The Bamboozle


The Bamboozle was an annual three-day music festival held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival. In 2012, creator John D left Bamboozle due to creative differences with Live Nation. He later clarified in an interview that while he was disappointed in Live Nation's support of the festival, "It wasn’t LiveNation that did this – House of Blues did. House of Blues is 100% responsible for the damage of Bamboozle."

The characters

The Bamboozle has many different characters within the festival planning. Some of these characters are real people with false identities, who work to plan and operate the festival, while others are completely fictional, and serve as a means to give the public clues as to who may be playing at The Bamboozle.

2003

The Great Bamboozle

The Great Bamboozle was held on May 30, May 31, and June 1, 2003, at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Keller Williams, The Roots, and Dark Star Orchestra headlined the shows, respectively.
May 30 lineup

The Great Bamboozle 2004

The Great Bamboozle 2004 was held on June 4, June 5, and June 6, 2004, at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. G. Love and Special Sauce, moe., and Sonic Youth headlined the shows, respectively.
June 4 lineup

The Bamboozle 2005

The first Bamboozle was held on April 29, April 30, and May 1, 2005, at Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey. My Chemical Romance, The Starting Line, and Thrice headlined the shows, respectively. Brand New was originally scheduled to headline the first show, but was forced to cancel their show, while Thrice took over as the headliner.
April 29 lineup

The Bamboozle 2006

The Bamboozle 2006 was held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in the parking lot of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Fall Out Boy headlined on May 6, and Taking Back Sunday headlined on May 7.
May 6 lineup
The Bamboozle Left was held at the Cal Poly Pomona Athletic Field in Pomona, California, on October 14 and October 15. Dashboard Confessional, Brand New and Thrice headlined, with 68 other bands performing on 5 different stages.
October 14

The Bamboozle 2007

The Bamboozle 2007 was again held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex from May 5 to May 6. Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance headlined the event, along with over 150 bands, artists, and comedians performing on 9 stages. A compilation album,, was created from the event.
Many bands performed under "mystery names", such as The Matches, Hawthorne Heights, Thursday, Motion City Soundtrack, Van Stone, The Sleeping, and Silverstein.
May 5 lineup
In 2008, the Bamboozle created 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 in 2008, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California.

The Bamboozle Roadshow

MonthDayCityVenue
M
A
R
C
H		28SeattleNeumo's
M
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H		29Portland, OregonWonder Ballroom
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H		30San FranciscoThe Fillmore
A
P
R
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L		1Santa Cruz, CaliforniaCatalyst
A
P
R
I
L		2Chico, CaliforniaSenator Theatre
A
P
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I
L		3Sparks, NevadaNew Oasis
A
P
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I
L		4Las VegasThe Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
A
P
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I
L		5Tempe, ArizonaMarquee Theatre
A
P
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I
L		6Irvine, CaliforniaVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre
A
P
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I
L		8Albuquerque, New MexicoSunshine Theatre
A
P
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I
L		10Austin, TexasLa Zona Rosa
A
P
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I
L		11DallasHouse of Blues
A
P
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I
L		12Oklahoma CityBricktown Ballroom
A
P
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I
L		13HoustonMeridian
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I
L		15Fort Lauderdale, FloridaRevolution
A
P
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I
L		16St. Petersburg, FloridaState Theatre
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P
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I
L		17Orlando, FloridaHouse of Blues
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P
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I
L		18AtlantaMasquerade
A
P
R
I
L		19Cordova, TennesseeSkatepark of Memphis
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P
R
I
L		20Cincinnati, OhioBogart's
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P
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I
L		21Grand Rapids, MichiganIntersection
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I
L		23St Paul, MinnesotaStation 4
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I
L		24MilwaukeeThe Rave
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I
L		25ChicagoHouse of Blues
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P
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I
L		26DetroitSt. Andrews Hall
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P
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I
L		27Columbus, OhioNewport Music Hall
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P
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I
L		niaNorva-
A
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L		30BaltimoreRams Head Live!
M
A
Y		1PhiladelphiaThe Fillmore
M
A
Y		2East Rutherford, New JerseyGiants Stadium Parking Lot
M
A
Y		3East Rutherford, New JerseyMeadowlands Sports Complex
M
A
Y		4Worcester, MassachusettsThe Palladium

The Bamboozle Left 2008

The Bamboozle Left 2008 took place on April 5 and April 6, 2008 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and The All-American Rejects headlined the festival. The following bands and artists performed on the respective dates:
April 5 lineup
This is a secret or mysterious concert, and as quoted on thebamboozle.com "The Bamboozle Reserves The Right To Trick Everyone on Friday Night, May 2nd With a Mysterious Concert Held Somewhere Close To Another Major Festival", this concert speculated to be The Hoodwink.
Many of the names on the Hoodwink website now have a link attached to them, which you can click on taking you to the band's website.

The Bamboozle 2008

The Bamboozle 2008 was held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex for its third year in a row on May 3 and May 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. The following bands and artists performed on the respective dates:
May 3 lineup

The Hoodwink California

The Bamboozle Left 2009 took place on April 4 and April 5. Fall Out Boy headlined the April 4 show while 50 Cent headlined the show on April 5. The following bands and artists performed:
April 4 lineup
MonthDayCityVenue
A
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L		5Tucson, ArizonaRialto Theatre
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L		7DallasHouse of Blues
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I
L		8San AntonioWhite Rabbit
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I
L		9HoustonHouse of Blues
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I
L		10Tulsa, OklahomaCain's Ballroom
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L		11St. Louis, MissouriThe Pageant
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I
L		12Nashville, TennesseeRocketown
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I
L		14St. Petersburg, FloridaState Theatre
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I
L		15Fort Lauderdale, FloridaRevolution
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I
L		16Lake Buena Vista, FloridaHouse of Blues
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L		17Jacksonville Beach, FloridaFreebird Live
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I
L		18AtlantaMasquerade
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I
L		20IndianapolisEgyptian Room
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I
L		21MilwaukeeThe Rave
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I
L		22ChicagoHouse of Blues
A
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L		23Pontiac, MichiganClutch Cargo's
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L		24Cleveland, OhioHouse of Blues
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I
L		25Alfred, New YorkAlfred University
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I
L		26PhiladelphiaTheatre of the Living Arts
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I
L		28Towson, MarylandThe Recher Theatre
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L		29Worcester, MassachusettsThe Palladium
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L		30Farmingdale, NEw YorkThe Crazy Donkey

The Hoodwink New Jersey

The 2009 edition of the Hoodwink took place on May 1, 2009, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and featured the following bands playing entire sets covering the songs of other bands or artists:
Lineup
;*Push Play covering Muse
;*Set Your Goals covering Dave Grohl's bands
;*Bayside covering NOFX
;*Sum 41 covering Metallica
;*Badfish featuring Todd Forman covering Sublime
;*Never Shout Never covering The Beatles
;*We the Kings covering Jimmy Eat World
;*Boys Like Girls covering Coldplay
;*New Found Glory covering Green Day
;*Inward Eye covering The Who
;*Mercy Mercedes covering Midtown
;*Forever the Sickest Kids covering Avril Lavigne
;*The Ataris covering The Misfits
;*Anti-Flag covering The Clash
;*Dubious Pastry covering Radiohead
;*Cartel covering New Found Glory
;*The Cab covering Queen
;*Danger Radio covering Britney Spears
;*brokeNCYDE performing a "Crunk'd set"

The Bamboozle 2009

The Bamboozle 2009 took place on May 2 and May 3. Fall Out Boy headlined the May 2 show, and No Doubt headlined the show on May 3. The following bands and artists performed:
May 2 lineup

The Hoodwink California

The Hoodwink California took place on March 26, 2010, at The Grove of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
The Bamboozle California took place on March 27 and March 28, 2010, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
March 27 lineup
The Hoodwink New Jersey took place on April 30, 2010, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Lineup
The Bamboozle 2010 took place on May 1 and May 2, 2010, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
May 1 lineup
The Bamboozle Chicago took place on May 15, 2010, at Charter One Pavilion in Chicago.
Lineup
Took place May 21, 2010 through June 27, 2010
All bands confirmed for the entire tour unless otherwise noted.
Bands
MonthDayCityVenue
M
A
Y		21Columbia, MarylandMerriweather Post Pavilion
M
A
Y		22Charlotte, North CarolinaUptown Amphitheatre at The Music Factory
M
A
Y		23AtlantaSix Flags Over Georgia
M
A
Y		25West Palm Beach, FloridaCruzan Amphitheatre
M
A
Y		26Tampa, FloridaFord Amphitheatre
M
A
Y		28Houston, TexasVerizon Wireless Theater
M
A
Y		29Arlington, TexasSix Flags Over Texas
M
A
Y		30San Antonio, TexasSix Flags Fiesta Texas
J
U
N
E		---
J
U
N
E		3Las Vegas, NevadaHard Rock at the Joint
J
U
N
E		6Hollywood, CaliforniaHollywood Palladium
J
U
N
E		9Bonner Springs, KansasSandstone Amphitheater
J
U
N
E		10Minneapolis, MinnesotaCabooze Plaza
J
U
N
E		11Milwaukee, WisconsinEagles Ballroom
J
U
N
E		12ChicagoSoldier Field Parking Lot
J
U
N
E		13Eureka, MissouriSix Flags St. Louis
J
U
N
E		15Clarkston, MichiganDTE Energy Music Theatre
J
U
N
E		16TorontoMolson Amphitheatre
J
U
N
E		18Cleveland, OhioTime Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
J
U
N
E		19CincinnatiPNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
J
U
N
E		20PhiladelphiaFestival Pier at Penn's Landing
J
U
N
E		21Portsmouth, VirginiaNtelos Pavilion Harbor Center
J
U
N
E		23Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaAmphitheater at Station Square
J
U
N
E		24Jackson, New JerseySix Flags Great Adventure
J
U
N
E		25Hershey, PennsylvaniaHershey Park Pavilion
J
U
N
E		26Uniondale, New YorkNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Parking Lot
J
U
N
E		27Mansfield, MassachusettsComcast Center
J
U
N
E		---
J
U
N
E		---

2011

The Bamboozle 2011

The Bamboozle 2011 took place April 29 to May 1, 2011, at the new Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
April 29

The Bamboozle 2012 (10th Anniversary)

On November 7, 2011, John D, the founder, tweeted a picture from Asbury Park, New Jersey hinting that the festival would return there to help celebrate its 10-year anniversary. It was later confirmed on their website and in various chats with John D.
The three-day music and pop culture event will be staged at North Beach Asbury Park, New Jersey, May 18, 19 and 20, 2012 with Incubus, Foo Fighters, Mac Miller, Skrillex, Bon Jovi, Brand New and My Chemical Romance as the headliners. Originally Blink-182 was to perform but was replaced by My Chemical Romance when Blink-182 had to cancel due to medical issues that Travis Barker had. Bamboozle refused to accept refunds for anyone who no longer wished to attend once the announcement had been made.
A behind the scenes series about the planning of the return of The Bamboozle to Asbury Park, New Jersey is being created, called "The Gursky Project", by John D. & Samuel Gursky. The first episode premiered on Sunday December 18, 2011 at 08:00pm EST and can be seen on the official Bamboozle Vimeo Page.
In 2012, Bamboozle offered guests contact-less admission with wristbands using RFID technology,
making the event one of the few to use such technology in the US.
May 18 lineup
In 2012, festival creator John D. announced that he was not longer a part of Bamboozle due to creative differences with LiveNation and House of Blues. He went on to say in an interview:
"There were obviously strong creative differences. For the anniversary we wanted to bring it back to Asbury Park and I paid for my own flight to Beverly Hills to convince Michael Lapino and Arthur Fogel to bring it back there. We had the site and we had everything in place, but the partners wanted to put someone down to watch us."