First annual Rockin’ Thunder Festival kicks off in Edmonton

The first annual Rockin’ Thunder festival will kick off at the Edmonton Exhibition Lands Racetrack on Friday, July 11. Big names including Def Leppard, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Stone Temple Pilots, and Weezer will be performing.

The Gateway spoke to Gerry Krochak, one of the organizers with the festival. The group that put Rockin’ Thunder together are also behind Country Thunder. Country Thunder takes place across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Arizona, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Krochak said they saw an opportunity to do a rock and roll festival in Edmonton. “The fans tend to be a lot the same. It’s all about sort of being outside and great music, familiarity, lots of hits, lots of fun,” he said.

He said they booked Def Leppard for Saskatchewan’s festival this year and took a look at Edmonton. “A great rock city, great live music city, and so an opportunity to build a line up around that.”

He said it took “a little bit of  good luck as well as a lot of planning” to get some of the big names at the festival. 

Krochak said the ownership group and talent buyers they work with do “incredible work on our behalf and it’s with a reputation that they have and, and always sort of hooking the biggest and best, that leads to some good opportunities.”

Classic rock vibe for Friday, 90s vibe for Saturday

Krochak said the line-up was meant to be more classic rock on Friday and more 90s rock on the Saturday.

“With a couple of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists in Def Leppard and Joan Jett, but also Bret [Michaels] from Poison and our Canadian friends Toque. And a great band from the 80s and 90s, Queensrÿche, who had a lot of hits and a lot of notoriety at that time as well.”

Weezer and Stone Temple, alongside the Canadian artists the Sam Roberts Band, Trews, and Default will bring more of the 90s vibe to Saturday’s line-up.

Krochak said Dallas Smith from Default is someone they work with a lot on the country side. “He’s an amazing singer. He can sing anything and to bring him back in the Default piece is pretty exciting as well,” he said.

But aside from the big names, there’s also some local and young performers taking part in Rockin’ Thunder. The YEG Rocks! stage will showcase local acts between the Main Stage performances. 

Krochak said it’s a formula that has worked well for them at other festivals to fill the gaps between performances.

He also said they worked with the Edmonton Rock and Roll Society and their Centre for Arts and Music (CAM) program to have some younger acts perform too. CAM bands will open the second stage at 5:00 p.m. both days and a 50/50 will be raising money for the program as well.

He said the city is “pretty electric right now.”

“It’s all about being outside, lots of food and beverages, and having some really iconic bands with several thousand of your new best friends.”