Furnace Fest To Take Place September 23-25 in Birmingham
originally published: 05/12/2022
(BIRMINGHAM, AL) -- Furnace Fest has announced their final headlining act, Sunny Day Real Estate. The performance on Saturday, September 24th, marks one of the first US show the band has played since 2010. Fans will also be able to catch acts like Manchester Orchestra, Cursive, Elliott (performing False Cathedrals), Blindside (performing Silence), Pedro The Lion (performing Control), and many others on Saturday. Furnace Fest will be held at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, September 23 – Sunday, September 25th.
The 3-day festival will bring rock fans from all over together for performances from over 90 bands. The initial lineup announced performers Mastodon, The Ghost Inside, Alexisonfire, The Story So Far, New Found Glory, The Acacia Strain, Anti-Flag, Earth Crisis, The Joy Formidable, Kublai Khan TX, Drug Church, Nothing, Shadows Fall, Stretch Armstrong, Strike Anywhere, Movements, and many more, gaining the attention of Stereogum, Invisible Oranges, Lambgoat, Loudwire, BrooklynVegan, and other notable outlets.
Along with acts like Midtown and Elliott reuniting for the festival, other notable sets include Thrice performing The Illusion of Safety (2002), Blindside performing Silence (2002), Four Year Strong performing Enemy Of The World (2010), and Pedro The Lion performing Control (2002).
“Furnace Fest took a seventeen year nap before a group of us banded together with hopes of a one-time reunion,” the Furnace Fest team shares. “After countless difficulties (like a global pandemic and rescheduling three times) the ‘one-time resurrection’ went so well that we knew it was only fair to share the experience again. We’re beyond excited to share this lineup and are thrilled to welcome 90 total bands on four stages in one, if not the, most unique venues on the planet. To us, Furnace Fest isn’t a festival. This is a family reunion of the most epic kind.”
Founded by Chad Johnson of Takehold Records, Furnace Fest was originally a 3 day music festival held annually from 2000-2003 at Sloss Furnace Historic Landmark. From 2000-2003, Furnace Fest hosted more than 300 bands on 2 stages. Takehold Records was a Birmingham, Alabama based independent music label founded by Chad Johnson in 1999. Under Chad’s directive, the label signed and released the very first recordings of Further Seems Forever (featuring a then unknown Chris Carrabba), Underoath, TwoThirtyEight, Hopesfall, and many others. Joining Chad in producing Furnace Fest 2022 are years-long friend and local entrepreneur Johnny Grimes, co-owner (with wife/stylist Courtney Grimes) of the highly lauded Wheelhouse Hair Salon and Neighbors Ice Cream (both in Birmingham), along with veteran independent promoters Mike Ziemer (So What?! Music Festival) and Ryan Luther.
"Well, I certainly hope so, it seems like it is," laughed Blues Traveler bassist Ben Wilson as he discussed what the band has been up to and their preparations before they hit the road once again for a Summer tour. "The band has been quite active over the years through touring and we managed to continue to record some records. We've done two kinds of covers records, the first one was a blues record which actually got nominated for a Grammy which was pretty cool and the next one, we did some soul covers. That one wasn't quite as well received but it was sure fun to make. So, it's been really cool; you have this massive success for a decade or so and then you kind of dip below that cultural Gestalt line where you're just kind of bubbling below the surface and you can do just fine there even though you're not on the cover of "The Rolling Stone" and that's kind of what we've been doing. We've had a good run, it has been fantastic and these summer tours where we get together with these other kind of bands of similar eras with similar kinds of hits; we're very fortunate as kind of a neo-hippie jam band from that era that kind of bucked some of the trends that were going on at the time but we were lucky enough to have a couple of hits and that has allowed us to have kind of a different career than just the straight jam bands do; not that that wouldn't be awesome as well because obviously many of them are doing just fine but it's just a slightly different road but it has been wonderful. We didn't rehearse a whole lot because we've been playing together for 38 years but things are good and we're stoked for this upcoming tour."
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 7:30pm. Griffin is an American singer-songwriter and storyteller. Touring and making records for over 20 years, House has a discography that includes over 13 albums.
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic baskets to Reeves-Reed Arboretum and celebrate summer with their 2025 concert series, Sounds of a Summer Night! All performances will be held on select Wednesday evenings on the grounds of this non-profit public garden located in Summit.
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