Blazefest 2016 returns with rockin’ lineup at Rotary Amphitheater

Here’s something for rock fans to look forward to this spring: Blazefest 2016.

The annual music festival, sponsored by radio station 105.1 the Blaze, returns to the Rotary Amphitheater at Woodward Park on Thursday, April 21, with rock heavies Volbeat, plus up-and-comers Red Sun Rising, Black Stone Cherry and Monster Truck.

Tickets for the festival go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, March 4, at the station (1110 E. Olive Ave.) or online (www.1051theblaze.com). The first 1,000 tickets cost $25, plus fees. Prices will rise once those first tickets are sold.

The Danish band Volbeat play a rockabilly-tinged classic rock with contemporary metal leanings. The band’s song “Room 24” was nominated for a Grammy for best metal performance in 2014. The band lost to Black Sabbath.

Red Sun Rising was just in town in November, playing the opening slot for Godsmack at the Saroyan Theatre. The band was riding high at the time with its single, “The Otherside,” No. 2 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart. It also was on top of Mediabase’s active rock airplay chart, alongside bands like Breaking Benjamin, Pop Evil, Chris Cornell and Shinedown.

Kentucky rock band Black Stone Cherry will be playing the festival in support of its fifth studio album. Named for the band’s home state, the album is slated for release April 1. A video for “In Our Dreams,” the first track from the album, was released this month.

Monster Truck is a Canadian four-piece band that plays gritty, riff-laden throwback rock (with nods to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple). The band was picked for an opening gig with Slash on his North American tour in 2012.

Last year’s Blazefest featured Three Days Grace, Pop Evil and Stars in Stereo.

This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Blazefest 2016 returns with rockin’ lineup at Rotary Amphitheater."