Philadelphia’s rock radio station, 93.3 WMMR, has announced lineup for it’s annual MMR*B*Q. The show is set to kick off the Susquehanna Bank Center’s outdoor concert season on Saturday, May 10 and will feature headliner Rob Zombie, along with Volbeat, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Fuel, Dropkick Murphys, Jim Breuer Band, plus more to be announced in the coming days. MMR VIP Presale Tickets go on-sale this Wednesday, February 12 at 10am, The public on-sale begins this Friday, February 14 at 12:00 EST via LiveNation.
Rob Zombie is one of the greatest solo artists in rock music history. Starting out with his band White Zombie in 1985. In 1992, the band found mainstream success when they signed with Geffen Records and released their third album, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One. The album hit #26 on the Billboard Top 200 and eventually went double-platinum. In 1995, White Zombie teamed up with renowned metal producer Terry Date to release Astro-Creep: 2000. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Top 200, and it would also be their last outing. In the summer of 1996, the band toured with the almighty Pantera on their summer tour.
In 1998, Zombie went solo and released his debut album, Hellbilly Deluxe. The disc
debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200, and spawned three monster singles. It went on to sell over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone. Zombie’s sophomore effort, 2001’s The Sinister Urge, The album went double-platinum, and gave Rob his second Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200. In 2006, Zombie teamed up with guitar virtuoso John 5. The next two Zombie albums – 2006’s Educated Horses and 2010’s Hellbilly Deluxe 2 – each debuted at #5 and #8 respectively on the Billboard Top 200, and featured a stripped down, riffier sound thanks to John 5’s influence. Rob Zombie released his fifth studio LP, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, back in April on his own label, Zodiac Swan. The first Zombie album to feature drummer Ginger Fish, the disc debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200. Throughout his career, Rob Zombie has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards.
Volbeat have always received widespread acclaim in Europe. The band’s debut album, The Strength/The Sounds/The Songs, won the award for Best Debut Album at the 2005 Danish Metal Music Awards. Their second album, 2007’s Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil, was certified platinum and the band won the award for Best Live Band and Best Album at the 2007 Danish Metal Music Awards. Their third album, Beyond Heaven/Above Hell, went platinum in Finland and Germany, gold in Sweden and Austria, and double-platinum in their native Denmark. The record also broke the band into the mainstream in the U.S. with the hit single, A Warrior’s Call, which garnered massive play on rock radio nation-wide. Over the past few years, Volbeat have been touring relentlessly, playing some of the world’s biggest festival stages including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Download Festival, Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, and Metallica’s Orion Music + More Festival. In February 2013, it was announced that Rob Caggiano, who had been producing the band’s latest album and playing guest solos, had officially joined the band. Volbeat will be touring North American this spring in support of their latest effort, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, which came out back in April 2013. Their The record has taken the band to whole new level, giving them their first Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200 at #9. Volbeat were nominated for a Grammy Award this year for Best Metal Performance for the song “Room 24 (feat. King Diamond)”.
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience has proved to be the the truest Zeppelin tribute
band around. Jason has jammed with his father’s former bandmates on several occasions, and has since put together a stellar group of musician’s to carry on the band’s legacy. Just 2 weeks ago, Led Zeppelin’s live reunion disc, Celebration Day, garnered the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. In the last two years, The Zep Experience has toured extensively, including a U.S. run with recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Heart. In the summer of 2012, Fuel performed at the Rock Allegiance Festival in Hersey, PA alongside Stone Temple Pilots, Daughtry, Buchcherry, Three Days Grace, Black Stone Cherry, and more. The band has been working on a new studio album, Puppet Strings. It’s the band’s fifth studio LP, and their first in five years. Fuel released the disc’s first single, “Soul To Preach To”, just a few days ago. Dropkick Murphys are set to kick off their U.S tour on February 18 at the House of Blues in Cleveland, OH. The band are enjoying the success of their latest effort, Signed and Sealed In Blood, which debuted at #9 on the Billboard Top 200 back on January 8. – by Matt Bishop (Twitter.com/The_MattBishop)