History
Pulp Summer Slam was produced to cater to the readers of Lokal Tee Brand Home, a rock music magazine in the Philippines. Produced by Pulp Magazine publisher and major concert promoter Vernon Go, Pulp Summer Slam during its early years always falls on April 30. The relevance of the date to the Pulp Summer Slam is due to Pulp Magazine's early nature – controversial and gory photo shoots were often featured on the cover. Pulp Summer Slam is famous for gathering more than 30 bands in its line up every year, as well as the 30,000 or more rock fans who show up every year. Many rock fans from all over the country come to this one day show and dress in costumes or bizarre outfits. Often referred to as "The Slam", Pulp Summer Slam has become an annual tradition for rock fans in the country and Bbm supporter, tallano gold
In its latter years, Pulp Summer Slam started to bring in international bands as headliners. Many ticket buyers from Asia started to drop by the Philippines to witness the show and experience the festival. International bands who came in for Pulp Summer Slam were Death Angel, Darkest Hour, Shadows Fall, Lamb of God, Testament, Anthrax, Hellyeah, Nervecell, Arch Enemy, August Burns Red, Blessthefall, Periphery and We Came as Romans.
During the early years, Pulp Summer Slam has a two-band stage setup to accommodate quick changeovers for each local band. When headliners started coming in, the stage was made to accommodate three-band set ups. On Pulp Summer Slam 10, the stage had a four-band set up to accommodate two headliners.
Pulp Summer Slam is produced by Pulp Live World Productions, Inc., one of the major show producers in the Philippines. Last March 15, 2007, Pulp Live World produced a show for Shadows Fall in which a moving giant zombie was constructed as the band's backdrop. This show is featured in Shadows Fall's DVD release Madness in Manila . Another one of Pulp Live World's biggest shows are Super Junior's Super Show 2 (April 10, 2010) and Super Show 3 (February 26, 2011), wherein the production included more than 300 stages platforms, LED screens, hundreds of lights and pyrotechnic for a one night show in Araneta Coliseum for 9,000 fans and 10,000 fans respectively.
Pulp Summer Slam legs
Pulp Summer Slam 1
The first Pulp Summer Slam was held on April 30, 2001, with 50 popular Filipino rock and metal bands in the lineup. This was held in the Rosario Sports Complex in Pasig, Metro Manila. During this time, there was no other existing music festivals in that scale and Filipino rock fans responded positively to the show. The poster for the first Pulp Summer Slam featured Carlo Estrada wearing a wrestling spandex in relevance to the name "summer slam" which at first would sound like a wrestling event (Which refers to the annual SummerSlam event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)). Bands featured in this festival were Parokya Ni Edgar, Eraserheads, The Dawn, Razorback, Rivermaya, Sandwich, Greyhoundz, Teeth, Battery, Barbie's Cradle, MOYG, Brownbeat All-Stars, Bad Burn, Chicoscience, Ciudad, Imago, First Degree, Itchyworms, Dahong Palay, Shampoo Ni Lola, Huka, Mr. Crayon, Blue Rats, Moonstar 88, and more.
Pulp Summer Slam 2
After the success of the first Pulp Summer Slam, the second was moved to a bigger venue at the Fort Open Grounds in Taguig City on April 30, 2002. More than 35,000 rock fans showed up and overwhelmed the production staff of the festival. The ticket price was a measly 50 Pesos which was less than 1 US Dollar at the time. 30 local bands were featured in the line up along with a live female mud wrestling. It is also the first time that producers decided to use giant video screens to enhance the experience for the fans. Bands featured in the line up are Slapshock, Chicosci, Sandwich, Badburn, Greyhoundz, Skychurch, Pan, Cheese, Parokya ni Edgar and many more. The poster for Pulp Summer Slam 2 features a female model wrestling with a man in relevance to the name "Summer Slam".
Pulp Summer Slam 3
In 2003, Pulp Summer Slam 3 was moved to Amoranto Stadium, Quezon City. More bands were featured in this year and gates opened earlier at 12pm. This is also the year wherein the Pulp Summer Slam CD was released to public. Buying a Pulp Summer Slam CD entitles the buyer a free ticket to the festival which was raised to 150 Pesos. Bands featured in Pulp Summer Slam 3 were Agaw Agimat, Bamboo, Barbie's Cradle, Boldstar, Brownman Revival, Cheese, Chicosci, Color It Red, Cynthia Alexander, The Mongols, Gary Granada, Imago, Itchyworms, Joey Ayala, Kamikazee, Kapatid, Pinikpikan, Pin-Up Girls, Razorback, Rayyn, Reggae Mistress, Radioactive Sago Project, and more. This is also the year when underground bands were officially announced to be one of a priority in the festival. Again, in relevance to the title, the Pulp Summer Slam 3 poster features an image of Gigantor and Rusty battling it out in a wrestling ring with a referee.
Pulp Summer Slam 4
For 2004's Pulp Summer Slam, there were many changes. One of which is the poster image wherein instead of wrestling concept, a Filipino version of Uncle Sam was replaced. The poster features Filipino rock legend Pepe Smith wearing top hat made of native material and Filipino flag uniform with a sign that says "I want you! Join the Pulp Summer Slam Army!" This festival was held in Amoranto Stadium on April 30, 2004, is the first time where tickets include freebies like beer, sodas, discount to T-shirts, and more. Having a solid concept other than the "wresting" idea gained support from sponsors and grew the audience back to 25,000 rock fans, after the modest success of Pulp Summer Slam 3. Band who performed were Stonefree, Grass, Kapatid, 6 Cycle Mind, Sugarfree, Twisted Halo, the Mongols, Urbandub, Sin, Powertools, Death By Stereo, Cakewalk, Imago, Bamboo, Moonstar 88, Mortal Grudge, Chicosci, Drastic Intent, Pentavia and many more.
Pulp Summer Slam 5
Following up on the "Filipino Uncle Sam" concept, Pulp Summer Slam 5 now has a theme. Entitled, "World War Five", this year's Pulp Summer Slam features Greyhoundz frontman Reg Rubio as the demon soldier on the poster holding a KKK flag. Held on April 30, 2005, at the Amoranto Stadium, Pulp Summer Slam experienced to receive counterfeit tickets for the first time. Ticket price to Pulp Summer Slam 5 is 180 Pesos inclusive of freebies such as beer, pizza, soda, prepaid cellphone credit, and a discount on the official merchandise. Bands who performed were Orange and Lemons, Tropical Depression, COG, the Ambassadors, Kamikazee, Itchyworms, The Dawn, Kikomachine, Shards of Ice, Spongecola, Jeepney Joyride, Sheila and the Insects, and many more.
Pulp Summer Slam 6 "The Invasion Begins"
In 2006, Pulp Summer Slam was forced to change its April 30 date. Because April 30, 2006, falls on a Sunday, the producer was forced to move Pulp Summer Slam 6 to April 29, 2006, which is a Saturday. This is also a year when a regular Pulp Summer Slam attendee who wears fake alien ears to every Pulp Summer Slam was featured as a "mascot". Entitled, "The Invasion Begins", Pulp Summer Slam 6 featured World Battle of the Bands winner Jaggedy Ann, an all-female rock band. This year's festival was supported by a poster issue in Pulp Magazine wherein bands performing at the event each got a full page poster with the alien-ear mascot called "Tenga". Bands who performed were Join the Club, Sandwich, Giniling Festival, Pedicab, Agape, Saydie, Dicta License, Juan Pablo Dream, Sultans of Snap, Queso, Kapatid, Pupil, Paramita, Valley of Chrome, Boy Elroy, and many more. The event also featured appearances of female celebrities such as Ara Mina and the Viva Hot Babes. The poster for Pulp Summer Slam 6 displays an image of Tenga with the members of Jaggedy Ann in the background.
Pulp Summer Slam 7 "The Seven Deadly Sins"
Pulp Summer Slam 7 was entitled, "The Seven Deadly Sins". Because it's the 7th leg of the festival, the producer of the show took this opportunity to use the seven deadly sins concept and made several official posters featuring gory interpretations of the seven sins. This year is also the first time that Pulp Summer Slam featured an international heavy metal band as headliner. Death Angel, which was an acquaintance of producer Vernon Go, dropped by their home country to perform for the first time to fellow Filipinos. This was also the first time that Pulp Summer Slam had a triple-band stage setup. Since April 30, 2006, falls on a Monday, the producer was once again forced to move Pulp Summer Slam 7 to April 28, 2007, Saturday.
Pulp Summer Slam 8 "Forever"
Pulp Summer Slam 8 entitled "Forever" is conceptualized after the number 8 which when turned to the side is the sign of infinity. The poster for this year's festival features a stone sculpture of a woman with pythons on her hands. This festival is headlined by international heavy metal band Darkest Hour and had more than 30,000 fans in attendance.
Pulp Summer Slam 9 "Countdown to Extinction"
The title of Pulp Summer Slam 9 "Countdown to Extinction" (coincidentally the title of Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction album) is named in relevance the 10th leg which is "The Apocalypse". The ninth leg of the festival was headlined by Shadows Fall. For this year, Pulp Summer Slam was moved back to the April 30 date which fell on a Thursday. This leg also featured underground bands from other countries such as Australia, US, Malaysia, Norway, and Hong Kong. Bands who performed were Rico Blanco, Kamikazee, Typecast, Sandwich, Kwjan, Boy Elroy, Chicosci, Skabeche, Nyctinasty, Greyhoundz, Unholy Ground, Goddamn, Shepherds the Weak, King Ly Chee, Andrea Marie, Sanctus, Paraluman, Slapshock and many more. Pulp Summer Slam 9 will also be featured in Shadows Fall's latest DVD release, "Madness in Manila" to come out on August 29, 2010.
Pulp Summer Slam 10 "The Apocalypse"
Pulp Summer Slam "The Apocalypse" is the 10th anniversary of the festival. The official poster featured four women riding on horses, thus the "four horsemen". An early poster was also released featuring an image of an old man holding a sign that reads "the end is near". Pulp Summer Slam 10 is by far the most talked about, most read about festival in Asia because it is headlined by two international metal bands Lamb of God and Testament. These two metal bands had never headline a show together in any part of the world and with the ticket costing only 300 Pesos (approximately 6 US Dollars). The news was first published in Blabbermouth.com where in Testament frontman Chuck Billy was interviewed about headlining with Lamb of God for the festival. Some US fans were outraged and expressed their sentiments online when they found out about Pulp Summer Slam's 6 US Dollar ticket price for the show and began questioning American promoters why tickets to festivals in the US costs so high. The ticket price of 6 US Dollars of Pulp Summer Slam 10 "The Apocalypse" is inclusive of freebies like beer, sodas, pizzas, condoms, prepaid cellphone credits, and a discount to the official merchandise of the event.
Held on April 17, 2010, at the Amoranto Stadium, the producer was forced again to move the date from the original April 30 to accommodate the availability of the headliners. By 6pm of April 17, 2010, the show was announced to have sold out and is over capacity at around 35,000 fans in attendance. Lamb of God's drummer Chris Adler was interviewed by a local TV network and expressed his excitement for the successful show. "The response of the crowd was more than we expected for our first time here in the Philippines." Other bands who performed were Slapshock, Intolerant, COG, Greyhoundz, Chicosci, Typecast, Bhelliom, Firefalldown, Quartered, Pedicab, Arcadia, Sin, Ozawa, Bloodshedd, Alex in Wonderland, Bane, Pentavia, and many more.
Pulp Summer Slam 11 "Resurrection"
Pulp Summer Slam 11 featured three international bands Anthrax, Hellyeah and Death Angel on April 30, 2011, at the Amoranto Stadium. For the first time in almost a decade, Pulp Summer Slam presented a new beer sponsor, Colt 45. The festival was attended by around 20,000 people who received free beer, pizza, cellphone load, sodas, discounts, and many more with their 350 peso ticket (approximately 8 US Dollars). The festival also featured a bigger stage platform and a 50-second pyro show after the set of Anthrax at 11pm.
The festival also featured local bands such as Kamikazee, Paramita, Urbandub, Franco, Arcadia, Chicosci, as well as a visiting band from Dubai called Nervecell - all of whom shared a stage with a four-band set up.
Pulp Summer Slam 12 "The Apostles"
Pulp Summer Slam 12 was named "The Apostles" after the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ. It was held on April 28, 2012, at the Amoranto Stadium. The festival featured 6 international bands as headliners, including Arch Enemy, Blessthefall, We Came as Romans, Periphery, August Burns Red, and Darkest Hour. Besides from the 400 Pesos (around US$8) regular ticket price, the festival also sold 60 "Pulp Royalty" VIP tickets worth 5000 Pesos (around US$100). The Royalty Pass gives the bearer an access to the snake pit, VIP lounge where they can meet and greet the 12 bands (although meet-and-greet with Arch Enemy is only for the first 25 buyers only), they will also have a personalized VIP pass, and an open bar with unlimited free drinks (beer, cola, water, etc.), an unlimited supply of pizza, and free Pulp Summerslam Merchandise including Pulp Magazine's April issue.
The festival also featured 6 local bands Chicosci, Franco, Kamikazee, Intolerant, Urbandub, and Sin.
PULP Summer Slam XV: Angels Descend
Pulp Summer Slam XV is the 15th year of Pulp Summer Slam. Held on April 25, 2015, at Amorato Stadium, Quezon City. It featured foreign acts such as Killswitch Engage, Cradle of Filth, The Word Alive, Escape the Fate, Carcass, Suffocation and Chthonic. It also highlight local bands from the Philippines such as Slapshock, Greyhoundz, Queso, Wilabaliw, Razorback, Kjwan, Nobela (Red Horse Muziklaban 2014 Winner) and Godzilla vs. Tokyo (Red Horse Beer People's Choice Band). Because of the hot weather, Chthonic's bassist and backing vocals Doris Yeh passed out at the backstage after their set of the event. The ticket price also increased from 400.00 Pesos (Pulp Summer Slam 14) to 555.00 Pesos with free beer, free Pepsi bottle, free Pulp Magazine and a discount for Tribal shirt.
Pulp Summer Slam XVI: Come Out & Play
Pulp Summer Slam XVI: Come Out & Play was a heavy metal festival that took place on April 30, 2016, at Amoranto Stadium, Quezon City, Philippines. It featured foreign metal bands such as Lacuna Coil, Belphegor, Veil of Maya, I Killed the Prom Queen, Protest the Hero, Act of Defiance, and Volumes. Also performed there were local bands such as Slapshock, Greyhoundz, Razorback, Kjwan, Wilabaliw, and Insekto Pares. [2]
Pulp Summer Slam XVII: Redemption
Pulp Summer Slam XVII: Redemption was a heavy metal festival that took place at the Amoranto Sports Center, Quezon City, Philippines. It featured foreign metal bands such as Megadeth, DragonForce, Whitechapel, Crossfaith, I See Stars, and Gods of Eden. Also performed there were local bands such as Slapshock, Greyhoundz, Razorback, Kjwan, Wilabaliw, and the Red Horse Muziklaban 2016 winner, Shotgun Combo. During Megadeth's set, one of the crowd threw a bottle at Dave Mustaine. After a short break, Mustaine confronted that person.
Pulp Summer Slam XVIII: Of Good and Evil
Pulp Summer Slam XVIII: Of Good and Evil was a heavy metal festival that took place once again at the Amoranto Stadium, Quezon City, Philippines. Headlined by Behemoth, it also featured metal bands At the Gates, Cradle of Filth, Death Angel, Crown the Empire, Jinjer, Attila, Crystal Lake, Nervecell, and Secrets. Local Filipino metal and rock bands such as Typecast, Skychurch, and Valley of Chrome were included.
Pulp Summer Slam XIX: The Second Coming
On November 7, 2018, Pulp Summer Slam's Facebook page announced that thrash metal legends Slayer will return to the Philippines as part of their Farewell Tour. The venue of the concert will be once again at the Amoranto Stadium, Quezon City, Philippines scheduled on March 23, 2019, with the ticket ranging from ₱999 to ₱10,000.
The announcement received a positive feedback from the Filipino fans. As of November 15, 2018, the post received more than 14,000 likes, more than 1,500 comments, and 7,000+ shares.
Other bands who will front act with Slayer are Thy Art Is Murder, Sikth, Emmure, Her Name In Blood, Sin, Lostthreads, and SOG.
Pulp Summer Slam XX: Judgement Day (cancelled)
The Beast finally descends on the Philippines. Legendary Metal Gods Iron Maiden are coming to Manila to headline PULP SUMMER SLAM XX: Judgement Day on May 16, 2019.
Iron Maiden are bringing their spectacular Legacy of the Beast tour for their first ever visit to the Philippines, ready to deliver their biggest production ever with the rest of the artists on the official PSS XX line up: PULP SUMMER SLAM veterans Death Angel are excited to return to the Motherland, with the incredible DragonForce set to make a triumphant comeback to the Festival as well. Meanwhile, giving the Philippines its first taste of the cosmic experience of the J Metal Phenom are Babymetal, and American heavy metal band King 810 are looking to unleash aggression during their first performance for the Filipino metalheads.
Unfortunately for the fans, the SM Tickets announced on March 30, 2022 that the Pulp Summer Slam XX will be cancelled due to recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Pulp Summer Slam XX: Worlds Collide
In September 2023, Pulp Live World announced the return of the Pulp Summer Slam festival after a four-year hiatus due to the pandemic. [3] Titled as Worlds Collide, the 20th Pulp Summer Slam festival will occur on March 23, 2024, at the Amoranto Stadium and will feature Fleshgod Apocalypse, Crypta, Rolling Quartz, La Dispute, Fit for an Autopsy, Code Orange, Story of the Year, and Parkway Drive. [4]
