Held in Pandanarang Stadium, Boyolali, Central Java, the festival will also feature legendary Indonesian rock band God Bless.

Volcano Rock Festival is organized by promoter Boyolali Satu, helped by JogjaROCKarta, who act as consultants. JogjaROCKarta was deemed successful with prog-rock band Dream Theater as the main headliner in the festival’s first edition in September last year.

Anas said he was approached by Boyolali Satu and was asked to make an event to promote the town’s name. The festival’s concept, along with artists’ names, then came from JogjaROCKarta.

“We picked Europe on purpose as they are legendary, known by both children and grown-ups. It so happens that they are on tour, and Boyolali is the only Asian spot they will play,” said Anas.  

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Europe is currently on its Walk the Earth World Tour 2017-2018 after releasing their 2017 album, Walk the Earth. The tour started in Pratteln, Switzerland, in November last year and will end in September in Paris. The band will land in Australia in mid-May and will continue to Europe and the United Kingdom from July until September.

Founded in 1979 by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bass guitarist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno, Europe has released 11 studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and 19 music videos.

Their album, The Final Countdown (1986), has sold over 3 million copies in the United States and 15 million copies worldwide, which propelled them to the international music scene.

Europe went on hiatus in 1992 and announced a reunion in 2003. They have released albums consistently since 2004.

Pandanarang Stadium was chosen as it has a capacity of 40,000 people, the largest in town. There will be approximately 25,000 to 30,000 tickets on sale for Volcano Rock Festival. Its easy access and location in the heart of the town are also considered a big plus.

Boyolali is situated 25 kilometers west of Surakarta. The regency boasts a number of natural wonders, such as Mount Merapi, an active volcano, spring pools Umbul Tlatar and Umbul Pengging and the ancient Lawang temple.

Aside from Europe and God Bless on the main stage, 20 local rock bands as winners of Boyolali Rock Festival will perform on two stages at Botanical Indrakila and Alun-Alun Lor. Both are situated around 3 to 4 km from the stadium.

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“We plan for the event to be spread out in Boyolali, and there is no ticket fee for the two stages outside the stadium,” said Anas.

Presale tickets will be on sale on March 4 at Boyolali’s Pendopo Alit, exclusively for Boyolali ID card holders. Regular tickets will be sold for Rp 100,000 from March 6.

Anas has organized a number of successful music festivals since 2015, such as the annual Prambanan Jazz Festival and JogjaROCKarta. He also brought La La Land In Concert to Jakarta last November, as well as live performances from several well-known international artists, such as David Foster in Yogyakarta, Central Java, in April last year.

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