New Festivals: Columbus WonderBus Arrives, Chaos AB To Rock Edmonton

Elevation Group, creators and producers of longtime Cleveland music festival LaureLive have announced the inaugural WonderBus Festival in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 17-18, bringing artists to On The Lawn at CAS including Walk The Moon, X Ambassadors, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, The Re-vivalists, Bishop Briggs, Mt. Joy, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.

For WonderBus, Elevation, led by Denny Young, is partnering with Columbus native Cliff Chenfeld and Music Elevates founder Michelle Wesley, along with Ohio State University to prevent suicide and combat depression.

In collaboration with CAS, WonderBus, has hooked up with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health to guarantee a share of the festival revenue will help the medical center’s programs for fighting depression. 

“The Ohio State University is honored to partner with CAS and The Elevation Group to support efforts to combat depression and strengthen suicide prevention programs for the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake.

“We are so proud to host WonderBus on our property,” commented Dr. Michael Dennis, vice president CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society. “This is going to be an exceptional music, food and entertainment experience for the Columbus community; and the festival’s ultimate purpose of raising awareness and funding research to treat mental health issues, aligns with CAS’s mission to improve people’s lives through the trans-forming power of chemistry.”

Single-day tickets start at $45, and early-bird discounts see $65 for two-day tickets. There are also family discounts.

The inaugural Chaos AB in Edmonton, Alberta, will see major rock artists in the Canadian province July 26-27, with Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Disturbed, and Slayer headlining at Kinsmen Park. Tickets go on sale Friday.

The announcement says Chaos AB is expecting thousands of fans each day for the first annual event, which boasts a proximity to the North Saskatchewan River.

“Every aspect of the maiden year of CHAOS AB is built on the vision of bringing a high-quality rock event to the people who live and breathe this lifestyle every day,” said Nhaelan McMillan, Live Nation Canada, Vice President, Talent. “We promise to deliver the ultimate rock experience right here in our own backyard.” Alberta boasts a population of more than 4 million.

As fan parking will not be available onsite, festival shuttles will be running three different routes across the city from the Downtown core, University: Education Car Park looping on to 97 Ave, and from the festivals’ VIP Parking location. Fans are also encouraged to take the LRT or bus to the festival site. 

The rest of the lineup includes Headstones, GWAR, Animals as Leaders, One Bad Son, Royal Tusk, Light The Torch, The Dirty Nil, and Selfish Things, with more promised.

The show is said to be the final Alberta show for Slayer, which is on an extended final tour. 

Rob Zombie and Manson have been on tour together for a summer amphitheatre tour in 2018, although the only Canadian date was in Toronto. That run reported $7.2 million grossed to Pollstar, good for No. 157 on the 2018 Year End Top 200 North American Tours.

Boxoffice reports from that run include FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, Calif., Aug. 29 (9,527 tickets sold, $431,750 grossed), Concord pavilion in Concord, Calif., Aug. 28 (5,225, $158,597) and Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix Aug. 26 (13,164, $394,513).