It's baffling that one of the most iconic annual hard rock festivals of all time has yet to have a definitive reference book, that is, until now. Rufus Rock 'n Roll Publishing has teamed up with Livenation to release the first official Monsters of Rock book.
Monsters of Rock The Official Illustrated History is written by music journalist John Tucker and is essentially an archive featuring 600 pages of never-before-seen photos, interviews with musicians, setlists, and other memorabilia from the festival. The book will also include an introduction by Joe Elliott of Def Leppard.
The Monsters of Rock festival began in 1980 and continued through 1996 as an almost yearly event. After the tragic death of two fans during Guns N' Roses set in 1988 the festival took a year off in 1989 and returned with a reduced crowd size. The festival took another year off in 1993 when they were faced with the rapid decline of the mainstream's interest in hard rock. The book could potentially offer some new insight on the mighty rise of mainstream rock and its inevitable downfall.
During its run, the Monsters of Rock stage was graced by some of the biggest names in rock history. The festival had such a pop cultural impact that it prompted international tours of the same name. The last tour took place in Germany in 2016 and featured Rainbow, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and Thin Lizzy.
While fans won't be able to hold the physical book in their hands until the new year, the book is available for pre-order here. Fans have an option between the Standard edition, the Leather and Metal Signed edition which is signed by Rob Halford of Judas Priest and at least one artist from each year of the festival's lineup, and the Bundle edition.
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