Moondance Jam is an annual rock and classic rock festival held in mid-July in the Leech Lake/ Chippewa National Forest Area near Walker, Minnesota. It is recognized as Minnesota's largest rock festival and a major classic rock festival in the United States. The Jam has gone from being a party for a few hundred family and friends back in 1992 to a rock 'n' roll and camping celebration that entertains tens of thousands today mainly because it has maintained a clean, safe and friendly atmosphere along with open festival seating for general admission ticket holders.

History

Early beginnings

The Moondance Jam was started by Bill and Kathy Bieloh in 1992, when they sought a way to promote the riding stables that they owned. The first jam was a modest start featuring mostly regional acts, as well as The Blenders, spread out over two days. In 1993, the jam expanded and featured Head East and Badfinger, beginning a tradition of more established and popular classic rock acts. For the third jam in 1994, popular country artists were brought in, and it became the most country music styled jam to date with bands like Pirates of the Mississippi and Johnny Paycheck.

The mid-1990s

The mid-1990s established Moondance Jam as the highly popular annual classic rock festival that it is today. 1995's jam featured the most popular classic rock acts yet, including Kansas, The Guess Who,

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and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas. The following year, the tradition continued with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas once again, along with Three Dog Night, Randy Bachman of Bachman–Turner Overdrive,

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and the

Edgar Winter Group Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

. In 1997, the festival was lengthened to three days, and a record 35,000 people attended the jam.

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

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, Grand Funk Railroad and

Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly " Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits r ...

entertained the record crowds.

The late 1990s

Moondance Jam became Minnesota's largest rock festival after 1998's jam when a crowd of 50,000 showed up to hear the music of a record number of national classic rock acts including Steve Miller, Foreigner,

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and April Wine. After the jam of '98, the facilities were upgraded since traffic became backed up over leading up to the site. Many attendees pulled to the side of the road and walked five miles (8 km) to get to the grounds. In 1999, the jam continued to grow, although two inches of rain on the opening day created large amounts of mud that made a mess of the facility. Still, bands including

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

, Blue Öyster Cult, Joan Jett and

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

took the stage.

Turn of the millennium

2000's jam featured a more organized facility with an expanded parking lot, more camping space, and shuttles to and from each area of the grounds.

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...

, The Beach Boys, Joe Walsh,

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and The Doobie Brothers were among the largest spectrum of national classic rock acts yet. The Moondance Jam celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2001 with good weather and bands like Ted Nugent, Pat Benatar, Molly Hatchet, Night Ranger and

George Thorogood George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...

, along with a very large selection of regional bands. 2002 continued the tradition with improved sound and lighting effects and bands such as Journey,

, Blondie, Scorpions and

. Four nights of the nation's top national classic rock bands in 2003 made the jam the largest classic rock festival in the United States. Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar, Lou Gramm and Boston drew in a record crowd.

The Jam today

Since 2004, the Jam has been acclaimed as "the best classic rock festival in the nation", and as one of the best music festivals. The quantity and the popularity of the national classic rock bands increased almost every year afterward. The Jam has also become a place for regional acts to find an audience on three smaller stages; one in the Moondance Jam Saloon, one outdoors in the Tiki Bar, and the acoustic stage in the Lazy Moon Bar & Grill. The Lazy Moon Bar & Grill was added to provide more entertainment and an opportunity for fans to get an up close view of the backstage area. The backstage viewing along with festival seating continues the Moondance tradition of giving general admission ticket holders more opportunities to get close to their favorite bands. In 2010, Moondance Jam added a few modern and 90s rock bands to their festival lineup to mix in with the classic rockers. It turned out to be a huge success with huge crowds packing the festival grounds all three days. Blaze TV also joined the party to film 10 of shows in HD for DIRECTV. The programs aired as part of the DIRECTV Concert Series on The 101 Network from November 2010 through 2012. Moondance Jam has continued the mix modern and 90s rock bands with its 80s and classic rock lineup since then. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused officials to scrap the Jam and defer to 2021.

Facilities

Moondance Jam is Minnesota's largest rock festival and one of the premier classic rock festivals in the United States. The Jam is patrolled by many police agencies, as well as EMS crews in case of an emergency. The Jam features a rock and classic rock lineup, of camping and facilities, food and beverage stands, open festival seating up to the stage, along with available VIP seating and treatment. The friendly and safe atmosphere is considered one of reasons why the festival has gone from being a party for a few thousand in 1992 to an event that entertains tens of thousands from all over the world.

Promotion and production

In 2005, Moondance Jam was named the ''Premier Classic Rock Festival'' in the United States by the Classic Rock Revisited magazine and fanzine The event, along with its sister festival, Moondance Jammin Country Fest, was produced by TEA Productions of Minneapolis until 2011. In 2010, ten Moondance shows were filmed and produced by Blaze TV exclusively for DIRECTV to be shown on The 101 Network's concert series and rerun for two years.

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also released the album "Live at Moondance Jam" from the Blaze TV footage. This was also the year that Moondance Jam began to feature more 90s and modern acts to go with its classic rock and 80s lineup of bands. Moondance's current production company is Neste Event Marketing of

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. They have been producing both festivals since the 2011–2012 season.

Past (and current) national bands at the Jam

JAM XXX - 2022 TBD JAM 28 - 2019

, Train, Skillet (band), The Goo Goo Dolls, Gov't Mule, Rick Springfield, Survivor (band), Allen Stone, Molly Hatchet, Candlebox, Vixen (band), The Sweet, Cold Kingdom, ThundHerStruck, Mountain Ash JAM 27 - 2018

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, Tesla,

Bret Michaels Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the U ...

, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Kansas,

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, Ace Frehley, The Sweet, Jackyl, KIX, Lita Ford,

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, GB Leighton, Crow, Hairball, Def Leggend, Mountain Ash JAM 26 - 2017 Steve Miller Band,

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, Halestorm,

, Melissa Etheridge, The Pretty Reckless, Better Than Ezra,

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, Black Stone Cherry,

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featuring Mickey Thomas, Jack Russell's

Great White Great White is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band peaked with several albums during the mid-to-late 1980s, including the platinum-selling records '' Once Bitten'' (1987) and '' ...Twice Shy'' (1989), and those albums ...

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, Cowboy Mouth, Cold Kingdom, ThundHerStruck, The Fabulous Armadillos, Atomic Punks, Mountain Ash JAM 25 - 2016 Godsmack, Boston, Chicago,

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Sixx A.M. Sixx:A.M. was an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007 by Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, and James Michael, and was a side project of Sixx, who was also at the time bass guitarist for Mötley Crüe. The group is best known fo ...

, Chevelle, Rick Springfield, Queensrÿche,

, Blues Traveler, Kix (band), Kix, Little River Band, Foghat, Firehouse (band), Firehouse, ThundHerStruck, Killer Queen, The Fabulous Armadillos & Collective Unconscious "Takin it to the Limit" Tribute to the Eagles, Mountain Ash JAM 24 - 2015 Sammy Hagar with Michael Anthony (musician), Michael Anthony, Shinedown, The Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis and the News,

, Papa Roach, Black Stone Cherry, Jefferson Starship, Finger Eleven, Vixen (band), Vixen, Honeymoon Suite, Black Star Riders, Pop Evil, Shinedown, Pat Travers, ThundHerStruck, Hairball, The Fabulous Armadillos, Alive: A Tribute To Pearl jam JAM 23 - 2014

, Seether, Foreigner, Collective Soul,

, Sublime with Rome, Don Felder, Alterbridge, Skillet (band), Skillet, The Wallflowers, Sick Puppies, Slaughter (band), Slaughter, Autograph (American band), Autograph, Badfinger featuring Joey Molland JAM 22 - 2013

, Slash (band), Slash, The Offspring, Cheap Trick, Bachman & Turner, Theory Of A Deadman, Buckcherry, Blue Öyster Cult, Halestorm, Shooting Star (band), Shooting Star, Johnny Rivers, Head East, Cain (American band), Cain, The Sweet, Sweet, Atomic Punks JAM 21 - 2012

, John Fogerty, Heart (band), Heart, Hinder, Three Days Grace, Grand Funk Railroad, Skid Row (American band), Skid Row, Don Felder, Night Ranger, April Wine, Cavo, Atomic Punks: The Tribute to Early Van Halen, Motley Inc: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe, Free Fallin: Tribute to Tom Petty, Them Pesky Kids, Hairball, Mountain Ash, The Bad Animals: A Tribute To Heart JAM 20 - 2011 Three Doors Down, Kiss (band), KISS, Stone Temple Pilots, 38 Special (band), 38 Special, Paul Rodgers, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Great White, Eddie Money, Candlebox, Outlaws (band), Outlaws,

, Burton Cummings, Cracker (band), Cracker, Belfast Cowboys: A Tribute To Van Morrison, ThundHerStruck: A Tribute To AC/DC, Hairball, Mountain Ash, Cain, The Bad Animals: A Tribute To Heart JAM 19 - 2010

, Sammy Hagar and the Wabos, Buckcherry,

, Pat Benatar, Jonny Lang, Collective Soul, Don Felder, The Smithereens, Hoobastank, Cinderella (band), Cinderella, Black Stone Cherry, Pat Travers, Blackberry Smoke, Tonic (band), Tonic JAM 18 (Rockin' 18) - 2009 Journey,

, Judas Priest, Sheryl Crow, Whitesnake, Asia (band), Asia, Kansas, Grand Funk Railroad, Lita Ford, Foghat, Spin Doctors, Shooting Star (band), Shooting Star, Zed Leppelin, ThundHerStruck, Ozzmosis JAM 17 (Sizzlin' 17) - 2008 Crosby, Stills & Nash, Poison (American band), Poison, Sammy Hagar, Sammy Hagar & The Wabos,

, George Thorogood, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, The Sweet, Sweet, Great White, Toto (band), Toto The Guess Who, Boz Scaggs, Sebastian Bach, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Gear Daddies, Otis Day and the Knights, Led Zepagain JAM 16 (''Sweet 16'') - 2007 Def Leppard, The New Cars, The Moody Blues, Rick Springfield,

, Tesla, Toto (band), Toto, Big Head Todd and the Monsters,

, The Fixx, Kansas, Rick Derringer, Jackyl, Soul Asylum, Cheap Trick, Scarlet Haze JAM 15 (''Dream 15'') - 2006 Heart (band), Heart, Poison (American band), Poison, Alice Cooper, Steve Miller Band, Doobie Brothers, Ted Nugent, The Bangles, The Guess Who, Dennis DeYoung, Gregg Rolie Band, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Kay (musician), John Kay & Steppenwolf (band), Steppenwolf, Jefferson Starship, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Outlaws (band), Outlaws, Little River Band, Y&T JAM 14 (''Fab 14'') - 2005 Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Cinderella (band), Cinderella, Journey, Tesla,

, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk Railroad,

, 38 Special (band), 38 Special, Ratt, FireHouse (band), FireHouse, Blackfoot (band), Blackfoot, Wishbone Ash,

, Daisy Dillman Band, Savoy Brown JAM 13 (''Lucky 13'') - 2004 Huey Lewis and the News, Rick Springfield, John Waite, The FIXX, John Fogerty, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Santana (band), Santana's Gregg Rolie, Edgar Winter, The Allman Brothers Band,

, Little Feat, ZZ Top, Chris Robinson (singer), Chris Robinson & NEM JAM 12 - 2003 Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar & the Waboritas, Boston, Joe Cocker, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Rick Springfield, Joan Jett, Gypsy, Lou Gramm, War (U.S. band), War, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Indigenous, Mitch Ryder, Head East, Corey Stevens, Rockin Dopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, JAM 11 - 2002 Scorpions, Deep Purple, Dio (band), Dio,

, Journey, Blondie, Indigenous, Gypsy, Meat Loaf,

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