Last year’s Sunset Strip Music Festival was incredible in every way for a music fan! Great bands and a great vibe throughout Sunset Strip. Pictured above is 2010 Honorary Slash that I snapped on the outdoor stage during his performance. I have attended a lot of festivals through out the country and as a fan this one is my favorite! It just has a music vibe like no other, and this year looks like it will be no different! Do yourself a favor this year and check out the insanity known as the Sunset Strip Music Festival. -Rob
Organizers for the fourth annual SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL (SSMF) have announced that 2011 Elmer Valentine Award honoree MÖTLEY CRÜE will return to their roots and close the outdoor street festival on Saturday, Aug. 20. As previously announced, MÖTLEY CRÜE will also launch the three-day fest at an Aug. 18 tribute event celebrating their 30-year career. The Aug. 20street festival stages will also feature performances by a range of artists, including BUSH, PUBLIC ENEMY, MATT & KIM, ESCAPE THE FATE, THE DIRTY HEADS, COBRA STARSHIP, SHE WANTS REVENGE, BLACK VEIL BRIDES and TRIBAL SEEDS, as The Sunset Strip is closed to traffic to host a full day of music. Additionally, the all-day street festival will feature performances by VOXHAUL BROADCAST, LETLIVE, DELUKA, KILL THE COMPLEX, THE LOST PATROL and 50 more bands in the venues.
This year’s street festival will include unique “after parties” at venues with DJs FELIX CARTAL, HARVARD BASS, DEATHFACE and BONES performing at the Key Club, and SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS returning to The Roxy Theatre to present their signature rock-meets-art party EMPIRE, featuring special guests.
Each year, West Hollywood’s world-famous Sunset Strip celebrates its rich musical history and influence with theSUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL, a three-day event that features a variety of artists throughout its venues culminating with an open air street festival on its last day. This year’s event takes place Thursday, Aug. 18, Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20.
On Saturday, Aug. 20, Sunset Boulevard will be closed to traffic between Doheny Driveand San Vicente Boulevard and will be transformed into a premier concert destination with outdoor stages, beer gardens, a VIP lounge, food trucks, interactive experiences and live performances within the venues during the day until 1-2 a.m.
A wide range of artists will perform in The Sunset Strip’s venues—House of Blues Sunset Strip, Key Club, The Roxy Theatre, Viper Room and Whisky A Go-Go—throughout all three days of the festival. These include iconic acts such as RAY MANZAREK AND ROBBY KRIEGER OF THE DOORS WITH VOCALIST DAVID BROCK andURIAH HEAP, to emerging talents including DREDG.
The full list of the lineup, with more to be added is:
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18
House of Blues
Tribute to Mötley Crüe
(Limited number of three-day passes, which include entrance.)
Key Club
Uriah Heep, Neon Max, Souljourners, Oh So Wild
Viper Room
The Veronicas, The Tender Box, Run Run Run
Whisky A Go-Go
The Faceless
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19
The Roxy
Buckcherry
Key Club
Dredg
Whisky A Go-Go
Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors with vocalist David Brock, Kathryn Gallagher, Zen Rizing, Whisky A Go-Go Girls
Viper Room
Eli James, Taylor Locke & The Roughs, Lady Sinatra, Purple Melon
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20: STREET FESTIVAL
OUTDOOR STAGES
Mötley Crüe
Bush, Public Enemy, Matt & Kim, Escape The Fate, The Dirty Heads, Cobra Starship, Black Veil Brides, She Wants Revenge, Tribal Seeds
INDOOR STAGES
Key Club
Voxhaul Broadcast, Pigeon John, Deluka, Youngblood Hawke, Indians , Vampires Everywhere!, Kozmonaut, Felix Cartal, Harvard Bass, Deathface, BONES
The Roxy Theatre
Kill The Complex, Queen Caveat, Sabrosa Purr, Letlive, Jordan Cook, Chappo, Imagine Dragons, The Limousines, The Expanders, Warner Drive, Semi Precious Weapons’ Empire with Special Guests
Whisky A Go-Go
Motochrist, London, Demolition, Motorcycle Boy, All Hail The Yeti, Soulbleed, Desecrate, DC4, Dylan Nash, Haunted By Heroes, School of Rock, Blowing Up The Moon, Acidic, The Lost Patrol, Romantic Torture, Whiskey Six, Bolt Action Thrill, Key To Chaos, Electra, Divinity Roxx & special celebrity guests, Whisky A Go-Go Girls, Betty Moon, Black Vinyl, Kokopelli
The three-day festival kicks off with a special tribute to Mötley Crüe at the House of Blues on Thursday, Aug. 18where they will be presented with the Elmer Valentine Award for their contributions to the history of The Sunset Strip. The intimate event will feature special guests and one-of-a-kind performances. In addition to the tribute event, the City of West Hollywood will also recognize Mötley Crüe with a special day in their honor. The festival continues Friday, Aug. 19with a full night of music in the venues. Again this year, the Viper Room will serve as the official media hub during the day of the street festival, with live remotes from 98.7fm and artist interviews. Select Sunset Strip businesses will also host parties, music showcases and gallery exhibits open to the public throughout the week.
Tickets are currently on sale via TicketWeb (www.ticketweb.com/SSMF). General admission August 20 street festival tickets will be available for $55 (advance, online sales), and $70 at the door the day of the event. A limited number ofVIP street festival tickets, which include access to a VIP rooftop lounge and priority access to the venues, will be available for $120 in advance. A very limited number of three-day VIP Passes (which include access to all the venues on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, plus the Aug. 18 tribute to MÖTLEY CRÜE and VIP access to the Aug. 20 street festival) will be available for $250. All tickets for the festival are being sold without additional fees, the price you see is the price you pay. Fans can also purchase tickets directly from their iPhones this year with the Sunset Strip Music Festival app available for free download (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sunset-strip-music-festival/id432757230?mt=8&ls=1).
Last year’s SSMF took place Aug. 26-28, 2010 and was a spectacular success drawing 30,000 people to The Sunset Strip over three days, with 13,000 attendees flocking to the Street Festival on Saturday. Performances included an array of musical icons including The Smashing Pumpkins, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and Fergie, and Common. The day also included performances by Kid Cudi, Travie McCoy, as well as Neon Trees, Steel Panther, Semi Precious Weapons, Saint Motel and Big B. Highlights from SSMF 2010 be seen here: http://vimeo.com/15450477.
SSMF 2011’s proud supporting sponsors include Virgin America, Jack Daniel’s, Gibson Guitar, Bud Light, Los Angeles Hornburg Range Rover and Land Rover on The Sunset Strip, Glaceau Vitaminwater, Mondrian, Musician’s Institute, 98.7fm, TicketWeb, City of West Hollywood, West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau and Clear Channel Outdoor. Street fest/event production provided by Swing House Hollywood. Festival creative provided by Signature Creative.
About 2011 SSMF Honoree Mötley Crüe:
After over 80-million albums sold worldwide, Mötley Crüe returned to the top of the charts in 2008 with Saints of Los Angeles, their first studio album with the original line-up — Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil — in a decade and the ninth studio album in their career. Based on the band’s New York Times bestseller The Dirt, the disc debuted at #1 on the Independent Album chart and was the top debut of the week on the Billboard Top 200 albums at #4. “Saints of Los Angeles,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was also noted as the #1 Rock Song of the Year in 2008 by iTunes critics. Half a million rock fans old and new celebrated Crüe Fest, the top touring rock festival in the summer of 2008, featuring Mötley Crüe, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt. Continuous touring around the world brought the band back to the U.S. for major arena shows and last summer’s Crüe Fest 2, which featured ten bands on two stages as well as treated fans to a show comprised of two separate sets — the complete track listing from the hit album Dr. Feelgood (for the first time ever) followed by the best of the rest. This year, Mötley Crüe set out on a headlining summer tour with support from Poison and special guests New York Dolls. For more information on Mötley Crüe, please visit http://www.motley.com
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