The Bamboozle

The Bamboozle is an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and is scheduled for a 2023 revival by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival. The 2012 event was the final one of its original run, as founder John D'Esposito subsequently left Bamboozle due to creative differences with organizing partners.

History

Early versions

In 2003, The Great Bamboozle was held from May 30 to June 1 at The Stone Pony, with headliners Keller Williams, the Roots, and Dark Star Orchestra.

The 2004 event remained at The Stone Pony, expanding from four stages to six, and took place from June 4 to 6, with G. Love and Special Sauce, moe., and Sonic Youth headlining. Other acts appearing included Xavier Rudd, Tristan Prettyman, Matt Nathanson, the Brakes, Days Awake, Dujeous, Kaki King, Blue Highway, Railroad Earth, RAQ, Raisinhill, Antigone Rising, Corn Mo, M. Ward, Stellastarr, My Morning Jacket, Jesse Malin, Patti Smith, Lake Trout, Ambulance LTD, French Kicks, Apollo Sunshine, Steel Train, and Nicole Atkins.

The Bamboozle 2005

In 2005 the festival took the name "The Bamboozle" for the first time. It was held from April 29 to May 1, with the main stage at Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and seven other stages around the city. My Chemical Romance, the Starting Line, and Thrice headlined the three days. Brand New was originally scheduled to headline the first show, but was forced to cancel their show, while Thrice took over as the headliner. Other bands appearing included I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business, Relient K, the Blood Brothers, Motion City Soundtrack, Straylight Run, Finch, Spitalfield, the Receiving End of Sirens, Roses Are Red, Minus the Bear, the Honorary Title, Nightmare of You, Acceptance, Vendetta Red, Anberlin, the Goodwill, Paulson, Kane Hodder, Kevin Devine, Extol, Embrace Today, Anterrabae, Haste the Day, Funeral for a Friend, It Dies Today, Bleeding Through, Patent Pending, I Voted for Kodos, Dropping Daylight, Scenes from a Movie, the Dirtbombs, Say Anything, Mae, Silverstein, A Static Lullaby, Hidden in Plain View, Rufio, the Early November, Midtown, Senses Fail, Further Seems Forever featuring Chris Carrabba, Fall Out Boy, Small Towns Burn A Little Slower, A Wilhelm Scream, Melee, the Academy Is..., the Fight, JamisonParker, Paramore, Moneen, Gatsbys American Dream, Emery, Big D and the Kids Table, Jenoah, House of Fools, Veda, the Honorary Title, Number One Fan, the Spill Canvas, This Day & Age, Over It, Chronic Future, Copeland, Action Action, Lovedrug, Dave Melillo, John Ralston, Lucero, the New Amsterdams, Hot Rod Circuit, Piebald, Crime in Stereo, Hit the Lights, Emanuel, Pistolita, A Thorn For Every Heart, Saosin, the Bled, the Black Maria, Lola Ray, October Fall, the Audition, the A.K.A.'s, Adam Richman, Long Since Forgotten, What About Frank?, Driving East, Bear vs. Shark, New Years Day, For Felix, Bedlight for Blue Eyes, Cute Is What We Aim For, My American Heart, Wakefield, Northern State, Armor for Sleep, Catch 22, the All-American Rejects, Flogging Molly, the Bouncing Souls, Alkaline Trio, Scatter the Ashes, Hellogoodbye, Ben Nichols, Say Anything, the Explosion, Bayside, Circa Survive, Halifax, Throw Rag, Ley Royal Scam, Gym Class Heroes, Days Away, Punchline, Mike Park, Idiot Pilot, Plain White T's, Street Dogs, High School Football Heroes, Drive By, Classic Case, Boys Night Out, the Chariot, these Arms are Snakes, Fear Before the March of Flames, the Sleeping, Waking Ashland, Suburban Legends, the Loved Ones, Sirsy, and the Track Record.

The Bamboozle 2006

The Bamboozle 2006 was held over six stages at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in the parking lot of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from May 6–7. Fall Out Boy headlined on May 6, and Taking Back Sunday headlined on May 7. Other bands appearing included the Hush Sound, Halifax, the Spill Canvas, Armor for Sleep, Silverstein, From First to Last, Hawthorne Heights, the All-American Rejects, Bayside, Hidden in Plain View, Hellogoodbye, Mae, Relient K, Streetlight Manifesto, Motion City Soundtrack, Thursday, the A.K.A.'s, Over It, Pistolita, This Day & Age, Paramore, the Rocket Summer, October Fall, Permanent ME, Love Arcade, Drive By, Hit the Lights, Minus the Bear, Mewithoutyou, Forgive Durden, Russian Circles, Madina Lake, Endeverafter, Valencia, Chiodos, John Ralston, We the Kings, Monty, House of Heroes, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Flashlight Brown, Amber Pacific, Jonas Brothers, Just Surrender, Emanuel, Alexisonfire, the Receiving End of Sirens, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Method Man, Panic! at the Disco, Senses Fail, HIM, AFI, Aiden, Moneen, Strike Anywhere, Acceptance, Say Anything, Underoath, Saves the Day, Lifetime, Bedouin Soundclash, Paint It Black, State Radio, I Am the Avalanche, Men, Women & Children, Nightmare of You, Circa Survive, As Cities Burn, the Number 12 Looks Like You, He Is Legend, Stretch Arm Strong, the Fall of Troy, Poison the Well, the Bled, Every Time I Die, From Autumn to Ashes, Crash Romeo, Zox, Sound the Alarm, Permanent Me, Envy on the Coast, Cute is What We Aim For, A Thorn for Every Heart, the Riverboat Gamblers, Fluff My Boner, and MC Lars.

2006 also saw the first year of a sister festival in the west of the United States, known as "The Bamboozle Left". This was held at the Cal Poly Pomona Athletic Field in Pomona, California, on October 14–15. Dashboard Confessional, Brand New and Thrice headlined, with 68 other bands performing on five different stages. Other bands appearing at the Bamboozle Left included Secondhand Serenade, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Paramore, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Hellogoodbye, Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate, Sugarcult, Mêlée, the Matches, All Time Low, Envy on the Coast, Halifax, Hit the Lights, Cute is What We Aim For, William Tell, Quietdrive, Big Japan, Sherwood, Playradioplay!, Fireworks, Between the Trees, Strata, Yesterdays Rising, HORSE the Band, Valencia, Ronnie Day, We the Kings, Jonas Brothers, Supernova, the Bled, Murs, Yellowcard, Thirty Seconds to Mars, I Am Ghost, My American Heart, the Audition, Escape the Fate, the Fall of Troy, Pistolita, Chris Conley, The Spill Canvas, the Secret Handshake, Danger Radio, Permanent Me, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, So They Say, Daphne Loves Derby, Amber Pacific, the Outline, Sound the Alarm, A Thorn for Every Heart, Ernie Halter, and Men, Women & Children.

The Bamboozle 2007

The Bamboozle 2007 was again held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex from May 5–6. Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance headlined the event, along with over 150 bands, artists, and comedians performing on nine stages. A compilation album, '' The Bamboozle 2007: Everything Will Be Much Better Once I Get These Clowns Out of My Head'', was released of the event. Several bands performed under "mystery names", such as the Matches (the Locals), Hawthorne Heights (the Death of...), Thursday (Bearfort), Motion City Soundtrack (The Great American Freedom Machine), Van Stone (Yesterday's 2morrow), the Sleeping (Biker Women), and Silverstein (XCanuckX).

Bands appearing at the 2007 event included Andrew W.K., Boys Like Girls, Silverstein, Bayside, Cartel, Say Anything, New Found Glory, Hellogoodbye, the Receiving End of Sirens, Cute Is What We Aim For, Paramore, the Spill Canvas, the Starting Line, MC Hammer, Saves the Day, Muse, the Pink Spiders, Valencia, Lydia, Secondhand Serenade, This Providence, Motion City Soundtrack, the Rocket Summer, the High Court, Permanent Me, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Men, Women & Children, Houston Calls, Hit the Lights, Bearfort, Lordi, Forgive Durden, the A.K.A.s, Limbeck, Manchester Orchestra, the Cribs, Hot Rod Circuit, Moneen, Playradioplay, Ronnie Day, Madina Lake, the Audition, Meg & Dia, the Almost, the Hush Sound, We the Kings, Envy on the Coast, the Matches, Thrice, the Sleeping, New Atlantic, Rookie of the Year, Whole Wheat Bread featuring Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, Mitch Fatel, Donnell Rawlings, Just Surrender, The Liam Show, So They Say, Patent Pending, Between the Trees, Jeffree Star, Brand New, Jedi Mind Tricks, the Early November, Mae, Armor for Sleep, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Thrice, Taking Back Sunday, Young Love, Relient K, From First to Last, Circa Survive, Killswitch Engage, Yellowcard, Jack's Mannequin, "Weird Al" Yankovic, the Secret Handshake, Anberlin, Lydia, Daphne Loves Derby, All Time Low, the Sleeping, Plain White T's, Lordi,
Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Haste the Day, the Devil Wears Prada, It Dies Today, the Bled, Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, Blessthefall, the Oohlas, the Dear Hunter, Schoolyard Heroes, Halifax, State Radio, Rx Bandits, Juliette and the Licks, NORA, Sherwood, the Matches, Fair to Midland, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Envy on the Coast, Hawthorne Heights, Catch 22, Jonas Brothers, Secondhand Serenade, the Spill Canvas, Danger Radio, Rookie of the Year, Jack's Mannequin, Treaty of Paris, Amber Pacific, Quietdrive, the Graduate, Conditions, We Are the Fury, Drive By, Dave Melillo, Powerspace, Monty Are I, Mêlée, Stereo Skyline, and Four Letter Lie.

2008

In 2008, the Bamboozle added 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, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California.

The Bamboozle Roadshow featured Armor for Sleep, Metro Station, Saves the Day, Set Your Goals, A Cursive Memory (selected dates) and Lydia (selected dates), and stopped in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Chico, California, Sparks, Nevada, Las Vegas, Tempe, Arizona, Irvine, California, Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, Florida, Orlando, Atlanta, Cordova, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, St Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Ohio, Norfolk, Virginia, Baltimore, Philadelphia, East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Worcester, Massachusetts.

The Bamboozle Left 2008 took place on April 5–6 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and the All-American Rejects, Four Year Strong, We the Kings, Streetlight Manifesto, the Starting Line, Story of the Year, Reel Big Fish, Alkaline Trio, the Cab, Daphne Loves Derby, Bayside, Rx Bandits, the Bouncing Souls, New Found Glory, Face to Face, Jimmy Eat World, Automatic Loveletter, A Rocket to the Moon, An Angle, Valencia, Danger Radio, Hit the Lights, Steel Train, Alesana, Our Last Night, Josephine Collective, Rookie of the Year, Paper Rival, Sky Eats Airplane, Dear and the Headlights, the Forecast, the Audition, the Chariot, Austin Gibbs, Charlotte Sometimes, Takota, Zox, Every Avenue, Brighten, Dance Gavin Dance, the Morning Light, Supernova, House of Fools, Broadway Calls, Say No More, From First to Last, MxPx, We the Kings, Escape the Fate, Hawthorne Heights, Hot Water Music, Saves the Day, the Bravery, Chiodos, Schoolyard Heroes, Metro Station, Secondhand Serenade, Armor for Sleep, Billy Talent, Finch, Anti-Flag, Goldfinger, Blaqk Audio, Your Vegas, Protest the Hero, Pierce the Veil, Foxy Shazam, Street Dogs, Set Your Goals, Vinnie Caruana of the Movielife, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Dead to Me, Shook Ones, Drive By, the Sleeping, A Day to Remember, H₂O, 7 Seconds, Suicide Silence, theStart, Chronic Future, 3OH!3, the Secret Handshake, the Color Fred, Lydia, Suburban Legends, Jeffree Star, MC Lars, Making April, Breathe Carolina, the Medic Droid, Millionaires, A Cursive Memory, the A.K.A.'s

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