Exit 111 – Forever Remembered – RIP?

A quick recap and some speculation as to why it will not return.

I know it has been a minute since we were all rocking out at the FARM, and I’m sure you have just heard about the NO return for 2020 and I wanted to do a little research to see what I could find out.

This inaugural lineup was packed with dozens of big-name hard rock and metal acts that performed on three stages, with 12 hours of live music each day!

It is really hard to put into words a blog that can recap this festival!
Let me tell you, music lovers, it was freaking EPIC!!!!

It was definitely a different farm!

While sharing the grounds of the famous Bonnaroo Farm, the two are nowhere near the same scale and most of the famed landmarks from the Farm such as the mushroom fountain, Snake and Jake’s Christmas Barn and the disco ball were not part of the Exit 111 festival grounds.

Compared to any Bonnaroo adventure I have been on, the Farm was definitely not as crowded or as hyper. The vibe was definitely a lot darker and the crowd was a lot older. It was a sea of black…

There was still some crazy, wild energy and a hell of a lot of enthusiastic fans! With some of the top hard rock and metal acts, including Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Deftones, and so many more, there was a really diverse crowd of people and some serious FANS. Also, being so close to Halloween, it was an amazing opportunity for people watching!

Exit 111 Playlist

For me, the draw to this festival was some of my most favorite hard rock and metal acts of all time, and the chance to get to see some of those performers one more time!

This playlist includes some of my favorite songs from many of the acts, as well as a few new acts that have been getting my playtime.

I would describe this festival as an interesting mix of Southern rock intertwined with heavy metal and a few “Rock” bands from the ’90s.

Friday included: steller performances by Seether, Anthrax, Black Stone Cherry and Bishop Gunn, just name a few of my favs. Then to really kick off this who’s who of rockers, Slayer, slew it! They and their fans get my vote LOUDEST performance and most obnoxious fans continuously screaming SLAYER!

Saturday was a slow start on the Farm as the unprepared festival campers thawed out after the overnight temps dipped into the 30’s. But that day’s line up and the vibe was of excitement and celebration.

Personally, I bounced around and saw so many amazing performances that day, but I would have to say the highlight that day was definitely FEVER 333 and Mastodon!

Sunday was non-stop! The big names alone this day alone could bring out droves of fans, and I have to say each one absolutely ROCKED their respective stages! (that I saw)! This day was stacked!!! I could gush for days over how heavy Lamb of God was, and the amazing stage production of Ghost, or how Chino Moreno and the Sandman (aka Sergio Vega) from the DEFTONES made the crowd jump or any number of the other amazing acts I caught throughout the day. Trust me you really missed out, if you did not make it to this one. Ministry and Gun ‘n Roses at the end really summed it all up for me. That shit was amazing!

As the first non-‘Roo show in park history, I have to say they crushed it with such a stellar, all-star lineup. I definitely had that familiar struggle to see everything and there were some performances I had to miss. The biggest difference I noticed at this festival was the amount of mosh pits and crowd surfing, during the Fever 333 and Deftones show, it was crazy down in the front as the security guards yanked people out of the crowds as they passed overhead.

For anyone who has visited Great Stage Park during the first weekend in June, you know that the ROO campgrounds are endless and the venue includes a center fountain, center roo for the arts and a water slide. Exit 111 had about a third of the main venue fenced off.

I’ll be honest, when I got there, I thought, “OH how empty and quaint!” The Farm was oriented differently and I thought the campground seemed really small. This festival also lacked the usual festival art vendors and the “Center-Roo” action that I always look forward to as part of the Farm festival experience.

The joint effort between AC Entertainment (Bonnaroo) and C3 Presents (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits), did a great job in 2019 recruiting a line-up like none other and the other attractions include the “Paranormal Cirque” circus tent, a car show, motocross demonstrations and a “mega sports bar” that aired all the big games through the weekend. This one was a one-of-a-kind!

That being said, rumors have it that the ticket sales were nowhere near what was expected and a few weeks before the fest, a lot of tickets were given away to “fill” the campgrounds.

Unlike its big brother, Exit 111 may not have had the draw of some of the popular chart-toppers who frequent the Farm in June and it might not have been as much of a cash cow for Manchester as the Festival in the Summer. I think some of the older artists may not have drawn the crowds that were anticipated.

Sadly, I know there was one death, but not near as many arrests as Roo.

As I started seeing the line-up announcements for some of the other Rock and Metal fests for 2020 like Epicenter, and Sonic Temple…See MY FESTIVAL LIST here…I started to question the ability of Exit 111 to create another seller line-up that could come anywhere close to this one. The next exit may have been crushed by a variety of other festivals who are about to ROCK the Summer of 2020.

Will we ever see Exit 111 again? TBD?

I know I will – the next time I hit that I-24 exit that brings drivers to the Farm!

Hopefully, I’ll see you out there this Summer! Check out my new and improved 2020 Camping Festival Guide!

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~Wren