The sounds of rock, jazz, country, blues, R&B, and more flood the Virginia Beach oceanfront for three sun-filled days over Labor Day Weekend at the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival.  The largest outdoor music event on the East coast, the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival brings together local, regional, and national acts to play on a gigantic 60-foot wide and 60-foot tall stage on the beach at 5th Street as well as stages in all parks along the beautiful Virginia Beach oceanfront. Festival goers by the thousands love the appeal of being outdoors on the beach with the Atlantic Ocean providing the perfect background for some of the greatest live music of all time! 

Food vendors, beer, and merchandise kiosks enhance the festival atmosphere along the boardwalk.

Exclusive VIP passes provide separate entrance to the area right in front of the stage for viewing Friday and Saturday concerts, access to heavy hors d’oeuvres, VIP-only port-a-johns, two free beers or wine, and tickets to both Friday and Saturday concerts.  This is the ultimate way for fans to enjoy the concerts!

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VERIZON WIRELESS
19TH AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL
CONFIRMS O.A.R, CHEAP TRICK & TRAIN
On 5th Street Main Stage Aug. 31-Sept.2

The 19th Annual Verizon Wireless American Music Festival will feature three major headline bands on the 5th Street Main Stage between Aug. 31 and Sept. 2.  O.A.R., Cheap Trick and Train have firmly established their popularity in Hampton Roads through previous concerts.  Given the Festival’s unique environment and fan-friendly pricing, this year’s lineup could result in some of the best attended shows in the event’s history.

O.A.R will be the featured band beginning at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31.  O.A.R.’s 2008 studio album “All Sides” debuted at #13 on the Billboard Top 200 and #3 on the Digital Album chart. The album provided many firsts for the band including their first Platinum single “Shattered,” which in 2009 was the #6 best-selling Rock Song at iTunes and earned them an ASCAP Award as one of the Most Performed Pop Songs of the Year.  “All Sides” sales reached close to two million, and they received the honor of being on Performing Songwriter's list of the 100 Most Influential Independent Artists of the Past 15 Years.  

OAR

The Wailers, the premier Jamaican reggae band in the world, opens.  Together with Bob Marley, the Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide. In England alone, they’ve notched up 20 chart hits, including seven Top 10 entries.  Outside of their groundbreaking work with Marley, the Wailers have also played or performed with international acts like Sting, the Fugees, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Alpha Blondy, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Burning Spear

Tickets for Friday are $15 advance, $20 day of show.

Cheap Trick, headlines in a matinee performance beginning at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 1.  The band was named by Rolling Stone Magazine in April as one of “The 25 Best Things in Rock Right Now.”   Since the 70s they’ve been blending elements of pop, punk and metal in an instantly catchy and recognizable way.  With timeless classics such as “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” and “The Flame,” Cheap Trick are a musical institution. Anyone familiar with Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report knows Cheap Trick wrote and performed the theme song.  Cheap Trick has given more than 5,000 performances, sold more than 20 million records, had 29 movie soundtracks and 40 gold and platinum records.

Cheap Trick

The opening bands are Soul Asylum and Southern Culture on The Skids.

Tickets for Saturday are $15 advance, $20 day of show.

Train headlines the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon concert beginning at 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 2.  Train is Pat Monahan (vocals), Jimmy Stafford (guitar) and Scott Underwood (drums).  "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" was the band’s first international hit and won two Grammy Awards in 2002.  The album was certified double platinum.  “My Private Nation” continued the band's success, and was certified platinum with the hit "Calling All Angels."  “Save Me San Francisco” produced three singles— the RIAA 5x Platinum international hit "Hey, Soul Sister," "If It's Love" and "Marry Me" reached #3, #34, and #34 respectively.  The album itself has been certified Gold.  “Hey Soul Sister” was the #1 most downloaded song of 2010, and earned another Grammy Award.  Train recently released its sixth CD, “California 37,” which is rapidly rising on the charts.  The first single “Drive By” reached #11 on Billboard.

Train

The opening band will be announced soon.

Tickets for Sunday are $25 advance, $30 day of show.

For the third year, 300 VIP Experience tickets will be available to the general public for Friday and Saturday Main Stage concerts.  Sunday’s concert is not included in the offer.

The limited VIP passes are the true music fans’ ideal way to see a concert.  These passes provide concert viewing in an exclusive area directly in front of the stage on Friday and Saturday.  VIP holders also enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, VIP-only port-a-johns, two free beers or wine, and one ticket to both Friday and Saturday concerts, for just $125 per person.

VIP Experience tickets are available only through Ticketmaster.

Headliners on the 5th Street Main Stage are world-class artists who collectively have sold almost 300 million records and will appeal to music lovers of all types.

Friday, Aug. 31 – O.A.R, with special opening band The Wailers.  Tickets are $15 advance, $20 day of show.

Saturday, Sept. 1 – Cheap trick, with opening bands Soul Asylum and Southern Culture on the Skids.  (Sign language interpretation provided by Mindy Brown and Company) Tickets are $15 advance, $20 day of show.

Sunday, Sept. 2 – Train, with opening band to be announced, presented by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon.  (Sign language interpretation provided by Mindy Brown and Company) Tickets are $25 advance, $30 day of show.

Tickets, Passport Pins, and VIP Experience Passes go onsale at 10 a.m., Friday, May 25 through all Ticketmaster outlets, including online (www.ticketmaster.com) or by phone at 800.745.3000.  Children younger than 12 are free with a paid adult, not including the VIP Experience offer.

A Passport Pin, at $35, provides admission to all three Main Stage concerts.  Passport Pins are half-price through Ticketmaster (service fees apply) and the Virginia Beach Visitor Information Center located at 2100 Parks Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 from May 25 through July 4 ONLY. No service fee if purchased at the Visitor Center.

The Verizon Wireless American Music Festival features 20 national recording bands who will perform free on 17th Street, 24th Street, and 31st Street stages.  

Other free concerts:

Stanley Clarke/George Duke

The ZAPP Band

Family Stone

.38 Special

The Coasters/Platters/Marvelettes 

Additional free shows will be announced in the coming days.  Clearly AMF this year will have music for almost every preference of style.
 
Friday, Aug. 31
5th Street Main Stage $15 advance/$20 day of show
O.A.R.
(9:15-10:45 p.m.)
The Wailers
(7:30-8:45 p.m.)
Doors Open: 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 1
5th Street Main Stage (Sign language interpretation provided by Mindy Brown and
Company) $15 advance/$20 day of show
Cheap Trick
4:30-6 p.m.
Soul Asylum
3-4 p.m.
Southern Culture on the Skids
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Doors Open: 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 2
5th Street Main Stage, presented by Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon (Sign language interpretation provided by Mindy Brown and Company) $25 advance/$30 day of show
Train
9-10:30 p.m.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon Awards
8-9 p.m.
To be announced
7-8 p.m.
Doors Open: 6 p.m.