The Dubai Desert Rock Festival is a one day event celebrating the different styles of rock music in the world on one stage in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the only festival of its kind in the Middle East. As well as live music, extreme sports is also featured as a crowd attraction. DDRF is so far only a one day festival, but it aims to branch out to a two and eventually a three day event, similar to the Glastonbury Festival and Rock In Rio. Image File history File links DDRF.jpg Summary Logo for Dubai Desert Rock Festival. ... Image File history File links DDRF.jpg Summary Logo for Dubai Desert Rock Festival. ... Coordinates: Emirate Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Area    - City 4,114 km² Population (2006)  - City 1,321,453UNIQ377,860c62,541b2c2-ref-00,000,001-QINU  - Density 293. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Extreme sports (now also known as action sports) is a general, somewhat hazily-defined term for a collection of newer sports involving adrenaline-inducing action. ... The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury Festival or Glasto, is the largest [1] greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. ... Queen at Rock in Rio (1985) Rock in Rio was the biggest rock festival held in Brazil and also in Portugal. ...

History

In 2004, Center Stage Management (CSM) embarked on a mission to develop and bring a full fledge rock festival to the Middle East. The first annual Desert Rock Concert featured two rock bands, The Rasmus and Juliana Down. The headliner, Limp Bizkit cancelled their appearance 48 hours before the show, allegedly because frontman Fred Durst felt “unsafe” coming to the region. Despite the cancellation (10,000 tickets had been sold) some 3,500 fans attended. Limp Bizkit (alternately spelled as limpbizkit) is a band from Jacksonville, Florida. ... William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970 in Jacksonville, Florida) is the lead singer for the band Limp Bizkit. ...

In 2005, Dubai Desert Rock developed into a full day festival and featured well-known rock bands from around the world, including The Darkness, Machine Head, Sepultura and Within Temptation, which, together with two local rock bands – Juliana Down & Nervecell – played for an audience of more than 6,000 people. DDRF has now become internationally known as The Middle East Annual Rock Festival. The Darkness are an English hard rock band. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band that began as a thrash metal group in 1984. ... Within Temptation is a band from the Netherlands. ...

In 2006, DDRF showcased its most renowned line-up yet, consisting of Testament, Reel Big Fish, Saxon, 3 Doors Down, Megadeth, and local Dubai band Mannikind, . Due to a conflict between the UAE's moral codes and the lyrics of Saxon's "Crusader" the band were not allowed to partake in the festival. The gates opened at 3:00 PM, and the last performance ended at approximately 12:30 AM. The additional attractions to keep fans busy and entertained throughout the day included, among other things, a skatepark show, crazy rock hair designers, temporary airbrush tattoo artists, graffiti boards for budding artists to make their mark, cars customized and on display inspired by MTV's hit TV show "Pimp My Ride" and vendors of various rock paraphernalia. Testament (a. ... Reel Big Fish is an American third wave ska band, best known for the 1997 hit Sell Out. ... Saxon are a British heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. ... 3 Doors Down is an American alternative rock band formed in 1996, in Escatawpa, Mississippi. ... Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network headquartered in New York City. ... Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it, as well as customizing it. ...

For the 2007 installment of Dubai Desert Rock Festival the following bands have been confirmed as performers so far:(source)

On March 9th:

1. Junkyard Groove
2. Lauren Harris
3. Children of Bodom
4. Mastodon
5. In Flames
6. Stone Sour
7. The Prodigy
8. Iron Maiden (Headliner)

On March 10th: Junkyard Groove(unofficial logo) Formed in April 2005 in Chennai, India, Junkyard Groove describe their music style as Indie Funk. ... Lauren Harris Lauren Harris (born 1984) is a British singer. ... Children of Bodom is a metal band from Espoo, Finland. ... Mastodon is a heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. ... In Flames is a Swedish melodic death metal band from the city of Gothenburg. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Prodigy (or just Prodigy) are an English band, whose music consists of various styles ranging from rave, hardcore techno and industrial in the early 1990s to alternative rock and bigbeat with punk vocal elements in later times. ... Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from east London. ...

1. Junkyard Groove
2. Prime Circle
3. Incubus

Junkyard Groove(unofficial logo) Formed in April 2005 in Chennai, India, Junkyard Groove describe their music style as Indie Funk. ... Prime Circle is one of South Africa’s most popular rock bands and is currently based in Witbank, Mpumalanga. ... Incubus is a five-piece alternative rock band based out of Calabasas, California. ...

References

• Fryer, James. "The axemen cometh" - What's On magazine, March, 2006.

External links

• Dubai Desert Rock Festival Homepage
• Center Stage Management Homepage

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