The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle was an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and was scheduled for a 2023 revival in Atlantic City by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival. The 2012 event was the final one of its original run, as founder John D'Esposito subsequently left Bamboozle due to creative differences with organizing partners.
History
Early versions
In 2003, The Great Bamboozle - originally known as Skate & Surf - was held from May 30 to June 1 at THE STONE PONY in Asbury Park, New Jersey, with headliners Keller Williams, the Roots, Medeski, Martin & Wood and Dark Star Orchestra, with opening acts Bamm Hollow, New Blood Revival.The 2004 event remained at Convention Hall, expanding from four stages to six, and took place from June 4 to 6, with G. Love and Special Sauce, moe., and Sonic Youth headlining. Other acts appearing included Xavier Rudd, Tristan Prettyman, Matt Nathanson, the Brakes, Days Awake, Dujeous, Kaki King, Blue Highway, Railroad Earth, RAQ, Raisinhill, Antigone Rising, Corn Mo, M. Ward, Stellastarr, My Morning Jacket, Jesse Malin, Patti Smith, Lake Trout, Ambulance LTD, French Kicks, Apollo Sunshine, Steel Train, and Nicole Atkins.
The Bamboozle 2005
In 2005 the festival took the name "The Bamboozle" for the first time. It was held from April 29 to May 1, with the main stage at Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and seven other stages around the city. My Chemical Romance, the Starting Line, and Thrice headlined the three days. Brand New was originally scheduled to headline the first show, but was forced to cancel their show, while Thrice took over as the headliner. Other bands appearing included I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business, Relient K, the Blood Brothers, Motion City Soundtrack, Straylight Run, Finch, Spitalfield, the Receiving End of Sirens, Roses Are Red, Minus the Bear, the Honorary Title, Nightmare of You, Acceptance, Vendetta Red, Anberlin, the Goodwill, Paulson, Kane Hodder, Kevin Devine, Extol, Embrace Today, Anterrabae, Haste the Day, Funeral for a Friend, It Dies Today, Bleeding Through, Patent Pending, I Voted for Kodos, Dropping Daylight, Scenes from a Movie, the Dirtbombs, Say Anything, Mae, Silverstein, A Static Lullaby, Hidden in Plain View, Rufio, the Early November, Midtown, Senses Fail, Further Seems Forever featuring Chris Carrabba, Fall Out Boy, Small Towns Burn A Little Slower, A Wilhelm Scream, Melee, the Academy Is..., the Fight, JamisonParker, Paramore, Moneen, Gatsbys American Dream, Emery, Big D and the Kids Table, Jenoah, House of Fools, Veda, the Honorary Title, Number One Fan, the Spill Canvas, This Day & Age, Over It, Chronic Future, Copeland, Action Action, Lovedrug, Dave Melillo, John Ralston, Lucero, the New Amsterdams, Hot Rod Circuit, Piebald, Crime in Stereo, Hit the Lights, Emanuel, Pistolita, A Thorn For Every Heart, Saosin, the Bled, the Black Maria, Lola Ray, October Fall, the Audition, the A.K.A.'s, Army of Me, Adam Richman, Long Since Forgotten, What About Frank?, Driving East, Bear vs. Shark, New Years Day, For Felix, Bedlight for Blue Eyes, Cute Is What We Aim For, My American Heart, Wakefield, Northern State, Armor for Sleep, Catch 22, the All-American Rejects, Underoath, Flogging Molly, the Bouncing Souls, Alkaline Trio, Scatter the Ashes, Hellogoodbye, Ben Nichols, Say Anything, the Explosion, Bayside, Circa Survive, Halifax, Throw Rag, Ley Royal Scam, Gym Class Heroes, Days Away, Punchline, Mike Park, Idiot Pilot, Plain White T's, Street Dogs, High School Football Heroes, Drive By, Classic Case, Boys Night Out, the Chariot, these Arms are Snakes, Fear Before the March of Flames, the Sleeping, Waking Ashland, Suburban Legends, the Loved Ones, Sirsy, and the Track Record.The Bamboozle 2006
The Bamboozle 2006 was held over six stages at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in the parking lot of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from May 6–7. Fall Out Boy headlined on May 6, and Taking Back Sunday headlined on May 7. Other bands appearing included the Hush Sound, Halifax, the Spill Canvas, Armor for Sleep, Silverstein, From First to Last, Hawthorne Heights, the All-American Rejects, the Sleeping, Bayside, Hidden in Plain View, Hellogoodbye, Mae, Relient K, Streetlight Manifesto, Motion City Soundtrack, Thursday, the A.K.A.'s, the Pink Spiders, Over It, Pistolita, This Day & Age, Paramore, the Rocket Summer, October Fall, Permanent ME, Love Arcade, Drive By, Hit the Lights, Minus the Bear, Mewithoutyou, Forgive Durden, Russian Circles, Madina Lake, Endeverafter, Valencia, Chiodos, John Ralston, We the Kings, Monty, House of Heroes, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Flashlight Brown, Amber Pacific, Jonas Brothers, Just Surrender, Emanuel, Alexisonfire, the Receiving End of Sirens, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Method Man, Panic! at the Disco, Senses Fail, HIM, AFI, Aiden, Moneen, Strike Anywhere, Acceptance, Say Anything, Underoath, Saves the Day, Lifetime, Bedouin Soundclash, Paint It Black, State Radio, I Am the Avalanche, Men, Women & Children, Nightmare of You, Circa Survive, As Cities Burn, the Number 12 Looks Like You, He Is Legend, Stretch Arm Strong, the Fall of Troy, Poison the Well, the Bled, Every Time I Die, From Autumn to Ashes, Crash Romeo, Zox, Sound the Alarm, Permanent Me, Envy on the Coast, Cute is What We Aim For, A Thorn for Every Heart, the Riverboat Gamblers, Fluff My Boner, and MC Lars.2006 also saw the first year of a sister festival in the west of the United States, known as "The Bamboozle Left". This was held at the Cal Poly Pomona Athletic Field in Pomona, California, on October 14–15. Dashboard Confessional, Brand New and Thrice headlined, with 68 other bands performing on five different stages. Other bands appearing at the Bamboozle Left included Secondhand Serenade, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Paramore, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Hellogoodbye, Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate, Sugarcult, Mêlée, the Matches, All Time Low, Envy on the Coast, Halifax, Hit the Lights, Cute is What We Aim For, William Tell, Quietdrive, Big Japan, Sherwood, Playradioplay!, Fireworks, Between the Trees, Strata, Yesterdays Rising, HORSE the Band, Valencia, Ronnie Day, We the Kings, Jonas Brothers, Supernova, the Bled, Murs, Yellowcard, Thirty Seconds to Mars, I Am Ghost, My American Heart, the Audition, Escape the Fate, the Fall of Troy, Pistolita, Chris Conley, The Spill Canvas, the Secret Handshake, Danger Radio, Permanent Me, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, So They Say, Daphne Loves Derby, Amber Pacific, the Outline, Sound the Alarm, A Thorn for Every Heart, Ernie Halter, and Men, Women & Children.
The Bamboozle 2007
The Bamboozle 2007 was again held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex from May 5–6. Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance headlined the event, along with over 150 bands, artists, and comedians performing on nine stages. A compilation album, The Bamboozle 2007: Everything Will Be Much Better Once I Get These Clowns Out of My Head, was released of the event. Several bands performed under "mystery names", such as the Matches, Hawthorne Heights, Thursday, Motion City Soundtrack, Van Stone, the Sleeping, and Silverstein.Bands appearing at the 2007 event included Andrew W.K., Boys Like Girls, Silverstein, Bayside, Cartel, Say Anything, New Found Glory, Hellogoodbye, the Receiving End of Sirens, Cute Is What We Aim For, Paramore, the Spill Canvas, the Starting Line, MC Hammer, Saves the Day, Muse, the Pink Spiders, Valencia, Lydia, Secondhand Serenade, This Providence, Motion City Soundtrack, the Rocket Summer, the High Court, Permanent Me, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Men, Women & Children, Houston Calls, Hit the Lights, Bearfort, Lordi, Forgive Durden, the A.K.A.s, Limbeck, Manchester Orchestra, the Cribs, Hot Rod Circuit, Moneen, Playradioplay, Ronnie Day, Madina Lake, the Audition, Meg & Dia, the Almost, the Hush Sound, We the Kings, Envy on the Coast, the Matches, Thrice, the Sleeping, New Atlantic, Rookie of the Year, Whole Wheat Bread featuring Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, Mitch Fatel, Donnell Rawlings, Just Surrender, The Liam Show, So They Say, Patent Pending, Between the Trees, Jeffree Star, Brand New, Jedi Mind Tricks, the Early November, Mae, Armor for Sleep, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Thrice, Taking Back Sunday, Young Love, Relient K, From First to Last, Circa Survive, Killswitch Engage, Yellowcard, Jack's Mannequin, "Weird Al" Yankovic, the Secret Handshake, Anberlin, Lydia, Daphne Loves Derby, All Time Low, the Sleeping, Plain White T's, Lordi,
Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Haste the Day, the Devil Wears Prada, It Dies Today, the Bled, Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, Blessthefall, the Oohlas, the Dear Hunter, Schoolyard Heroes, Halifax, State Radio, Rx Bandits, Juliette and the Licks, NORA, Sherwood, the Matches, Fair to Midland, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Envy on the Coast, Hawthorne Heights, Catch 22, Jonas Brothers, Secondhand Serenade, the Spill Canvas, Danger Radio, Rookie of the Year, Jack's Mannequin, Treaty of Paris, Amber Pacific, Quietdrive, the Graduate, Conditions, We Are the Fury, Drive By, Dave Melillo, Powerspace, Monty Are I, Mêlée, Stereo Skyline, and Four Letter Lie.
The Bamboozle 2008
In 2008, the Bamboozle added the Bamboozle Roadshow and a new festival called the Hoodwink. The Bamboozle Roadshow 2008 took place from March 28 to May 10 at small venues across the United States featuring several acts selected by the Bamboozle staff. The Hoodwink took place on May 2, one day before the Bamboozle, in the Giants Stadium parking lot in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In addition, the Bamboozle Left, named due to its taking place on the West Coast, was held for the second time, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California.The Bamboozle Roadshow featured Armor for Sleep, Metro Station, Saves the Day, Set Your Goals, A Cursive Memory and Lydia, and stopped in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Chico, California, Sparks, Nevada, Las Vegas, Tempe, Arizona, Irvine, California, Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, Florida, Orlando, Atlanta, Cordova, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, St Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Ohio, Norfolk, Virginia, Baltimore, Philadelphia, East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Worcester, Massachusetts.
The Bamboozle Left 2008 took place on April 5–6 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and the All-American Rejects headlined the festival. Other bands and artists appearing at the festival included
Eye Alaska, Four Year Strong, We the Kings, Streetlight Manifesto, the Starting Line, Story of the Year, Reel Big Fish, Alkaline Trio, the Cab, Daphne Loves Derby, Bayside, Rx Bandits, the Bouncing Souls, New Found Glory, Face to Face, Jimmy Eat World, Automatic Loveletter, A Rocket to the Moon, An Angle, Valencia, Danger Radio, Hit the Lights, Steel Train, Alesana, Our Last Night, Josephine Collective, Rookie of the Year, Paper Rival, Sky Eats Airplane, Dear and the Headlights, the Forecast, the Audition, the Chariot, Austin Gibbs, Charlotte Sometimes, Takota, Zox, Every Avenue, Brighten, Dance Gavin Dance, the Morning Light, Supernova, House of Fools, Broadway Calls, Say No More, From First to Last, MxPx, We the Kings, Escape the Fate, Hawthorne Heights, Hot Water Music, Saves the Day, the Bravery, Chiodos, Schoolyard Heroes, Metro Station, Secondhand Serenade, Armor for Sleep, Billy Talent, Finch, Anti-Flag, Goldfinger, Blaqk Audio, Your Vegas, Protest the Hero, Pierce the Veil, Foxy Shazam, Street Dogs, Set Your Goals, Vinnie Caruana of the Movielife, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Dead to Me, Shook Ones, Drive By, the Sleeping, A Day to Remember, H2O, 7 Seconds, Suicide Silence, theStart, Chronic Future, 3OH!3, the Secret Handshake, the Color Fred, Lydia, Suburban Legends, Jeffree Star, MC Lars, Making April, Breathe Carolina, the Medic Droid, Millionaires, A Cursive Memory, the A.K.A.'s, and Dr. Manhattan.
The Hoodwink 2008 took place on May 2, 2008, in parking lot of the Giants Stadium. This was a secret concert, announced on thebamboozle.com with the message "The Bamboozle Reserves The Right To Trick Everyone on Friday Night, May 2nd With a Mysterious Concert Held Somewhere Close To Another Major Festival". Bands appearing at The Hoodwink included the Pink Spiders, Metro Station, Armor for Sleep, Jack's Mannequin, Say Anything, Mae, Finch, Saves the Day, Chiodos, Someone Say Something, Rookie of the Year, Lydia, the Sleeping, End of an Era, Men, Women & Children, Set Your Goals, and MxPx.
Immediately after the Hoodwink, the Bamboozle 2008 was held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex for the third year in a row, on May 3 – 4. Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Eat World headlined the May 3 show, and Panic! at the Disco and Coheed & Cambria headlined the show on May 4. Other bands and artists who appeared at the festival included Say Anything, Cute Is What We Aim For, Story of the Year, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Less Than Jake, Pepper, Chiodos, Jack's Mannequin, Paramore, Secondhand Serenade, Metro Station, Streetlight Manifesto, Armor for Sleep, Mindless Self Indulgence, Tokio Hotel, Saves The Day, the Bravery, A Rocket to the Moon, Single File, Playradioplay, Vinnie Caruana of the Movielife, Hit the Lights, MxPx, Set Your Goals, Alien Ant Farm, Fiction Plane, I Set My Friends on Fire, Dear and the Headlights, Lydia, the Maine, Snake Milk, Family Force 5, the Rocket Summer, Valencia, Men, Women & Children, Sing It Loud, Our Last Night, Josephine Collective, A Skylit Drive, Sky Eats Airplane, Breathe Carolina, the Audition, the Chariot, Kill Hannah, the Devil Wears Prada, Jeffree Star, MyChildren MyBride, the Sleeping featuring Sebastian Bach, Aiden, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Blessthefall, A Day to Remember, From First to Last, the Birthday Massacre, Alesana, Anthony Raneri, the Pink Spiders featuring Rotten Cotton, As Tall as Lions, Madina Lake, Nore Davis, Blake, Streetlight Manifesto, A Love Like Pi, Takota, Farewell, Every Avenue, Schoolyard Heroes, the Morning Of, Dr. Manhattan, Ludo, Zox, Treaty of Paris, the Maine, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Cobra Starship, Circa Survive, Anti-Flag, the Bouncing Souls, Bret Michaels, Motion City Soundtrack, Gym Class Heroes, Finch, All Time Low, the Academy Is..., Say Anything, the Starting Line, Senses Fail, Thrice, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Automatic Loveletter, My American Heart, Four Year Strong, I Am The Avalanche, Envy on the Coast, the Hush Sound, the Banner, Foxy Shazam, Danger Radio, Forever The Sickest Kids, We the Kings, the Fall of Troy, the Receiving End of Sirens, Every Time I Die, Emmure, Between the Trees, the Secret Handshake, the Dear Hunter, 3OH!3, Mayday Parade, Phantom Planet, Just Surrender, the Color Fred, the Blackout!, Paper Rival, the White Tie Affair, Tyga, Charlotte Sometimes, Street Dogs, Alien Ant Farm, the Cab, the Protomen, Patent Pending, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Anthony Green, the Photo Atlas, Brighten, the Morning Light, You Me and Everyone We Know, Greeley Estates, Sound the Alarm, Good Old War, and Innerpartysystem.