According a press release issued on Jan. 11 by The Chamber, Gadsden & Etowah County, the Friday night rock headliner for 2012 Gadsden RiverFest will be Fuel.
“We are pleased to be offering music from a wide range of eras and tastes so far, and are hopeful we’ll see that trend continue as we make our last few reveals,” said RiverFest co-chair Mike Shannon.
Since it burst onto the scene with their 1998 full-length debut Sunburn, Fuel has been a staple on rock radio regardless of the ebb and flow of ephemeral musical trends. After the massive success of “Shimmer,” Fuel released 2000’s Something Like Human, which featured the hit singles “Innocent” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” and achieved double platinum status.
“I think our lineup truly represents a large spectrum of musical tastes, and it’s our hope that most everyone will have at least one favorite act that will draw them in to enjoy the other entertainment as well,” added Shannon, referring to the previously confirmed acts of Lou Gramm, former lead singer of Foreigner, and the legendary Oak Ridge Boys.
Chamber marketing and public relations director Kerri Griffin noted that the RiverFest committee employed a new idea for creating the lineup for 2012.
“We invited our area radio stations to send a representative from each station, and they were allowed to participate in a blind voting session that provided us very valuable data from which we were able to make an unbiased selection of entertainment,” she said. “By incorporating many musical tastes, genres and age ranges, we feel we will generate optimum public appeal with our lineups.”
Griffin noted that the headliner for Saturday, June 9, is expected to be confirmed and released soon.
Opening for Fuel on Friday, June 8, will be Lou Gramm, former lead singer of Foreigner. Saturday’s opening act for the yet-to-be-released country headliner is Oak Ridge Boys.