
Hard rockers Marilyn Manson and Slayer will top the bill of the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival .
The 27-city trek, set to launch July 10 in Sacramento, CA, will also feature Bullet For My Valentine on the main stage along with a special guest that will be announced in the coming weeks. The mainstage acts and a slew of second-stage rockers will make their way from the West Coast to the East Coast, and finish the tour in mid-August with three shows across Texas. Details are listed below. Tickets will be available to the general public beginning April 24.
"Given the great success of last year's festival, we knew that we needed to put together a stellar group of talent for 2009--and we have," Mayhem producers John Reese and Kevin Lyman said in a joint statement. "This will be a blockbuster event, one that blends thrilling live performances with special music-related events and a few yet-to-be-revealed surprises."
The tour's Jagermeister stage will feature Trivium, All That Remains, God Forbid and the Jagermeister Battle of the Bands winner, while the Hot Topic stage will host extreme metal bands Cannibal Corpse, Job For A Cowboy, Behemoth, Black Dahlia Murder, and Whitechapel. Freestyle motocross team Metal Mulisha will also rev up the crowds with its death-defying motorcycle stunts.
Last year's inaugural Mayhem fest, featuring headliners Slipknot and Disturbed, drew nearly 340,000 fans, according to tour co-producer Live Nation. The event is the brainchild of Lyman, Reese and CAA agent Darryl Eaton, the creative team behind traveling festivals including the Vans Warped Tour and the Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour. It continues the model of utilizing sponsorship to offer a lower ticket price.
Before the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival launches, Manson expects to have a new album in stores. He is currently in the studio working on the follow-up to 2007's "Eat Me, Drink Me," according to a press release. The forthcoming set, due in May, reunites Manson with bassist Twiggy Ramirez for their first collaboration since 2000's "Holy Wood."
Summer will also bring a new album from thrash-metal vets Slayer, who have already recorded three new songs and expect to return to the studio next month, according to a press release. The band's most recent release, 2006's "Christ Illusion," earned Slayer its first Grammy Award.