Rock The Locks Brings an Unforgettable Music Celebration to Umatilla, Oregon.
October 19, 2023
Over the first weekend in October music lovers from across the country flocked to Umatilla, Oregon, to attend the inaugural Rock the Locks Music Festival. This three-day music extravaganza, presented by the city of Umatilla in partnership with Phantizy Productions, set the stage for an unforgettable event that showcased an impressive lineup of talented musicians. From iconic headliners Collective Soul, ZZ Top and Night Ranger to local acts, the festival offered a musical celebration for everyone.
Rock the Locks music festival played host to over 25 different bands over the course of the three days. With a two-stage setup that kept the music going constantly, attendees had the opportunity to explore a abundance of music and enjoy performances from seasoned vets, to rising stars. Established acts such as Hinder, Everclear, Royal Bliss, Geoff Tate and others helped keep the music going through the day and weekend with everyone having a great time and just when you thought one act was the best someone else would raise the bar another notch.
Legendary headliners closed out each night with a set that reminded everyone why we were there in the first place, listening to some great music by amazing performers with like-minded people.
Collective Soul, known for their distinctive alt/rock sound capped the opening night with an energy packed set of their catchy melodies and songs including fan favorites “Shine” and “The World I Know”. ZZ Top delivered a masterclass in showmanship reminding everyone why they have stayed a force in rock music after all this time. Their performance of fan favorites including “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Gimmie All Your Lovin” electrified the festival grounds. On the final night, Night Ranger, turned up the energy level a whole other notch with their signature style of melodic hard rock. The band took us on a delightful journey through their impressive discography and left everyone craving more.
Rock the Locks also featured a wealth of local music talent that the organizers thoughtfully included both on the side and main stage. Local rising stars such as The Nixon Rodeo showcased their musical style on the side stage and became one of my favorite acts over the weekend. The side stage provided a platform for these emerging artists to showcase their musical styles to a wider audience and gave the attendees the chance to see the vibrant musical landscape of not only Umatilla but the surrounding area also. On the main stage local established acts such Rail, which included hometown favorite, Kelly Nobles on drums, rocked the stage to the delight of everyone in attendance.
Beyond the music, Rock the Locks fostered a strong sense of camaraderie and community with everyone who attended. We all immersed ourselves into the music of the event and got to meet local and people from all walks of life from across the country who all made the trip for the same reason as us, a love of music. The event featured some great local food vendors and a seating area where we had the chance to talk about music and life with others while enjoying some of the local food trucks. Of course, music was one of the main topics and everyone agreed how well this event was going for a first-year event and who we would love to see at the next event.
Rock The Locks exceeded all expectations delivering an exceptional weekend of fun, music, electrifying performances and community to all who attended. Umatilla proved to be the perfect host for this inaugural event, leaving attendees eagerly anticipating future installments and awaiting the lineup announcement for next years event. By bringing together music lovers from across the country and showcasing touring and local acts the city provided the perfect melting pot of musical genres which combined with the spirit and hospitality of Umatilla made for an unforgettable experience for all.
