F1 Rocks launches (pictures and video)

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The first F1 Rocks live music event will be held at this year’s Singapore Grand Prix. Major acts including Beyonce, NERD, Black Eyed Peas, ZZ Top and Simple Minds will be among those performing.

London was chosen as the venue for the launch of the new programme and the press conference was held yesterday. Here’s some pictures from the launch.

I’ll be honest: I’m not terribly excited about F1 Rocks, for me it’s about the racing first and the glitzy showbiz stuff ranks somewhere towards the bottom.

But they’ve done a terrific job of getting some big names together and I’m sure F1 fans that also like these groups will have a great time. What do you think of the F1 Rocks concept?

You can buy tickets for F1 Rocks here.

Read more: F1 Rocks, apparently

Bernie Ecclestone was on hand for the launch of F1 Rocks

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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76 comments on “F1 Rocks launches (pictures and video)”

  1. I hear they will be bringing Public Enemy with Flavor Flav and everything.
    If they have music, make it nice and heavy, and the right crowd will be attracted to F1. I am thinking about the best, Iron Maiden. In the middle of “Fear of the Dark”, a coffin with the number 666 FIA will be wheeled out, and to the horror of everyone, the coffin opens ….. and out comes levitating Todt “Newman” ! women faint and brave men are speechless with fear ….the Williams team specially have fled for their lives.
    But the show has to go on.
    In any case, best wishes to the All World Team : make it HEAVY

    1. Isn’t ‘Flavour Flav’ also the nickname given to Flavio Briatore by Speed TV?

      Public Enemy though, that’s cool, I’d like to see them.

      1. Yes… Johhny Rotten all the way!!.. they should of got the Pistols back together… well… 3 of them anyways… :)

        1. wow… ok I guess I got mixed up with Public Image Ltd… lol sorry folks…

      2. I remember seeing them, Keith, many years ago, more than 20 actually, in Brighton. They were on a Def Jam tour with Eric B and Rakim and LL Cool J. All the acts were good, but Public Enemy’s show was amazing, especially ‘Rebel without a Pause’. Happy days!

    2. TBH if Iron Maiden were there I would disregard my comment below and definately go. But they’re about the only single band that could make me interested without there being a single other band I like.

      Also, saw this on the sight.
      ‘F1 ROCKS™ Singapore with LG is the only official F1 endorsed series of concerts’
      I don’t really see the significance of being F1 endorsed, in the same way that I wouldn’t be persuaded to go to Glastonbry even if it was the only other official F1 endorsed concert.

    3. Like the Iron Maiden suggestion. Why is it called “F1 Rocks” when there’s no Rock bands involved?

      I’ll be in Singapore this year, and I don’t think I’ll even bother to check this out, frankly. But for those that love it, and hopefully for the race promoters, this could be a good thing.

      1. if they can play music with high revving F1 engine then that would be cool… remember god save the queen by Renault, oN top gear that was cool.

        1. This is the definite musical video of the F1 political row : Bernie, Mosley and Todt ” Newman” find the blueprint for the future of racing in a cassette tape, and go down to town to share the news with the teams.
          But there is a misunderstanding with Flavor Flav and Lou, and all hell breaks loose. Finally Gordon Brown has them all arrested :

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89AUtrPvchA

          Please brothers and sisters take a look

  2. As I said earlier else-where…

    Nice idea but I disagree with the name as Beyonce in particular is not rock. And although it is a nice idea it does not even slightly appeal to me as I would rather cut off my ears than listen to a band like Black Eyed Peas. The trouble with it is that it is not like a typical music event where people all go for a particular type of music, it is an event which is aimed at F1 fans, who naturally like different things, and it will be extrordinarily difficult to appeal to everyone. If they put a range of bands on, then people may only like one band on the bill, and although better than nothing, that probably won’t justify the ticket price. I also looked and don’t believe that ticket price includes F1 entry tickets. In that case, this is not F1 related but is just an unrelated concert that is on around the same time in order to cash-in on the extra tourists around.

    Also that car looks terrible.

  3. Meh. I like my rock to actually be…rock [ZZ Top excepted]. Trades descriptions act, Bernie, c’mon.

    1. agreed. none of that is ‘rock’. plus, lady gaga or whatever, is an idiot.

  4. So if you want to go to the Grand Prix and F1 Rocks you have to buy two separate tickets? If so it seems kind of pointless. F1 tickets are already expensive enough.

    If the F1 Rocks event was value adding to the ticket that is purchased for the actual Grand Prix, then maybe it would be better. Although it might result in a whole bunch of people buying Grand Prix tickets just to go to the F1 Rocks event, which would make it harder for actual racing fans to get their hands on tickets.

    There isn’t really a need for F1 Rocks, there are already plenty of good music festivals. Best to keep F1 about the racing.

  5. I think it’s a great idea. Anything to enhance the popularity of F1 and it is a really glamorous, rock n roll sport so music and F1 really go together well. I wonder if being mates with Lewis got Beyonce and N.E.R.D. (Pharrell Williams) on board. If I had the money, I would fly out to Singapore for the GP and the the music festival.

    I haven’t read any comments yet, but I hope I don’t see boring ones about how F1 isn’t about celebrity because that is such a staid, stick in the mud attitude.

    1. Uh oh, as I feared. “Beyonce isn’t rock” – yawn.

      1. Yeah, some people are just a tad too literal methinks.

        Like people saying Beethoven isn’t classical music as it’s Baroque / Romantic. Cough, yes, that’s what everyone thinks.

        And it may come as a surprise to some people, but Iron Maiden aren’t loved by everyone…

        1. :) Word!

  6. i see it the other way around pinball….i see a lot of ppl giving away their tickets for F1 Rocks after GPs lol. i wouldn’t go F1 rocks if i was given free tickets and a limo to get there. (probably because i have 0.5% interest in rock music)

  7. Bernie sucks more money from the F1 cash cow. Good to be Bernie but, really…Beyonce aside (and I’m really not a fan) aren’t they all a bit past it? I’m including Bernie in that description, of course. I mean there are “major artists” and then there are the cutting edge artists. They don’t seem to be there. And that car looks crap.

    1. All the major and cutting edge artists are at the real music festivals, not this F1 side-show full of acts who seem to fall under the ‘puppet’ genre. ZZ Topp excepted, I guess.

      1. ZZ Top AREN’T past it but N.E.R.D. ARE?

        There’s some twisted logic going on there…

  8. Is the Rock Chick The Stig’s wife???

  9. one word…..LAME

    1. Texas F1 Fan
      6th August 2009, 2:44

      Lame…

      1. Yep, Lame…

        1. No, an other word, too: krap.

      2. Are you near Austin?

  10. i think The Who at the Australian Grand Prix attracted lots of non-f1 fans so this concept surely will help crowd numbers. is it something that will be implemented at all grands prix? but with different acts?

  11. It’s a great concept. However, F1 Rocks is a separate event from the GP with separate tickets and yet they occur on the same day excluding race day. One word – Fail.

  12. Can’t put on a good car race,so try a Rock an Roll show…too funny F1GP becoming so lame

  13. Roadie pic…butt crack thong…real classy..LOL

    1. So, from Singapore, all F1 video summaries with F1Rocks sound track.

      Btw, F1Rocks rear wing doesn’t fulfill 2009 technical rules… Bernie is risking to be strongly penalished by FIA stewards.

      1. I have done something wrong, I don’t know why my comment appear as a reply here!!!

  14. Lame? Its not being hosted by MC Bernie & DJ Mosley.
    The lineup isnt my type of music, but its still a good concept

  15. You mean fans need to buy seperate tickets to the GP and the concerts? That’s a rip-off……

    Funny how many of those names of the entertainers are American-born and American-based, yet Bernie can’t care less about putting a race on over here.

    I should note that I’m typing this while wathing FC Barcelona play a friendly in Seattle against the new MLS team there. Barcelona has adverts flashing around the field promoting their special online fanshop for U.S.-based fans, while most F1 team stores don’t even offer a dollar-conversion option on their sites.

    Sorry for the rant, but Barcelona is here touring the country, playing in the world’s richest consumer market, building their fanbase, making money…..while F1 coulden’t be bothered. Bernie is determined to avoid the U.S. at all costs, while the teams are all talk and no action.

    Amazing……

  16. Iron Maiden would be a great choice… and The Sex Pistols for fun… could you imagine Johhny singing “No Feelings” to Bernie… lol… the picture I like the best is the one of the bunch… Bernies sitting there with Zakk Wylde’s guitar in front of him… it’s almost as tall as him and just the pure significance of his small stature and Zakk who is just about the craziest rocker out there is staggering!! I’m glad they picked his guitar as it rocks all on it’s own… :) I want one!

  17. For me Eddie & The Robbers would be a great choice!

    1. You not into music then I gather?

  18. Hey that’s cool… how did you make the name a link?
    I wanted to have a link to a video of Zakk Wylde… what a great idea… :)

  19. Has anybody else noticed how uncomfortable Bernie looks? I wander if he actually knows who he’s standing with or what the heck he’s doing there. He just knows he has to stand there for a few minutes to make a bit more money. Seriously – is this what we want in F1? And if it’s some form of marketing, trying to get people watching F1 it ain’t gonna work!!!

    1. It was probably his daughters idea to this. They just whispered it in his at night while he was asleep.

  20. This is just all such a c**p idea. Bunch of monied old fogies clamouring for their idea of ‘this is cool, man!’
    Absolutely nothing to do with F1.
    No one switches onto MTV or whatever to get ‘the vibe’ on F1.
    It reminds of of those excruciating scenes you get in the worst kind of comedy film/tv show when the nerdy ‘cool’ kids parents accidentally stumble into some party and slowly start to dance rather awkwardly.
    It’s all so clueless and very painful to watch…

    1. Can we get Eddie Jordan and Damon Hill to perform at the after party? With Crazy Dave C as the rapper?

      Problem with The Powers That Be in Singapore is that they tend to take everything as SERIOUS BUSINESS, to the point that rock concerts are sit down and nod events. Attempts to connect with us “yoof” by trying to act hip and trendy fall flat and look contrived.

      On another note, I can’t possibly imagine these concerts occuring at the same time as the race, eventgoers would hardly hear a thing…

      I might go for one or two club raves after the race events but by then my hearing would have been gone… :D

  21. “Hello Singapore……Bernie here….B-E-R-N…yes, racing cars! I know how disappointed you were to hear of the new track in Abu Dhabi taking your ‘Special’ place in the calendar….no, I’m not sure what they are doing yet…anyways, to compensate, my people tell me that you have some great seafront staging….yes, no, yes, and I thought why don’t we hold an F1 themed music show? Hello? Hello? Oh you like it? Lots more people, yes! The profits? We can discuss that later……..

    1. My question is: If the event is going to be held in Singapore, why was it launched in London?
      Has Bernie forgotten where Singapore is?

  22. Singaporean here.

    Those with tickets to the GP can already find some music acts (Backstreet Boys, etc) within the circuit park, if you’re looking for some entertainment between the sessions/support races. Timing and exact location of the performances i’m not sure.

    This rocks thingy is really just co-branding with the F1 name to lure more crowds. And Fort Canning might hear the V8 engines’ screeches too. Not exactly what i call… worthwhile.

    1. Wasn’t there a Diana Krall concert at Fort Canning Hill (less than 1km from the track at the Memorial turns)last year? I remember lots of complaints about the noise then…

      Unfortunately what acts there are supporting the races aren’t much to my liking (except the DJs I guess)…

      1. Yeah, i think i faintly recall something of that sort in the news.

        Unfortunately, gonna catch my “home” GP where else? at the comfort of my home this year.

  23. I’m going to the Singapore Grand Prix this year… can’t wait!! :-) Just looked into the F1 Rocks tickets… and I’m afraid I’m not going to pay £74 each (early bird price!) to see Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas. Maybe I’m just cheap!?

    1. No your not cheap. Surely the cost of the F1 ticket has dented your wallet enough. If I had an extra £74 per person to spend at a GP, a rock concert would not entice me in.

      At the British GP I was quite happy with Eddie Jordan and Damon Hill trying some sort of music for free.

  24. Ahahaha. Great photo of the roadie Keith!

  25. Last year after Australia the Who show was a great idea. ZZ Top will be cool. The rest of them suck. I’m surprised Eddie Jordan and his garage band aren’t booked. Kind of a cool idea….bad, bad, bad execution. Oh..check out Bernie in the group photos. He has no idea who these people are. He may like the taller chick to his right as she reminds him of Slavica. :-)

  26. Iron Maiden,ZZ Top and the Zakk attack…THAT is ROCK…BEYONCE IS NOT ROCK!Maybe they should call it F1 Pops.

    Simple Minds is cool though..(now you know I was in High School in the eighties)

  27. Great, more skanks to go along with the trollops that are always photodraphed strutting around the pits. I watch Formula 1 only to see slattern with fake tits and bleached hair along with any photos of Brenies daughters. I wish they’d photograph the women fans, as I’d be willing to bet that there are a lot of them that are better looking than most of the women hired by Foece India ,Red Bull and all the others that constaantly are shown on the F1 websites.
    If they want to make F1 rock. Get back to racing.

  28. Well, there’s nobody there that I would even watch/listen to for free.

    Official: Ecclestone has finally gone crazy.

  29. StrFerrari4Ever
    6th August 2009, 22:03

    Not at all interested in this F1 ROCKS nonesense just another attempt to bring entertainment to F1 when the racing should be only thing that provides the entertainment and the people who are set to perform don’t in the slight interest me looks like it’s going to be a big fail. Would’ve worked ultimately if there was still a USGP at Indianapolis infront of more than 150,000 people not in Singapore.

  30. We still can’t get F1 in HD and they’re wasting time on this pointless rubbish.

    Same drivel that pollutes TV & radio all the time.

  31. Lady Gaga promoting f1?, God Bernie is dragging F1 down the gutter. I saw her at Oxegen and she is a joke! AC/DC or some classic ROCK-band would be good though!

  32. I’m sorry, but this is truly dreadful!

  33. What the the FRAK!!! This sucks. Its lame. Its crap. This is just going to draw more eyes to the F1 circus. They should have waited until F1 wasn’t in sooooo much trouble.

  34. CRINGE!!! imagine raikkonen having to talk to lady gaga for a pr stunt.

  35. Lady Gaga is white????? Yes F1Rocks is a bit of an overstatement… It should be F1Raps… It could of been a good idea but not with the non talent they have there… now… THIS would rock F1… :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhfotGKxA9A&feature=related

    I’m sorry Keith for the language but it was not me but Zakk with the potty mouth… ;) … a warning for anybody that wishes to get hit with some groove!
    Cheers All!!

  36. Simple Minds? What the?

    Who else is there? Spandau Ballet?

  37. F1 ROCKS Full programme:

    JAPAN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFzyYYZsxGc

    BRAZIL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyWA1GcDz9s

    ABU DABI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGkEMnliEQo

    Only 150$ each concert on a free standing stage, for seeing the best performers of the world… I cannot wait!!!!

  38. Terry Fabulous
    7th August 2009, 9:01

    This concert will be freaking awesome.
    Something for everyone!

    Although I was won over as soon as I heard ‘ZZ TOP’

    He could have had Barbara Streisand, Enya, Celine Dion and Yanni and I would still be stoked if the ZZ’s were there!!!

  39. I’m half singaporean, but mostly brought up in the UK. From talking to my family it seems that there isn’t that much interest in F1 but everyone knows about it because the race takes over the running of the place.

    The music line-up is diabolical; the whole idea makes my skin crawl and I feel embarrassed to call myself an F1 fan.

    In trying to cater for everyone, they’ve catered for no-one! Ergh.

  40. That video was shockingly bad.

  41. Mussolini's Pet Cat
    7th August 2009, 15:21

    Are any real F1 impressed with this nauseating spin-off??

  42. Who thought it would be a good idea to let that Lady Gaga person do a lot of talking? Geez.

    Not sure if there is a similar expression in English, but in Dutch we call it “toe curlingly bad”.

    I didn’t get much from the clip other than a lot of PR talk. They do have some big names lined up though.

  43. There is no words to describe how bad this idea is.. has it even got anything to do with F1? did anyone see even a snippet of F1 footage in that video apart from clips of Jenson and Alonso being told to say ” F1 Rocks!”
    And even the pictures! when theyre promoting the music part of it its all red carpet style and the F1 part of it looks like it was taken in an alley behind some concert building when theyre getting ready for a gig..
    Fair enough have a concert at singapore,but don’t link it with F1 and say your trying to “appeal to the F1 fans” and then get bloody Lady Gaga of all people to narrate the launch video!
    And if your going to have a concert at least make sure the type of music your playing GOES with the nature of F1! Thats why it worked in Australia! what music would you rather see go with an F1 car whizzing round Singapore, Baba O’Riley or Beyonce’s “If I were a boy”
    Do we really need a bunch of R’N’B fans running around singapore not giving a crap about F1?

    Ok.. Rant over..

  44. My apologies about the photo’s comment i thought they were the actual profesional ones they were using to promote the launch, sorry Keith!

  45. Looks pretty terrible!

  46. Clearly someone hasn’t got their priorities right.

  47. Okay, I’m older so maybe I am missing the point but I am not really seeing all the hype and over-the-top fame for the “gorgeous and provocative” Lady Ga Ga. To be honest, she’s a bit of a Gus to me. I’ve seen more attractive women on the grid and probably more talented to be honest.

    No Offense to Lady Ga Ga fans but after having her crammed up our backsides so far we can taste her; I find her pedestrian at best. Nice story Keith…as always mate.

  48. This is the worst idea since grooved tires.
    These music exec’s probably can’t even spell F-1.
    The bands for the most part are talentless, and to compare them to F-1 drivers is grasping at straws. The difference is primarily that the drivers earned their opsitions and prove it 18 times a year. The rockers and wrappers and rappers are mostly the product of the music(sic) industry trying to find a way to keep the monet rolling in and not have to worry about real Talent wanting their fare share of the fun tickets (money).
    If I drive a truck , do you give a F-ck
    If I get the itch, can I slap you’re bitch?

    This doesn’t make me a rapper or a poet.
    If I break a shoe lace and you hear it, it doesn’t make me a musician, and if I fart, it doesn’t mean I can sing.
    The music industry should get back to music, and F-1 should stay with F-1, and they both should quit acting like legalized pimps and extortionists.
    Barry

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