Staind, Collective Soul, Lifehouse, Kid Rock, Alice in Chains — the perfect mix for a supreme rock-n-roll cocktail. Serve with a side of extreme sports excitement and you”ve got one insane BoardStock party!
BoardStock XI at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, Aug. 17-20, incorporated a hard-hitting, speaker-shaking line-up of musical madness thanks to the strategic planning of Konocti Presents … President/General Manager/Promoter Greg Bennett.
Once again BoardStock on Clear Lake proved to be a blast with a mad mix of music following the daily schedules of extreme sports events. Bennett landed some of rock-n-roll”s biggest names for this year”s four-day event.
Bennett”s careful planning in the music department has heightened the BoardStock experience, giving it the kick it had missed in the past. BoardStock founder Rob Stimmel finds Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa to be a perfect venue for the annual, multi-sport event. With Konocti Harbor”s music accommodations, promoters have been given the opportunity to enhance the musical entertainment of the event.
The incorporation of extreme music has brought into reality Stimmel”s original concept of BoardStock. “Music, that was always a part of our dream,” the founder said, adding that venue limitations had restricted the extent to which music had been included in past events.
With BoardStock at Konocti Harbor, the sky”s the limit when it comes to music — and Bennett snagged some of the brightest stars to headline this year”s ensemble.
BoardStock Eve kicked-off the four-day event with Staind in the Konocti Field Amphitheater on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Back for their second BoardStock appearance at Konocti, Staind set the tone for the days to come with an adrenaline performance that prepared fans for the insane ride that would continue through Sunday, Aug. 20.
A radical light show accompanied Staind”s stage presence. With rainbow hues of neon light reflected upon his face, frontman Aaron Lewis once again won over Konocti Field fans with his charming smile and personal connection with the audience. After fulfilling a set list packed with chart-topping favorites that had the crowd on its feet and ready to party, Lewis graciously thanked the audience for the privilege of having played for them. Lewis was later spotted in the Waterfront Nightclub where he joined fans in the BoardStock XI celebration.
On Thursday evening, Collective Soul and Lifehouse headed-up the concert showcase. Collective Soul delivered a wild, energetic performance that stimulated more crowd chaos than typically expected from an opening act. Followed by the poetic calm of Lifehouse”s performance, many in attendance felt that Collective Soul should have played second.
There was no question as to who the headliner was on Friday night. Kid Rock”s performance was nothing less than what was expected from the bad boy rock/rapper. Simply put, Kid Rock at Konocti Field Amphitheater was off the hook!
“Straight out of Detroit” as he said during a Q&A session in which he answered with his turntable talents, Kid Rock fueled a party that spread like wildfire throughout the venue. The flood of people that braved the crowded chaos jumped and swayed in time with the music as Kid Rock matched the energy projected from the field with his own unbounded fervor. At the end, those who stuck around caught a glimpse of Pamela Anderson, who came out and gave her new husband a kiss after his Kid rockin” performance.
Grunge, heavy metal legend Alice in Chains wrapped-up BoardStock XI with its Sunday, Aug. 20 performance at Konocti. In the early 90s the Seattle music scene exploded with a new style of heavy metal music known as grunge. At the forefront was Alice in Chains. After paving the way and enjoying the success of three albums, tragedy struck Alice in Chains when frontman Layne Staley committed suicide. For years AiC fans have waited in limbo anticipating the future of the band.
With guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who wrote and arranged the majority of AiC tunes, entertaining a solo career; Mike Inez, who was AiC”s second bassist, lending his talents to other legendary acts such as Heart; and drummer Sean Kinney helping out Cantrell on his solo album, the future AiC seemed to have gone to the grave with Staley. Then in 2005, surviving members resurfaced to play a benefit concert for the Tsunami Disaster.
After much searching, William DuVall has joined AiC as the band”s frontman. Fans have been leery of the addition as the shadow cast by Staley presents high expectations from anyone who dares to replace him. DuVall, former Comes With The Fall frontman, may be no Staley but he holds his own just fine, giving voice to bone crunching AiC classics resurrected from the archives of grunge history. DuVall”s performance at Konocti Field Amphitheater was humble in that he used every opportunity to spotlight the veteran musicians he shared the stage with. With Cantrell on back-up vocals, fans longing for an AiC performance were satisfied with DuVall”s contributions to the music.
To end the show, Cantrell obliged fans with a quiet moment at centerstage. Although fans bowed before the mastermind musician, Cantrell”s smile was one of humble appreciation rather than one of conceit.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
