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Let the rock roll on Classic Rock

The show must go on - and it will.

The Classic Rock Weekend, scheduled for the long weekend in August, is a go and Alice Cooper and his entourage will invade the Foothills.

"In my estimation, there is not a show in North America that is close to the calibre of classic rock acts that we have," said Frank Scott of Player Productions. "This is the show of the year in North America."

Scott is not blowing smoke either.

The 1998 edition of the Classic rock Weekend includes such hall-of-famers as Cooper, Pat Benatar, Foghat, Reo Speedwagon, Thin Lizzy, Foreigner, April Wine, Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), Trooper, Stampeders and Lynyrd Skynyrd - just to name a few.

In addition to the main stage acts, there are more than 20 bands, many of them local, booked for beer gardens area.

The line-up, which has been confirmed and set, has resulted in brisk ticket sales.

Approximately 4,500 tickets have been sold for the four-day show. "That is well above expectations," said Scott of the advance ticket sale. "Things are going really well."

Player Productions expects between 17.000 and 20,000 classic rock fans a day at the rocky mountain jamboree site south of Okotoks.

However, in order to make the Classic Rock Weekend a reality, Scott said his group had to overcome some hurdles.

Not the least of which was the sour taste left after last year's event in which allegedly numerous bills went unpaid.

Scott stresses the fact the Classic Rock Weekend is under a new promoter and many of the mishaps of 1997 will be prevented. "We have some very experienced people working on this show who will not panic," said Scott.

Player Productions has also added a number of features to the even this year including several youth oriented programs dubbed "A Salute to Youth."

The goal of the new programs is to enhance the family atmosphere of the show.

Scott said he hopes the new features and phenomenal acts will bring the crowds to the foothills.

On the condition of good response, Player Productions has committed to hosting the Classic Rock Weekend for another four years.

In addition, Scott said the promotion company will resurrect the Rocky Mountain Jamboree next July.

Plans for the 1999 Classic Rock Weekend have already begun and Scott unveiled a peek at his wish list for next year - Grand funk, Santana and Billy Idol.

Let the rock roll.