“We try to listen to our fans and they’ve been saying for years that we should play at Rock on the Range,” said Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. “We’re really excited to play one of America’s great rock festivals.”

Corey Taylor of Slipknot says, “Being asked to headline Rock on the Range is an absolute pleasure! Columbus, Ohio has always been very good to us. The line-up looks great; the shows look fantastic. And I personally think it will be an absolute blast for everyone. See you in May!”

Presented by Right Arm Entertainment, Crew Stadium and AEG LIVE, the two-day, multi-stage music festival and lifestyle event will feature a potent line-up of more than 35 of the world’s leading bands. This year’s well-rounded mix of rock’s top artists also includes The Used, Buckcherry, Shinedown Atreyu, Chevelle, Flyleaf, Saving Abel, Saliva, Blue October, Hoobastank, Black Stone Cherry, and many more.

This marks the third outing for the annual event, which has drawn more than 85,000 people over the last two years. The rock festival features include the addition of a 3rd stage, the Jägermeister Music Stage, on-stage fan platforms — for Rock on the Range contest winners — and an expanded vendor village.

In 2009, Rock on the Range will also further increase their “Go Green” initiative via Rock on the Range “Go Green,” an online portal that allows fans to recycle old cell phones and mp3 players for free tickets and Rock on the Range memorabilia and official music festival merchandise. Rock on the Range is the first music festival to have an web-based recycling trade-in rewards component. More information can be found at Rock on the Range Go Green Website.

Tickets for Rock on the Range, as well as VIP Packages that include music festival tickets, hotel accommodations and music festival merchandise, go on sale Saturday, February 21 at 10:00 AM (ET) via www.RockOnTheRange.com and www.ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets and at the Crew Stadium box office. Two-day music festival packages will start as low as $99.50.

Rock on the Range: Streaming LIVE

In 2009, Rock on the Range will also be streaming the Festival live via www.SyncLive.com.  Also, by request we’ll be offering an embedded player that can be added to your MySpace, blog or website.

For up-to-the-minute info on Rock on the Range 2009, visit www.RockOnTheRange.com or www.myspace.com/rockontherange.

Rock on the Range: Where Rock Lives!

This Year’s Rock on the Range Festival Lineup (Subject To Change):

• Mötley Crüe
• Slipknot
• Alice In Chains
• Avenged Sevenfold
• Korn
• Buckcherry
• Shinedown
• Chevelle
• Flyleaf
• Saliva
• Saving Abel
• Blue October
• Hoobastank
• Atreyu
• Black Stone Cherry
• Trapt
• Static X
• Sick Puppies
• The Used
• Billy Talent
• All That Remains
• Crooked X
• Pop
• State Of Shock
• Cavo Framing Hanley
• Adelita’S Way
• Burn Halo
• The Leo Project
• Halestorm
• X Factor 1
• Charm City Devils
• Drive A
• Early Pearl

1. South By Southwest (SXSW)- This one is kind of the Granddaddy of them all. Each year SXSW takes place in downtown Austin, Tx and this year has over 80 stages and over 1800 acts performing from all genres. You shouldn’t miss this one and the registration begins for the music part on March 17th and the festival goes all the way through the 22nd. You can check out the artists schedule and more info at their website http://sxsw.com.

2. Summerfest- This festival in Milwaukee, WI claims to be the worlds largest music festival. It is situated along 75 miles of the Lake Michigan Shores. It’s a beautiful setting and they already have George Strait headlining for this year and has Julianne Hough and Blake Shelton opening for him. I love the midwest in the summer and they will have an awesome lineup! The festival runs from June 25th to July 5th of this year and to learn more about the festival go to www.summerfest.com

3. North by Northeast- Is a festival set in Toronto, Canada that dedicates itself to new and upcoming artists of all genres. If you haven’t been to Toronto, this is a great reason to get there. One of my personal favorite cities in the world, Toronto has great culture, food, and music. This year’s event will take place from June 17th to June 21st and will feature over 500 bands and 50 clubs in a 5 day stretch. This is different than a lot of festivals as many of the participating clubs are spread out and it requires a walk. Bring your walking shoes and allow yourself plenty of time to get to your next venue. Check it out at http://www.nxne.com.

A site that serves as a good resource for these festivals and others in the US and Canada is: www.festivalfinder.com