswitch
Engage, Architects, Tom Morello, Fever 333, Reignwolf, Yungblud, The Glorious Sons,
Ho99o9, While She Sleeps, Basement, Scarlxrd, Movements, Teenage Wrist, Demob Happy,
Boston Manor, Cleopatrick, The Dirty Nil
General Admission, VIP tickets, and hotel and camping packages for Epicenter go on sale at noon eastern time on Friday, Dec. 14 at https://epicenterfestival.com.
The members of Korn explained in a press release the significance of playing in Richmond County, which brought back memories of the 2012 Carolina Rebellion show where they reunited with former their guitarist, Brian “Head” Welch, seven years after he left the band and became a born-again Christian, according to Loud Wire.
“There are many defining moments that dramatically mark a band’s history, and one such moment in time happened in North Carolina with Korn,” the band said in a press release. “N.C. holds a special place in Korn’s heart, as we unexpectedly reunited with our old friend Head. It’s been a great 6+ years with Head back in Korn and we look forward to rocking N.C. again with Foo Fighters, Tool and many other great bands.”
The festival will also offer a variety of local and regional food and beverage offerings provided by DWP’s affiliate concessionaire, Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC, according to a press release.
The camping area will be connected to the festival grounds and will include access to showers, portable restrooms, food and drink vendors, charging stations, information and medical services, as well as a Thursday night pre-show party.
Campers will also have late night access to Rockingham Village, a stretch of food, drinks, merch-shopping, entertainment, art and activities until 2:00 AM daily. The Rockingham Village will be located immediately in front of the venue, adjacent to the North Premium campgrounds. Camping options will include Premium Spaces on the North Side of the site as well as free options in the South Side campgrounds.
Rockingham Village at Epicenter will be open for extended hours to allow attendees to take advantage of its many offerings before and after the main event. Featured vendors will include festival merchandise, artist merchandise, lockers for rent, lifestyle shopping booths, a full general store, coffee shop, craft beer at Headbangers Beer Bar, Caduceus wine bar, breakfast vendors for campers, as well as late night food served after the main venue closes.
The Village will also have a stage featuring cover bands and Hellzapoppin Circus SideShow performances throughout the weekend.
Danny Wimmer Presents is a co-creator of the Carolina Rebellion music festival which was held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway from 2011 to 2018. Epicenter is replacing Carolina Rebellion.
County Manager Bryan Land said in an email when the festival was announced on Nov. 30 that he is expecting between 90,000 and 100,000 attendees for the event. At the monthly meeting of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Land said the county is projecting the event to bring in nearly $40 million based on figures from Danny Wimmer Presents’ other events.
“I realize folks would like to have NASCAR back (at the Speedway) but NASCAR isn’t what it was back in the 90s and that ship has sailed,” Land said Tuesday. “They left us, so we’ve got to head in a different direction and I think this is a great opportunity.”

By Gavin Stone
Staff Writer