The Bamboozle Returns to New Jersey, Bigger and Better Than Before

The Bamboozle is back for its fifth season, and ready to rock! The annual concert festival is approaching, held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ May 5 & 6 2007. The line up, that includes more than 200 bands, presents My Chemical Romance and Linkin Park headlining.

"When we started the Bamboozle, we decided that we can't be molded," organizer John D'Esposito stated. "The festival has to diversify and embrace different scenes to make it better. We'd like to think of the Bamboozle as more than a festival. It's a community. To be honest, I never thought we would get Linkin Park. And we're not going to stop there. We're not afraid to press the 'pop' button. If we cross into pop, we'll go there. Because if we don't, it takes away from the overall experience of the festival."

Originally The Bamboozle, started in 2003, was a three day event. With only 30 bands it's debut year, the festival was held in Asbury Park at the Stone Pony. The annual event grew in both performers and attendance each year, offering 150 bands in 2005. As the festival evolved, it outgrew its Asbury Park locations, settling on the parking lot of Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in 2006.

The 2007 Bamboozle is slated for two days, with big name acts each day. The Saturday May 5th show will feature My Chemical Romance, with MC Hammer as a special guest. The Sunday May 6^th show will offer Linkin Park and special guest Weird Al Yankovic.

MY Chemical Romance, a rock band out of New Jersey is a Bamboozle favorite. They originally gained success with marketing on MySpace, and have preformed on the Warped Tour as well as the 2005 Bamboozle. Their most recent album, The Black Parade, was released in 2006.

MC Hammer is returning to the stage after nearly 20 years and 11 albums over his career. After popularizing his signature parachute pants, he released several singles like "You Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit To Quit", Hammer took a break from the fame in the late 1990s, settling down as a preacher with his wife and six kids.

Linkin Park is back, with their first performance since 2005, after touring for more than two straight years promoting their sophomore album "Meteora. They have recently been in the studio recording their new album "Minutes To Midnight" which is scheduled for release May 12^th 2007. Their most recent single, "What I've Done" recently debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. One very devoted fan, known as 'thecup' on the Web, is traveling over eight hours to the show, specifically to see Linkin Park.

Weird Al Yankovic has been a fan favorite for almost 30 years. He has released over 150 parody songs, such as "Amish Paradise", "Eat It", "My Bologna", and the most recent "White and Nerdy". Weird Al has also appeared in several films and TV shows including the 1989 cult classic "UHF" and his own show "The Weird Al Show" in the late 90s.

The Bamboozle will also showcase over 200 bands in two days on seven to ten stages. Other well known bands include Thrice, Yellowcard, Muse, Reliant K, Taking Back Sunday, and New Found Glory. Furthermore the event will host the "Pass The Mic Comedy Tore", featuring eight comedians.

As if the music and comedy was not enough, there will be many other activities and dozens of vendors present. Victory Records, Evil Brand Clothes, The End Records, Eyeball Records, and Shirts For A Cure will all be on hand for shopping and entertainment. Two day passes are sold out, but single day tickets are still available for $35 each day through Ticketmaster. With many more surprise performers yet to be announced, this year's Bamboozle is expected to be the biggest and best one yet.