The Sonisphere festival will return next year with an emphasis on celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first concert to be held at Knebworth Park, organisers have confirmed.
Following the event’s late cancellation in 2012, when Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor, together with singer Adam Lambert, were among the performers left in the lurch, organisers have secured two big name headliners for 2014 after a return was also ruled out for this year.
The bookings of Iron Maiden and Metallica should be more than enough for the festival to steer clear of any of the problems of the recent past as 40 years of Knebworth concerts are due to be honoured.
“During our two-year absence we’ve continued to believe in and work hard on Sonisphere,” organisers have said in a statement. “We said in 2013 that if we had the right line-up then we would be back, and that’s exactly what we’ve got in 2014. The omens were obviously on our side when we secured the two biggest and best metal acts of all time in the year that also brings the 40th anniversary of the first concert at Knebworth.”
“We all grew up in England well aware of the importance of the legendary concerts at Knebworth, and scarily it all seems quite recent,” Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has remarked. “Without being clichéd, it really is an honor and privilege to return to play there with the purpose of celebrating some of the finest moments in British rock history from inspirational bands like Pink Floyd, The Who, Zeppelin, The Stones and Genesis.”
“This just works on all fronts: Metallica and Knebworth, Metallica by Request, Metallica and Iron Maiden,” Lars Ulrich added. “To be invited to co-headline the 40th anniversary celebration at the legendary Knebworth House is truly a mindfuck. Considering the iconic bands whose performances at Knebworth are part of rock and roll history, it’s not only a next level honour, but a somewhat humbling undertaking.”
Sonisphere 2014 will be held over the weekend of July 4th-6th.