On Sept. 7-8, the Tri-Cities will be hosting the first ever Riverfest, a music festival featuring 44 bands from all over the country.
Ansley Roberts, a local concert promoter, organized the event. “We originally planned it at Boone Lake, at a site over there,” said Roberts. “That’s why it’s called Riverfest, and then we realized nine acres is not going to hold this thing.”
The new location for Riverfest is off Interstate I-81 toward Knoxville, at the Jearoldstown (Exit 44). Once off the exit, just follow the signs for the I-81 Motorsports park.
Riverfest, or the Chainsaw Circus as it will be called in the future, was initially organized for local bands. Roberts, who has been a concert promoter for 14 years, has a trusted reputation in the business.
He has helped bands like Fuel, Everclear and Saliva make a name for themselves in the music world, so when some national bands learned of Roberts plans for Riverfest, they decided to climb aboard.
“Showdown, who is currently on Ozz Fest, is going to be there,” said Roberts. “Hot Action Cop, who was on the ‘American Pie’ soundtrack will be there as well.”
The Breakfast Club, a favorite of Johnson City, as well as Bobaflex, Copper, Vertigo, Ligion and Since October are just a few of the bands playing Riverfest.
With so many bluegrass and country festivals in the region, Roberts knew that a rock festival would explode. “So many rock fans are here, but they didn’t really have a festival to call their own,” said Roberts. “So I thought, man, if we ever really did a rock festival it would be the only one of its kind and we would have no competition . we knew it would be big … it just turned into a beast.”
For any student who couldn’t afford Bonnaroo, try out Riverfest. The music is mostly all rock, and the price of tickets is a lot more affordable than most music festivals out there. If you buy a one-day ticket in advance it will cost you $18, or $20 at the door.
For $35 in advance, or $40 at the door, you can camp at Riverfest on Friday and Saturday night and get to see all 44 bands.
Gates open at 11 a.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. Campers are required to leave by noon on Sunday. Advance tickets can be purchased at Dad’s CD located right across from campus.
Unlike Bonnaroo, Riverfest will have showers for those who plan on camping out all weekend.
There will be food vendors on site, but people are allowed to bring in coolers of food if they want to save a little extra money.
The event is all ages, however, people under 18 are required to have adult supervision.
Everyone is subject to be searched at the gate, and there will be over 40 members of security to ensure safety at the event.
Riverfest will become an annual music festival the weekend after Labor Day, but will be called the Chainsaw Circus since it is no longer located near a river.
For those of you who planned on spending the weekend after Labor Day killing time playing Playstation in your dorm, get some friends together and go to Riverfest for a guaranteed great time.
For more information you can go to www.chainsawcircus.com.

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