Lazerfest

Lazerfest
Location(s) Indianola, Iowa
Years active 2002 - 2003, 2007 - Present
Website Lazerfest 2011

Lazerfest is a music festival held in Indianola, Iowa created by the KAZR radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The festival features currently active rock artists such as Stone Sour, Seether, Three Days Grace, and Avenged Sevenfold. The most recent festival was held Sunday, May 15, 2011 at the Indianola Balloon Grounds in Indianola, Iowa.[1]

Contents

History

The inaugural Lazerfest music festival was held on Sunday, August 18, 2002 at Waterworks Park in Des Moines, Iowa. The show featured a main stage with artists such as P.O.D., Rob Zombie (with an unexpected guest appearance by Zakk Wylde), Stone Sour, Adema, Lostprophets, Van Halen tribute band "The Atomic Punks" and up-and-coming local band Index Case. Originally, Drowning Pool were also scheduled to appear, but just four days before Lazerfest, frontman Dave Williams died unexpectedly. There was also a second stage primarily featuring baby bands and a couple of locals, but headlined by Hatebreed. A relatively unknown Seether were one of the six second stage acts at the original Lazerfest.

The 2nd annual Lazerfest music festival was held on Saturday, July 26, 2003 at the Indianola Balloon Grounds in Indianola, Iowa. Again, a two-stage set-up with Staind, Static-X, Powerman 5000, Adema, RA, Lo-Pro, DoubleDrive and Guns N' Roses tribute band "Night Train" appearing on the main stage. National act Spineshank headlined the second stage, which otherwise featured local Central Iowa-area bands. Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor was the special celebrity emcee of the event.

No Lazerfests were held between the years of 2004 and 2006. During those three years, the only summer festival hosted by Lazer 103.3 was "Waterstock Rock," which primarily featured 80s hard rock and heavy metal bands.

The return of the Lazerfest music festival was held May 16, 2007 at the Indianola Balloon Grounds. It featured seven popular artists performing at the main stage, including Hinder, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Saliva, Fuel, Bullet For My Valentine and Operator. Eight small, less popular artists were featured at the second stage, including National acts Smile Empty Soul and The Exies.

2008 was the first and only year there were two Lazerfests. The first was held on Wednesday, May 21 at Waterworks Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Kid Rock headlined with Theory of a Deadman and Finger Eleven as the opening acts. This is the only example of a Lazerfest being held during the week. Lazerfest "Version 2.0" was held on Saturday, July 5 at the Indianola Balloon Grounds in Indianola, Iowa, and was more of a traditional Lazerfest set-up with a main stage featuring artists such as Stone Temple Pilots, Staind, Hinder, Filter, Five Finger Death Punch and Drowning Pool. A second stage featured a mix of lesser-known National acts and locals.

Attendance continued to grow in 2009, with ten bands featured on one stage at the Indianola Balloon Grounds in Indianola, Iowa on Sunday, May 31, including Korn, Buckcherry, Junk Beer Kidnap Band featuring Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor, Saving Abel, Saliva, Loaded featuring former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Rev Theory, Halestorm, The Veer Union and Des Moines' own Destrophy.

Lazerfest 2010 was the first Lazerfest to sell out the Indianola Balloon Grounds in Indianola, Iowa on Sunday, May 16, selling 25,000 tickets[2] on the strength of the lineup, which was featured on two full-sized stages. On one stage, Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Hellyeah, Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm, Drowning Pool, Violent Soho and local band Mindrite. And on the other, Three Days Grace, Alice Cooper, Seether, Papa Roach, Skillet, Red, New Medicine and local band Dead Horse Trauma.

Lazerfest 2011 took place on Sunday, May 15 at the Indianola Balloon Grounds in Indianola, Iowa. Over 22,000 attended the show, which featured two full-sized stages with acts including Stone Sour, Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, Seether, Theory of a Deadman, Bullet For My Valentine, My Darkest Days, Saliva, Black Label Society, Rev Theory, Art of Dying, Escape the Fate and local band Facecage. Queensryche were scheduled to perform, but missed their connecting flight to Des Moines from Minneapolis earlier that day due to mechanical issues with their plane that resulted in arriving early evening, past their scheduled set time.

Performing acts

2002

P.O.D.
Rob Zombie
Stone Sour
Adema
The Atomic Punks
Lostprophets
Index Case
Hatebreed
Sinch
Seether
Rearview Mirror
Epidemic
River Bottom Nightmare

2003

Staind
Static-X
Powerman 5000
Adema
Nightrain
RA
DoubleDrive
Lo Pro
Index Case
Spineshank
Facecage
On A Pale Horse
Calous
Devil With Cheese
Waiting For The Fall
River Bottom Nightmare

2007

Papa Roach
Saliva
Buckcherry
Operator
Curbstone
Bullet for My Valentine
Hinder
The Exies
Index Case
Facecage
Fuel
Smile Empty Soul
Stereoside
Autovein
Dirty Little Rabbits

[3]

2008

Kid Rock
Theory of a Deadman
Finger Eleven

2008 (Version 2.0)

Stone Temple Pilots
Staind
Hinder
Filter
Five Finger Death Punch
Drowning Pool
Palmerston
Curbstone
Index Case
Facecage
Destrophy
Mindrite
Marcato

[4]

2009

Korn
Buckcherry
Junk Beer Kidnap Band
Saving Abel
Saliva
Duff McKagan's Loaded
Rev Theory
Destrophy
Halestorm
The Veer Union

[5]

2010

Three Days Grace
Godsmack
Rob Zombie
Alice Cooper
Seether
Hellyeah
Five Finger Death Punch
Papa Roach
Red
Skillet
Halestorm
New Medicine
Violent Soho
Drowning Pool
Mindrite
Dead Horse Trauma

[6]

2011

Avenged Sevenfold
Stone Sour
Three Days Grace
Seether
Theory of a Deadman
Saliva
Black Label Society
Bullet For My Valentine
Rev Theory
My Darkest Days
Escape the Fate
Art of Dying
Facecage

[7]

References