DAYTON, OH (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Despite a rowdy crowd, Dayton, Ohio's X-Fest ran smoothly with noise complaints as the biggest hiccup of the rock 'n' roll festival.
The roster for the Montgomery County Fairgrounds' concert was compiled from listener requests and the playlist at WXEG-FM (103.9), the local modern rock station that hosted the September 12th event.
“From that perspective it’s a unique festival, where you will not see Shinedown performing with Sick Puppies performing with the Dirty Heads in any other market,” said Dan Kemer, vice president of Live Nation Indiana and producer of the show, according to the Dayton Daily News.
About 20 people called Oakwood police to complain about loud music from the festival, but Kemer said the sound system and stages were no different from past years.
"I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We had over 15,000 people for X-Fest 15,” Kemer continued. He wasn’t aware of any major problems during the daylong event.
The show featured ten nationally touring acts and four local bands who competed in the annual "Battle for X-Fest" for the opportunity to perform.
Dayton lacks a large outdoor amphitheater like Cincinnati’s 20,000-seat Riverbend Music Center, so an event that brings in national touring acts made it "special for Dayton,” said Steve Kramer, WXEG’s program director according to the Dayton Daily News.
The production involved 250 to 300 people, including stage crews, security, staff and volunteers. Crews typically start loading in the stages, lights and sound gear four to five days before the event.
While previous X-Fest's have elicited some negative attention for crowd behavior, such as the need for Dayton Fire Department medics to be dispatched 40 times for heat and alcohol related illnesses during the 2009 festival, this year's fest went considerably well. “I wish we had these kinds of crowds at all my shows,” Kramer admitted, according to the Dayton Daily News. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
