Rocktoberfest

Sunrise Entertainment didn't want the summer to end. Neither did its vendors.

That's the reason River Rock at the Amp decided to extend its concert season into October with its first Rocktoberfest at Warren Community Amphitheatre.

Marty Cohen, who started with Sunrise Entertainment with Ken Haidaris to promote concerts at the amphitheatre, said it was during the final concert of the season when one of his vendors, John Vlahos of Vlahos' Gyros, asked to talk to him.

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Flashblind Photography
Members of the Eagles tribute band 7 Bridges wear River Rock at the Amp T-shirts during its concert his summer at the Warren Community Amphitheatre. The band makes its third appearance at the outdoor venue this year for Saturday’s Rocktoberfest.

''He said, 'Why are you stopping now. I got a lot of vendors I can bring down','' Cohen said. ''He put the bug in our ear, and we ran with it ... We like to think of it as a thank you for all of our sponsors and all of the people who've attended the last three years.''

They assembled a lineup featuring the Eagles tribute band 7 Bridges, the Bob Seger tribute Hollywood Nights and the Tom Petty act Full Moon Fever.

Cohen said 7 Bridges continues to be a top draw in the area.

''Even though we've hired them three times this year, there's still a lot of buzz about them,'' he said.

In an interview earlier this year, 7 Bridges' Jason Manning said the feeling is mutual.

''We love it there,'' said Manning, who handles Glenn Frey's parts in the band. ''The people, the energy we get from Warren is amazing. We feed off of that. The Greek-style stacked amphitheater is one of our favorite venues we'll play in the country. It's not too big that you lose connection with the guy in the last row, but it's big enough to have fun.''

Hollywood Nights made its first River Rock appearance this summer, and the promoters received a lot of positive feedback from the crowd.

''Rick (Murphy) is the consummate Bob Seger, not only as a vocalist but in his appearance,'' Cohen said.

And Cohen said they got more requests to bring back Full Moon Fever, which played the River Rock series in 2010, than any other act not on this year's schedule.

''It was interesting, not only getting all three acts under one roof, but that we were able to engineer it in a relatively short amount of time,'' Cohen said.

Haidaris said there will be about a dozen vendors on hand. In addition to the usual River Rock offerings, there will corned beef and cabbage, kielbasa and sauerkraut and other foods suited for the Octoberfest theme. They also will be selling seasonal beers and hard ciders, including Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Leinenkugel's Octoberfest, Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider and Sam Adams' Octoberfest, Boston Lager, Harvest Pumpkin, Latitude, Hazel Brown and Dunkelweisen.

Gates will open at the amphitheater at 3:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, Cohen will have a Jeep & Military Vehicle Show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of Mickey's Army-Navy, 239 Main Ave. S.W., Warren. Admission for the jeep show is free.