Dubai's DESERT ROCK Festival Attended By More Than 7,000 Metalheads

March 11, 2009

Center Stage Management (CSM) has announced the successful turn-out at Desert Rock festival's sixth edition, held in Dubai Festival City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, March 6. 7,476 metal fans were in awe of the international bands performing live in Dubai for the first time.

Thousands of enthusiastic metal fans flocked to Dubai Festival City on Friday, forming a large queue that started around noon. As the doors opened, the crowd fought their way through the doors. First band performing was United We Rock competition winners SCARAB and HATRED (respectively from Egypt and Germany) who set the tone of the day, inviting the audience to the first headbanging. Home-grown and now international death metal band NERVECELL did not disappoint the crowd who were enjoying one of their last powerful performance in the UAE, before they head off to their festival tour in Germany this summer, which includes the renowned Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, With Full Force and Wacken Open Air.

After AUGUST BURNS RED appeared on stage creating a moshing frenzy by inviting people to run from the front of house to front of stage, CHIMAIRA pleased the crowd performing a world premiere of new song "Destroy and Dominate". The next day they posted on their web site, "Our first concert in the Middle East was beyond amazing. You would have sworn we were playing a hometown show the way the crowd reacted. Everyone knew every word and we were blown away. Dubai, thank you."

OPETH, the highlight of the night for many, were greeted by enthusiastic fans who never in their wildest dreams thought they would ever experience their live performance, and flew in from as far away as Japan, Morocco, Armenia, Algeria, Egypt to name a few!

ARCH ENEMY's frontwoman Angela Gossow rocked the stage with her energy, followed by rock legends MOTÖRHEAD, still rocking after 30 years and for the first time in the Middle East! Classics like "Metropolis", "Going To Brazil" and "Over The Top" were dispatched at break-neck speed. After an admirable guitar solo and a 15-minute drum solo by Mikkey Dee they ended their set with much-awaited "Ace of Spades".

Desert Rock festival was all about embracing heavy metal this year with the campaign "Metal Lives," which it indeed did on Friday, leaving thousands of dedicated fans longing for next year.

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