Grand Rocktember Music Festival

My wife and myself had a blast at this event. STYX completed their set at 1 AM and we couldn't believe it was all over. We didn't want it to end. Will definitely go back next year. The only negative would be the seating. It was along time to sit in wood bleachers.

This is our 2nd year going to Rocktember. Had a great time at both. By far Jackyl stole the show in my opinion - they need to come back every year - next year they should be a headliner!

Great lineup, great weekend! Not a bad seat in the amphitheater and the staff was relaxed but kept things running smoothly. We will definitely attend again next year!

The only critisim I would have is that the sound system was kind of muffled. Kip Winger sounded the best, very clear and acoustics were good. It might have had something to do with the rain, but we found that it was really hard to understand Lita Ford & Dokken. Unfortunately we missed Skid Row and Tesla since we chose to get out of the rain. I have seen Rob Thomas at this Amphiteater before and had a BLAST! I hope you continue this event....Everything was AWESOME, from ordering the tickets, to setting up rv reservations, til the time we left...THANK YOU!

We had a blast! Hope they do it again next year, because we will be there!

We weren't quite sure what to expect from an all-day event like this, but were pleasantly surprised. The crew at Grand Casino did a great job of keeping everyone happy. We could come and go as we pleased, and the facilities and stage setup were great. Could even hear the bands from our car. Only suggestion would be to offer hot beverages when the weather gets crappy like it did on Sat. The lineup was fantastic. We aren't huge Dokken fans, so skipped out on that one, and unfortunately, had to miss Tesla because we were too cold and wet to stay any longer.

All the old farts still belt out the tunes, just like I heard them in the late 80s.

Lots of confusion when we arrived about how to get the items that came with rockstar package we ordered . Sent 3 different places and waited in line for over and hour ( almost missed beginning of concert) The Grand casino staff were rude or not at all helpful! We paid extra to sit in first 8 rows and the first day of concert they allowed General admission ticket holders to stand in front of our seats making it impossible to see stage and we were in the 4th row! They did get more security 2nd day and this situation was better. Overall though the concert was good just poorly organized by Grand Casino!

Every show was great and entertaining!!!!!!!!!!! Great atmosphere! Brett Michaels was amazing!

What a blast! I have been at all 3 GrandRocktember festivals and this one was probably the best. Twisted Sister headlining Saturday was really cool and probably the last time we'll see them. I last saw them live in 1984 opening for Iron Maiden so was overdue. Ace Frehley and Tom Keifer were also headliner-worthy. ScrapMetal is an interesting idea---several legends playing a few of their songs. Brad Whitford, Pat Travers, Derek St. Holmes and Stephen Pearcy with the guys from Nelson. Friday wasn't as great of a lineup for me personally but it was great to see Skid Row with their new singer. Bret Michaels headlined.

This was our first time for Rocktember!!! We had an unforgettable time! The bands were excellent and really interacted with the crowd!!! The highlight was being able to meet the bands! We met Jack Russell of Great White, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson and went backstage to meet Twisted Sister!!! Wow! Well done Grand Casino!! Looking forward to next year!

Rocktember was incredible and we enjoyed it very much! However, Grand Casino needs to seriously do something about their Security. These people almost ruined a fantastic event. The worst moment was during the show when one of the Security "Guards" tried to tell people that they couldn't stand up. Imagine a rock concert where you were required to sit in your seat the entire time and couldn't stand to dance in front of your seat and show your appreciation for the music. They were rude and treated the guests like children. Please Grand Casino, tell your Security detail to loosen up and stop treating patrons so poorly. Perhaps have them attend an event at another venue like the Myth or First Avenue to see how Security at a rock concert is supposed to be conducted.

Our first time. The music was awesome, camping was well done, and everything was just perfect. Had a very good weekend, Twisted Sister was AMAZING........TOM KEIFER is the BEST...Really went over and above what was expected. My only complaint......Maybe have a "Shut Down Time" of 2:00am....Hard to sleep with drunks still screaming at 4:30am. Will definitely come next year...

Awesome show as always. Been there 3 years in a row!

We absolutely loved this and are very much hoping they have this exact same 80s band concert. We will definitely be there again!! Please pleaee have it again!!!

alot of fun great bands, was great to hear new songs and old songs

It was a 10:00 hour concert with over eight hours on the rain. I still had a great time Most of 9 acts were very good. I would say the worst band was Tesla. Firehouse & Warrant were really good. Would go again, so many more bands you could choose from, such as poison, def leopard, great white, ECT.

The music was awesome. All the bands sounded great and the campground was a blast. The only thing that sucked was the long lines for beer and cocktails. Next year they need to set up more beer stations.

There were 7 in our party and we all had a great time despite the soaking rain. Cannot wait to do it again!!

the bands were great despite it raining i would give it a 10. awesome with free camping

Good lineup.. Perhaps more play time for each band? Hope it comes back next year

Weather wasn't very good but all the bands were good and would go again if the had another concert like that

This was the best concert Hinckley has ever had. Hope they do more of them.

This was a great lineup i y 80s rocker and this show was right up my alley the rain did not even bother me cause the bands were all good

The show was fantastic, can't thank the bands enough for coming Winger acoustic was awesome. Great night for some 1 on 1 with my husband. Waiting for next year we will be there

I had a great time at the show. The line up was awesome. Too bad Dokken was there. I was not impressed by their performance. I wish that some of the acts had more time to play their set than 20 minutes but I understand with the time that will have to happen. It was raining during the show and l really liked how the staff was passing out ponchos to everyone! I hope this become a yearly event because I will be there again! Kudos to the all the bands for putting on a great show!!!!

bands were awesome to see. decent price for 9 bands. sucky that it rained but nothing anybody could do about that...

Wouldnt you know that right at concert start the rain started coming down and didnt stop the rest of the night. Even with the free ponchos it was a cold wet time. The bands sounded good; FireHouse Rocked it!

It's hardly rained in a month here but of course it rained for most of Grand Rocktember-- but it was still an awesome show! Tesla, Skid Row, Dokken, Lita Ford, Warrant, Firehouse, Kip Winger, LA Guns, Trixter all in one day. They were all cool. Some I'd seen recently, some only back in the day, a couple never before but they were all fun. Tesla's still delivering great music and at full strength with 4 of 5 original members, and deservedly headlined and got the longest set at 90 minutes. I thought maybe Skid Row and Warrant without the singers that helped make them famous wouldn't be that good but I was wrong--they were both excellent. It really was a fun look back to the 80's/early 90's but these bands can for the most part still bring it live.

All the bands were good but the rain sucked, the bands rocked everyone

Great day, great show, great venue. Could have lived without the rain.

except for the rain the concert was fun, my husband and I enjoyed the entire experience.

Overall it was an awesome time, even in the rain. Very nice that they passed out rain parkas to everyone. The camping was o.k., we would have liked to camp next to friends, but they had an RV and we had a tent and got separated. That should be addressed in the future. However, we did not have far to walk to get to our friends so it was o.k. The music was great. I would have liked for the earlier bands to play longer, maybe start at noon instead of 2:00. Security is the biggest thing that needs to be addressed in the future. People were giving their stubs to other people to get into the pit area that did not pay to get into the pit area and by the end of the show it was quite crowded in there.

Artists were great and atmosphere was good despite the rain.

I took my wife to this show and it was the best show ever ..I have never been to a concert outside and able to see that close up of the bands.. it was a great feeling.. thanks for have the best bands play together. The only part that sucked was the rain. but we still rocked all night long..

The concert event was great. Not the Casino's fault it rained from 3:30pm on. Free camping was awesome! Need more beer lines. You shouldn't have to wait. Why? money left on the table for the Casino. Bar wasn't open at the back right of the Amphitheater when the show started. Why?? Come on Grand Casino. Not your 1st concert. The line-up was GREAT!! But some bands had a 20-25 minute set.....WHAT. Come on! Some bands are not even warmed up in 15-20 minutes. Sound was good! Nice place for a concert! Sucked that it rained non-stop.

STRANGLEHOLD Need I say More! I was real surprised with the line up for Scrap Metal. The rock legends that played blew me away and that even means Nelson. I have their songs on my I Pod, brings back great memories. Huge shout out to LA GUNS, KILLER SET!

What a day! For those of us who purchased pit tickets, we were lucky enough to see the entire day under the ampitheatre canopy. Not so lucky were the people that were outside of the canopy who had to deal with a cold rain for 2/3 of the event. Many people chose to leave instead of sitting all day in the rain. I have to give kudos to the stage crew that worked the event. They worked their butts off and kept the stage re-sets to a minimum time frame (with the exception of the set for Tesla). These people are machines and need to be commended for keeping the music going. I do have two complaints: (1)There were too many bands on the bill. 12+ hours is too long for anyone to stand for a show. We are now three days beyond the show and I'm still sore! (2)Because there were so many bands, artists that I truly wanted to see were limited to 20 minutes each. Not only is this not fair to the artist, it's not fair to the fans who drove or flew substantial distances to attend the show to see these artists. Limiting the bill to five bands would have given each of the groups at least an hour to perform. All in all, it was a great day of music and fellowship. I loved it and am hoping that there is a SECOND annual Grand RockTember Music Fest!!!!

I knew it was going to be great and that's why I bought the tickets. I wasn't disappointed. It was awesome! Overall it was nine bands playing their hits, your favorites from back in the day and they sounded great!

The event was easy to get to and in. Nice, sunny and dry day but started to rain and then it continued on and on. I am very grateful for the staff giving out raincoats to guests, but we did get soaked and were cold. Regardless the seats were fine, but position was a bit off (pole near the center of our view). All in all the lineup was fantastic and it was great seeing these old bands. Definitely going back next year if it's on.

Wow! Wow! And Wow! Had a fanfuntastic time at the festival! First time there and will go back again next year! My bucket list is almost completed with all the rock bands to see. James Dupree and Jackyl was a show I won't forget! His storytelling was great and love the song I'm a lumberjack baby! Skid Row's energy was wow! Loved the songs 18 and life and I remember you. The wow factor award was given to Skid Row as the top band of the weekend.

Great price! Up close and personal - only thing, if in the pit there should be bathrooms closer so you don't have get out of the mix to go!

Was at Rocktember III, so this was my 3rd trip out here and my first time was great with excellent main acts by Bret Michaels and Dee Snyder. This year seemed to have more has been acts, plus they are charging more money. Yes, Warrant was good but the lead singer has been dead for quite some time, Skid Row was also good but also did not have the lead singer either. Just seems like they keep getting acts that are more and more washed up or they lack a lead singer. First year they even gave us a free shirt and buffet with the rockstar package. They no longer offer that but charge the same and this year the prices went up. Paying around $200 for 2 days of camping and concert, compare that to Wefest where the artists are still relevant in their industry gets you 4 days of camping and music. There is no longer a buffet at the casino either, I am getting close to not wanting to attend this concert anymore.

Awesome 2 day event, Great Bands and very organized:):):)

A great event and a nice venue to see it at. Very enjoyable.

The bands were amazing, the weather was perfect, the beer lines and bathroom lines were not too long AND I got engaged during Firehouse's set! Best Weekend Ever!! Firehouse, Warrant, Faster Pussycat and Remy Maxwell were especially awesome! Can't wait for next year!!!!

The group I went with have different tastes in music but we all agreed that only a couple of the bands were worth listening to. Very disappointed. Not worth the ticket price.

Love the line up they always put together and the staff is top notch along with the stage and sound and location. Can't wait until next year! Thanks for the memories!

Tommy Shaw has still got it. He and JY were great.

Very good concert the bands were spot on... it's hard to find camping onsite information and the process on how to sign up.

I did not expect to have a good time at this show. I attended with my husband because he wanted to see Stryper. I was concerned that there would be only portable toilets and that the venue would be poor. I was very wrong. Grand Casino had a large quantity of very clean, indoor bathrooms, a nice concession area and all seating seemed to be very good. Parking was easy and close. Very convenient. We only attended the Friday show. *The show started with Autograph. They were OK. Sound was still getting tweaked out and I only recognized one of their songs. *Next was Jackyl. They were TERRIBLE! Very obnoxious, screaming, vulgar. We left their show to get concessions. *Third up was Stryper. They had a very tight, entertaining show. I appreciated that they did not swear and were very respectful to the audience! This was very enjoyable. *Queensryche played next. I am now a big fan! I recognized many of their songs. They were clean, personable...wow! I was very impressed! *5th in line was Tom Keifer. Also loved him! Very well done! *Last was Vince Neil. Vince has gained quite a bit of weight and had a tough time singing. He had to take many breaks and was struggling for air. Not impressed, so we left early.

Love this event and venue. Great sound system. Easy accommodations. Most bands from the 80's excellent. Tom Kiefer my fav. Wonderful performance. Songs going through the my head for days.

Grand Rocktember IV in Hinckley, MN was a whole lot of fun! Six bands Friday (Autograph, Jackyl, Stryper, Queensryche, Tom Keifer and Vince Neil). Then nine more Saturday (Gabbie Rae, Vixen, Kix, Slaughter, Scrap Metal, Dokken, Ratt, Loverboy and Night Ranger Saturday). This year the weather was great and the bands were mostly great too. I'm a big Ratt fan but not buying the lineup now with drummer Bobby Blotzer and four hired hands. I also like Dokken a lot but Don Dokken's voice is shot. Tom Keifer was great, Autograph surprised me by being heavier than expected, and I was really impressed in first time ever seeing Night Ranger. It's a marathon with so many bands but I've been to all four of these and hope it continues!

I thought Kix and Ratt were excellent and seeing them for the first time made it even better! Loverboy and Night Ranger were the absolute highlight of the day/night for me! The last time I saw Night Ranger was way back in 1983. I have seen Loverboy several times now and they did not disappoint.

I have wanted to go to this event for the last 4 years, but have always had other obligations get in the way of attending, but not this year and was it worth the wait! A 2 day line of of the who's who of 80's hard rock with 6 bands playing Friday and 9 on Saturday. Great weather, great venue and great music were in abundance. Of course there were a few technical difficulties, but nothing that hindered the fun. Friday started off with Autograph followed by Jackyl, Stryper, Queensryche, Tom Keifer (Cinderella) and closed out with Vince Neil. Saturday kicked off with young rocker Gabbie Rae followed by Vixen, Kix, Slaughter, Scrap Metal (a mixture of 80's rockers Lita Ford, Kip Winger, Jeff Scott Soto, Nelson, etc), Dokken, RATT, Loverboy and closed out with Night Ranger. Everyone seemed to have a great time and the bands all seemed to have fun. This is an event that I will definitely be coming back to again

What a great line up! The best of the day was smash metal. I will definitely see them again. The worst was ratt. I had no idea Stephen Pearcy left the band

First time attending this annual concert. It exceeded expectations. Great line-up and an opportunity to see some bands that don't come around very often. Tom Keifer was outstanding.

The bands were pretty good. I was disappointed with Stryper not hitting the high notes and runs between the versus which is what made many of their songs unique and great. The food was not good and beer choices were limited. The seating and bathrooms were run well. Security was minimal and non-obtrusive.

Rocktember IV was absolutely phenomenal, the lineup was incredible, the people were great, and the changeup times between bands were blazing fast compared to Rocktember III. Literally I have nothing to complain about other than Vince Neil singing 1/4th of his songs and pulling his hamstring on stage. But that has nothing to do with the Rocktember staff. PLEASE keep bringing Tom Keifer back and also Loverboy and NightRanger! Every band was amazing!

What an incredible weekend! There was so much great music over the course of two days that it's hard to pick a favorite. Scrap Metal, Vixen, Tom Kiefer, Kix, and Jackyl put on fantastic shows. The venue is a great place to experience concerts and I would definitely recommend the purchase of the pit passes. Well worth the extra money! A great feature is that food and beverages are both very reasonably priced. And, in addition to portapotties, there are REAL bathrooms with running water and soap. Definitely a bonus. If you are looking for two great days of rock and roll, Grand Rocktemberfest is the place to be.

Can't wait until next year! All of the bands were great, so much nostalgia. It was cool to see the various musicians hanging out within the crowd too!

I went to the concert on Friday only this year as I thought the line up on Saturday was weak. The bands on Friday were very good overall. Stryper disappointed with their song selection and only doing a "To Hell with the Devil" medley as their last song. Vince Neil put on a good show, but sounded terrible...his voice is gone. Tom Keifer was again the best act by far.

Everyone was excellent...EXCEPT VINCE NEIL.....Vince needs to retire. HE SUX>>>> Night Ranger was better than I expected as well as Jackyl. Please keep doing this the same!! Great time!!

Excellent artists and great show again. I appreciate GC keeps upgrading the groups and artists and bringing back the best (Tom Keifer). Was disappointed that the camping was not as easier as all of the other years. Tried to find info and called and sent emails, but never a response. Had to camp a long ways away from the venue. Bring The Cult in next year for an artist

The concert was great, but the way things are organized are not. They need to get a plan for the camping area, it was a crazy mess putting people in no particular order. Some had large spaces, some had barely enough room to put their car/truck and tent/ rv. Pricing was the same if you stay one night or 3 nights, tent or RV. They did NOT allow any water, pop, or a stick of gum in OR OUT of the Amphitheater area. Why you could not buy a beer or water or food inside, but cold not take it out to your campsite, I have no idea! There are only a couple of food and drink options in the amphitheater, so you need to bring your own stuff. But you need to plan on keeping it outside of the the concert area. Plan to walk a lot as you may have to park a long way from the concert, whether it be camping or just a car in the lot. Some had golf carts, which is a great idea. It is a good venue, however the options need adjusting. Some of the viewing is blocked on each side of the stage with a lot of speakers, if you are in the side bleachers don't plan on seeing what is going on unless you look up at the big screens they have.

Tom Keifer is simply amazing! I'd like to see him play at Rocktember every year. He also deserves to be the headliner....the guy can rock.