This summer Harley-Davidson will be celebrating their 105th Anniversary with a large event taking place in Milwaukee from August 28-31st. The big finish to the celebration is the weekend-long concerts that are happening on the 29th and 30th with a multi-generational, eclectic mix of talent including the likes of: Foghat, ZZ Top, Dr. John, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Black Crowes, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Dierks Bentley, Puddle of Mudd & Daughtry just to name a few. Up until yesterday the main headliner to the event was Bruce Springsteen (who is a favorite amongst many in the biker community-I personally am not a fan). But now HD has announced that they’ve added The Foo Fighters and Three Days Grace to the event.
“Foo Fighters and Three Days Grace are incredible additions to our already stellar line-up for the 105th Anniversary,” said Ken Ostermann, Harley-Davidson’s general manager of Outreach Marketing.
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep on saying it, Harley-Davidson definitely is trying it’s hardest to market to a younger generation and it’s blatantly obvious when looking at the full line-up of bands at this event. On one hand I think it’s great that us “younguns” can finally listen to musicians of our generation at a biker event. But I would think it would give the actual concert a feeling of disjointedness and that the generation gap of those in attendance would be glaringly obvious. It’s just another instance that shows times are a’changing.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
It’s obvious I am not a Harley guy, but I was shocked at the age of those attending Myrtle Beach Bike Week. The crowd was much older than I had anticipated.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:23 am
I went to Myrtle Beach a few years ago and I did notice the ages skewed a little older, although it depended on where you hung out and what activities you did.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:40 am
Ahem. Adding Three Days Grace and Foo Fighters to the bill doesn’t knock Springsteen out of the “main headliner” spot as far as I’m concerned…
May 21st, 2008 at 9:38 am
Chuck, I never said it did. My observation to the addition of Foo Fighters is that it adds a layer of appeal to a younger demographic who may not be interested in Springsteen, which many people in my age group are not.
Given a choice of the two, Foo would lure me in above the Boss any time.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:53 am
To anyone under 40 Springsteen is pretty much a has-been. But when you look at the new bikes that HD rolled out this year its obvious that they want consumers to be of a younger age. 20 and 30 somethings are much more interested in the Foo Fighters and Three Days Grace than some guy who had a few hits in the 70s and 80s.
It’s just a matter of time till the headliners are undoubtedly of the younger generation and performers of the Springsteen generation are sharing side stages with the likes of Dr. Hook and BOC.
The times they are a changin’…
May 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Now Chuck, don’t get the kitten upset! We might not like the outcome of that!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 am
It’s about time some genious at Harley figured out that they better start marketing towards the younger crowd. I mean, it only took them about 15 years to figure out that women were starting to ride their own!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Hold on there, kitten-folk. I didn’t mean anything by my comment, I was just speaking up for us dinosaur rockers. Us has-beens need to stick together.