The Decline Of Rocklahoma

It was apparent to anyone who went to Rocklahoma this year that something had gone terribly wrong. The big crowds from the previous two years were no longer there. The fun and excitement over the event seems to have faded as well. The sense of wonder had turned into a “been there done that already” attitude. So what changed?

The first Rocklahoma came out of nowhere. The 80’s have been discredited in just about every imaginable way. That is especially true musically. The 80’s were a lost decade, a decade of disgrace that for 15 years the media managed to contain. The bands from that era were destroyed and buried. The only time you ever heard anything about those bands was if someone was taking a shot at them. If you lived through the decade and were part of the scene it was something you were sure to deny. If you were one of the few who admitted love for music of the 80’s you were deemed an unsophisticated idiot. The media made everyone believe no one listened to glam metal any more. The fest was sure to fail, or so they thought.

The demand for 80’s rock had been so suppressed over the years that the announcement of the fest created an instant outpouring of support. People who had no way of seeing those bands before flocked to Rocklahoma. Fans from all around the world traveled to a field in the middle of nowhere and reclaimed what had been taken from them. At its peak there were around eighteen to twenty thousand people in attendance. That’s not bad for a much-maligned dead genre. I’m sure that there were many who were shocked by the amount of people who actually attended. I wasn’t too surprised.

So why was the first Rocklahoma so successful? The events organizers created a spectacular lineup and the demand was there. The events organizers listened to what the fans wanted and responded. They also brought in more fan participation by doing the JPot contests. Bands who had not been invited to play Rocklahoma were given a shot and the fans decided. When Dirty Penny played they became a bona fide fan favorite. Before Rocklahoma nobody had even heard of those guys.

The event was a huge party. It didn’t matter who you were. At the event you were somebody. If you were there most of the bands were more than happy to sign autographs and take pictures with you. Warrant signed autographs for over an hour. Other bands like Gypsy Pistoleros went out and partied with the fans. Electric was in the air and I believe that most people knew how special it was. Even with the technical issues that arose most people were forgiving. When it counted most they got it right. Dokken, Poison, Twisted Sister, etc flat out killed it. Their performances were spectacular.

Where did Rocklahoma go wrong? By the second year things had become very different. 80’s metal was once again a legitimate genre. Others saw the potential for money and jumped on the bandwagon. The Dakota Rockfest and South Texas Rockfest soon appeared. Later it was Rock The Bayou and an announcement that there would be a new fest the next year called Rock Gone Wild. Rocklahoma kept a solid lineup, but didn’t deliver bigger bands. How could they? They basically got every big band for the first fest.

The South Texas Rockfest planned their fest for the same weekend. That split the fan base. People who would have automatically gone to Rocklahoma now had to decide where they were going to go and many ended up in Texas. Catch The Fever thought they were king of the hill and nothing could topple them. They jacked up the prices and eliminated the general reserved seating. That was a huge mistake. They were left with many unsold seats because of that decision. That really changed the atmosphere of the event. They also added a fifth day way too late in the game and that ticked people off because they had no way of making it. They eliminated fan input by ending their partnership with JPot. They also cracked down on dissent by sanitizing their message boards. If something was said that Catch The Fever didn’t like it magically disappeared.

What they did get right was the side stages, sort of. The first year the side stages were of little use. They were placed in the tents as an afterthought. For the most part the tents were just a place to relax and escape the sun in between sets. The music didn’t really matter. The second year they had much better side stage bands. The bands that played gave people more great music and the main stage more time to setup. Unfortunately, they took the side stages out of the tents the second year. If you wanted to enjoy the music you had to bake in the sun.

Where Catch The Fever really dropped the ball was on improvements to the facility. The first event had problems with rain. When it rained the water had nowhere to go so the place became a swamp. The amount of rain wasn’t horrendous so they got away with it the first year. Potential problems like that one should have been evaluated and fixed after the first event. That didn’t happen and the second year quickly became known as Soaklahoma. It rained heavily the second day and the place became a swamp. By the third day the rain had drained off and we were left with a muddy mess. There were no paths and you couldn’t avoid the mud. Your only options were to risk ruining your shoes or wear no shoes at all.

The attitude they’ve taken with fans may turn out to be their downfall. They went from being very open to suggestions to flat out not caring. If you didn’t like it they basically told you to leave. If the change wasn’t apparent before it certainly was after the storm hit. There was no warning and we were left to find our own safety. It felt like they could really care less about the fans. People were desperately looking for shelter from the pouring rain and strong winds. At first the security guards wouldn’t let non-VIP members into the VIP tent and it was an emergency. Both side stages had collapsed and yet they were still trying to enforce the rule. After that I assume most people were done with Rocklahoma. I didn’t experience the VIP tent debacle firsthand, but all of the other things that had happened to me throughout the fest were cause enough to give up.

Over three days I was drenched, burned, and drenched again. I ruined 2 pairs of shoes and I never got to see the band I wanted to see most (Oney). I left after Lynch Mob played and the worst of the storm passed. When I left that was the end of it. I had no intention of coming back. The VIP parking was a swamp. I’m lucky my car didn’t get stuck. From what I’ve read the VIP section of the grounds were actually worse than general admissions. My leap from general admission to VIP lets me know that it was true about the parking. General admissions were much better.

The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. It took a long time to put the events of the second Rocklahoma behind me. Eventually I let it go. Going back was another story. I had to debate it for a very long time. My love for the music won out. With that being said, if I didn’t live close and if the price of the tickets would have been too high I wouldn’t have gone. I would have just stayed home like everyone else did.

How did Rocklahoma 2009 stack up? Rocklahoma 2009 was a lot of fun despite the weaker lineup. Most of the bands that played were of top quality. Since no one showed up it was easy to get into and out of the place. There was plenty of great parking. You didn’t have to worry about getting there early just to find a decent spot. Since there were three side stage tents finding prime positions up front near the band was usually a piece of cake. It was especially true the earlier in the day you went. It was also relatively easy to get a good seat for the main stage acts. That was even true for the headliners. Surprisingly the weather was relatively calm this year. The worst it got was a few sprinkles during Kix’s set. The only thing you had to worry about was the sun. So despite what you may have heard it wasn’t all bad. About the biggest complaint I have is over the lack of meet and greets. The amount of main stage acts that met with their fans dropped considerably from the previous two years.

The first day was metal day. I watched the first two sets and I found myself incredibly burned. From the second day on I wore a long sleeve button up. I thought Leatherwolf was great. They were pretty close in sound to their releases. Metal Church was only so-so. After they played I stayed out of the sun. I didn’t come back out until the sun was setting. I really wanted to watch Anvil, but I couldn’t because of my condition. I tried to and what I did catch was good. I’m happy they were there because they really deserve success. Probably more so than any other band that was there. Anyway, Saxon was next up. They pleasantly surprised me. They were a great live band. On the other hand the headliner, Anthrax, bored me to tears. The lead singer was dumb as a rock too. Most of the people around me looked entertained so I can’t really say much. I’m not too much on the metal day, but if that’s what people want they should get it.

Over the next three days Rocklahoma went back to the basics. There were plenty of solid performers like Night Ranger, Ratt, Kix, and Stryper. Unfortunately, only a few bands were able to somewhat replicate the magic of previous years. Jackyl and Twisted Sister were phenomenal, but I couldn’t help but think I had already seen it before. I’m not sure how many people paid attention to the side stages. There were many excellent bands that played. Lickity Split, Harlot, and Mad Max were a few of the great bands that played during the day. At night we had Icon, Baton Rouge, and several others.

Some of the additions to Rocklahoma were much needed or added to the Rocklahoma experience. Placing the side stages under tents brought more people in. Fans had an opportunity to escape the sun and hear more music. It was a win win for both parties. The addition of more beers was also a good thing. The first two years it was basically just Miller Lite. I also have to commend Catch The Fever on the Miss Rocklahoma contest. It was of no real value, but it was a nice diversion. In all honesty, didn’t we know who was going to win before they even announced it? If someone else had won I would have been shocked. The contest was purely about looks and Erin had them.

No matter how you spin the fest it’s all about the numbers. Rocklahoma 2009 didn’t have them. I heard at its peak they expected between eight to ten thousand people. That was for Twisted Sister. I’m not sure what they expected for the other headliners. For most of the fest the place was empty. Only about half the VIP seats were filled. I’m not even sure if they sold 1/3rd of the general reserved seats. I know they took out a big section of seats because no one was buying. The general admission attendance was almost non-existent. The first year the place was packed out. The second year attendance ran in the neighborhood of 25% less. By the third year they had to have been running more than 50% behind the first.

I believe there was nothing Catch The Fever could have done to change the outcome of this year’s fest. Weak lineup or not irreparable harm had been caused by the storm and their callous attitude towards the fans. This year’s fest was also faced with a down economy and some people probably stayed home. The people that did have money went to the competition. Once Catch The Fever made it apparent that they didn’t care about their customers they had no reason to come back. Money is too hard to get to be wasting on a company that doesn’t deserve it.

Can Rocklahoma be saved? I’m not sure if anybody can answer that question. It’s really up to Catch The Fever to reclaim past business and bring in new customers. The first thing they should do is offering some sort of apology to those who have been wronged in the past and attempt to make it right. If all they did were explain their side of the story it would do much to end negativity. The second thing they need to do is go all out on the bands. They need big bands to headline the event. If people want to see Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, etc they should do everything in their power to get them. No matter how great the other bands are people aren’t going to pay to see them if they don’t know who they are. That was proven this year. Catch The Fever also needs to bring back fan input. When fans make decisions they take ownership in it. If that power is taken away they no longer have a vested interest. The JPot contests gave people that power. Any band that wanted to play was given an equal shot and the fans decided. Another thing they might want to consider is moving the date of the fest. The July heat is brutal. If the event was held in a cooler part of the year people might be more likely to attend and the event itself would be much more enjoyable.

Those are just a few basic ideas on how to save Rocklahoma. It might be in my naiveté to think they care about any of this. I’m sure these ideas have already been discussed and there are other problems we don’t even know about. The effort it takes to put on Rocklahoma must be immense. Regardless, a debate needs to take place over the future of Rocklahoma and this is as good a place to start as any. Fans need a way to voice their opinion and Catch The Fever needs the ability to respond. If that doesn’t happen these problems won’t be addressed and nothing will ever get resolved.

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Tags: Glam Metal, Hair Metal, music festival, Oklahoma, Rocklahoma