Twisted Sister to replace The Doors of the 21st Century
'Troop Tribute' honors service members at Moondance Jam 14

Dean Morrill, Editor
The Pilot-Independent

Wednesday, July 13th, 2005

The 1980s heavy metal rock band Twisted Sister will make their first appearance at Moondance Jam this weekend after being signed as a late replacement.
Famous for their No. 1 hit "We're Not Gonna Take It," Twisted Sister replaces The Doors of the 21st Century, who canceled last week, three months after signing a contract.

Last week Bill Bieloh, the owner and promoter of Moondance Jam, was notified that The Doors were canceling a few concert performances, and the Jam was one of those dates.

Bieloh, who said he was looking forward to their performance, tried to get the band to change their minds. He even rented a leer jet to fly the group to Walker and back home, but by Thursday evening the band decided not to make the trip to northern Minnesota.

Because of the cancelation, Saturday night's lineup schedule may be juggled. As of Monday night, Twisted Sister was set to close Fab 14.
Bieloh passed on his apologies to all the fans who were excited to see The Doors of the 21st Century, adding he tried to do everything possible to get them here.

Thursday night's lineup times have also been changed a little, but all of the bands are the same.

Fab 14 — held Wednesday through Saturday at the Moondance Fairgrounds — will feature some of the biggest rock 'n' roll groups from the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

Rock 'n' roll legends scheduled to perform include Daisy Dillman Band, .38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd Wednesday; Loverboy, Grand Funk Railroad, Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon Thursday; Wishbone Ash, Blackfoot, Tesla and Journey Friday; and Savoy Brown, Firehouse, Ratt, Cinderella, Whitesnake and Twisted Sister Saturday.

Additionally, 24 regional acts will appear on the main stage and in the Jam's saloon all four days.

Tribute to the troops

A salute to service members who have served or currently are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will be held Saturday night on the main stage.
"Troop Tribute" will include a flyover of three Fort Ripley Blackhawk Helicopters and a musical tribute highlighting more than 1,000 Minnesota men and women serving in the military on the jumbotron.

The "Troop Tribute" starts at will 6:45 p.m. with 12-year-old Kristy Peterson singing "God Bless America" and "Soldiers Come Home," a song she wrote.

Former and current service members are invited to take part in the tribute by sitting on the main stage during Peterson's performance. A bus transporting the service members, who must be in uniform in order to get in free, leaves Northern Lights Casino & Hotel at 6:30 p.m.

Softball and volleyball

Fab 14 will also include free co-ed softball and volleyball tournaments, and a camping contest.

Slowpitch softball games will be held in the late morning to mid afternoon, and all teams will be required to have five men and five women in the lineup and on the field at all times.

Teams need to preregister for the softball tournament. Register online at moondancejam.com

The recreational co-ed volleyball tournament is free to all jammers. Teams will need to have three or four men and women on the court. Games will be held in the late morning to mid afternoon on the volleyball court next to the Moondance fields concession area.

The camping contest

In the camping contest, Jammers will vie for several prizes. The best campsite will win 15 onstage passes to a Saturday act, along with eight four-day passes to Moondance Jam 15.

There will be three runner-up campsites receiving a Bud, Pepsi or Jam gift pack.

Tickets and camping

Tickets and camping must be purchased at the gate (if available). Reserved camping has been sold out for months, but general camping is still available.

Campers must be 18 years old or older to camp in the general camping area.

For those not camping at the Jam site, parking is available at Northern Lights Casino. A shuttle bus will then take Jammers to the concert grounds. Also a 600-spot pay parking lot is available at the Jam site.