Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and Blink-182 will headline The Bamboozle 2012, one of the East Coast’s oldest and largest music festivals, when the three-day music and pop culture event is staged at North Beach Asbury Park, New Jersey, May 18, 19 and 20.

The Bamboozle, presented by Live Nation, will return to the beach at Asbury Park for the first time since 2005, and will feature over 100 acts performing on nine stages spread throughout the beach and boardwalk, including the renowned Convention Hall. Since its inception, The Bamboozle has evolved to become a respected institution within the music festival circuit.

Now in its 10th year, The Bamboozle has consistently featured the best musical talent from established to new artists spanning multiple music genres, and has always been a one of a kind resource for artist development. Previously-featured up-and-coming acts that have gone on to become breakout artists include Paramour, My Chemical Romance, Wiz Halifax, Fall Out Boy, Jonas Brothers, and many more.

Bon Jovi has sold 130 million records and has played in over 50 countries to 34 million fans in their twenty-year career. The band won a Grammy Award for the #1 hit single, 2005′s “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” which is currently used in the New Jersey state tourism commercials. Bon Jovi had the number one tour in 2008 and 2010.

In November of 2010, Bon Jovi released Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection, featuring all of the band’s biggest chart-topping hits, the most beloved fan-favorites, and four new tracks, including the lead single, “What Do You Got.”

Headliners Foo Fighters will make their Bamboozle debut. This appearance rides the momentum of their 2011 release Wasting Light, which debuted at #1 in the USA, and a dozen countries around the world. 2011 saw Foo Fighters playing to sold-out crowds in garages, arenas, and stadiums around the world.

Wasting Light was recently nominated for six Grammy Awards, including the prestigious Album of the Year. It was named iTunes Album of the Year, and “Walk” was awarded Best /Rock Video at this year’s MTV Awards.

Blink-182′s seventh album, Neighborhoods, was released September 27, 2011, and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Since its 1994 full-length debut, the band has sold more than 11 million albums, and filled arenas and stadiums both in the U.S. and worldwide. All six of their previous albums have been certified either gold or double platinum, with 1999′s Enema of the State selling more than four million copies.

John D’Esposito, Vice President of Talent/Artist Development for Live Nation, said, “This year’s bill of headliners is truly one of the most exciting. It’s an honor and very fitting to have New Jersey’s own Bon Jovi headline as The Bamboozle celebrates its 10th anniversary. Bringing headliners, the Food Fighters to the North Beach in Asbury Park is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Their performance will be nothing short of epic.”

Founded by New Jersey native D’Esposito, The Bamboozle was created more out of necessity than anything else. “I started The Bamboozle because I went to other music festivals growing up and felt there was a need for a pop-culture-oriented event that was diverse but also catered to a specific scene,” said D’Esposito.

As for the return to Asbury Park, D’Esposito said, “For the 10th anniversary, it was important to create an event that would leave a lasting impression. In order to do that, we had to go back to where the seed had been planted, Asbury Park.”

Additional performers will be announced in the New Year for The Bamboozle, with more information to come about The Bamboozle Roadshow 2012. The annual “The Break Contest,” the official unsigned band competition of the festival returns and will be presented by Yuuzoo with the grand prize winner receiving a performance slot on the main stage and other prizes.

Image Courtesy of Marco Maas

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October 2010 was a turning point in Demi Lovato’s promising trajectory. She dropped out of a massive concert tour with the Jonas Brothers after punching a back-up dancer while flying out of Colombia. Lovato, at the height of her career, was lost in the midst of bulimia, stress, and self-injury.

She went into therapy and vanished from the public eye while tabloids put the young star on the spot. Her skinny silhouette and, especially, the revealing scars that suggested Lovato was hurting herself shocked the whole world.

Months later, instead of steering away from her highly-publicized troubles, she openly addressed the issue to help other young girls. A brave Demi Lovato took full responsibility for her actions in front of millions of viewers, and announced she was quitting her Disney Channel show to focus on her comeback album.

Record labels and artists sometimes fight their way through endless meetings to pick the track that will serve as the first single. Some other times it simply doesn’t work out the way they expected. This time, Lovato wanted everyone to see that she now stands fearless against rumors and detractors; she is healed, and ready to prove it.

“Skyscraper,” her first single in months, skyrocketed to the number one slot on iTunes within hours of its release, generating more buzz and talk than any other current song. The video, directed by Marc Pellington, was shot at Bonnevilla Sat Flats Desert in Utah, and features the young diva clad in pale hues, singing her heart out while trying to find her way.

She has been dubbed the best thing that came out of the Disney franchise since Christina Aguilera, whose talents have been cited as a strong influence in Lovato’s career. And that is a huge compliment in the era of auto-tune, where bombshells and buff Jersey-shore-like guys can camouflage their lack of talent to the beat of some repetitive mix.

Just like Christina Aguilera did back in 2002 with “Stripped,” which sold 12 million copies, Lovato’s new album, “Unbroken,” holds a heartfelt meaning, introspected reflections on her personal life, and lyrical maturity. “Unbroken” marks the natural transition from Disney girl into a beautifully imperfect soul.

Some lines bring you back to those sassy hints of Rihanna. Some other tunes resemble the emotional power of P!nk’s “Family Affair” when Demi Lovato sings about her family issues, and begs her dad to put the bottle down for the love of his daughter.

The new Lovato has awed fans, critics, and celeb friends who made the singer’s comeback album a trending topic on Twitter. “Unbroken” debuted within Billboard’s top five with impressive first week sales that might force the 19-year-old to go on tour now that her comeback has proven stellar.

She recently performed on numerous award shows to promote the record, including a Spanish rendition of  ”Skyscraper” at the Alma awards. Her second single, “Who’s That Boy?” and the fan-favorite, “Fix A Heart’” are set to become her new anthems. Meanwhile, Demi Lovato is rubbing shoulders with the music elite, only this time on a full stomach and with two tattoos that read Stay Strong on her wrists, a reminder that scars can be put behind.

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