Our HOH Winner Kimberly’s Rocklahoma 2007 Blog! by Kimberly Kucharczyk of Neosho, MO who listens to the HOH on KXDG-FM, BIG DOG 97.9 Joplin, MO
Rocklahoma Day 1: July 12th
Rocklahoma was not just a gathering; it was an iconic testament to the age of music that was thought to be dead, long since cremated and wrapped in the flannel that suffocated our hearts in the early 90s.
Like the mighty Phoenix, Rock and Roll not only rose from its proverbial ashes, it soared through the hearts of all who refused to let it die. The masses that attended this four day festival epitomized all that is Rock ‘n Roll.
On July 12th – 15th, 2007, I and 35,000 of my closest friends got together in Pryor, Oklahoma, and threw the biggest party that Rock ‘n Roll has seen in years. For four days and nights, the 16 year-old girl in me over-powered the 35 year-old woman I had become. I was no one’s mother, no one’s employee, no one’s student; I was simply the me that existed in its purest form.
My story goes something like this:
Rocklahoma Day one: July 12th
When we arrived at the venue, the stage hadn’t been set. The grounds were muddy from the torrential rainfall of earlier in the day. Vendors were busy setting up, selling airbrushed t-shirts, Rocklahoma memorabilia, henna tattoos, and there were even those cheesy carnival trailers that sold funnel cakes and lemonade.
Nonetheless, the air had a certain quality about it that gave you hope. Something big was on the horizon; you could feel it on your skin. The anticipation and outward happiness of every single person pouring through the gates cut through the haze in the overcast skies. As the sun peeked out from behind lingering clouds, we could hear the stage door being rolled up. Something wicked this way comes, and everyone was welcoming it with open arms.
Thursday’s lineup consisted of mostly smaller bands, some new, some foreign. Among them were Gypsy Pistoleros who had traveled all the way from the U.K. to perform. Their set was amazing, and included a cover of “Living La Vida Loca” that rocked the house and left everyone begging for more.
KISS Army also performed on Thursday, dazzling onlookers with their Gene Simmons spitting flames, oozing blood from the mouth and teasing the ladies with a little of the tongue action his “character” is so famous for. Their make-up and costumes took me back to the time when I used to listen to my KISS 8-tracks and sing to my mirror.
Rounding out Thursday, we were treated to a special all-star jam by US 66. Chad Stewart and Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns, Steven Adler of the original Guns N Roses, Michael Thomas of Faster Pussycat, Joe Lesté of Bang Tango, and others all rocked out as a special preview of things to come. To say that the crowd was tantalized would be a huge understatement.
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