Beirut Rock Festival is the biggest rock/metal concert in Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

, gathering some of the major international bands.

Beirut Rock Festival 2009

The first Beirut Rock Festival took place in Forum de Beirut (Karantina

Karantina

La Quarantaine, which is colloquially referred to as Karantina and sometimes spelled Quarantina, is a predominately low-income, mixed-use residential, commercial, and semi-industrial neighborhood in northeastern Beirut...

) on the 11,13,14 of November 2009 with international bands such as Anathema

Anathema (band)

Anathema are an English band from Liverpool primarily known for their ever evolving sound. Beginning as pioneers of the death/doom metal sub-genre, their later albums have been associated with genres such as alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, new prog, and post-rock.-History:Anathema...

, To/Die/For

To/Die/For

To/Die/For is a gothic metal band from the town of Kouvola in southeast of Finland, assembled in 1993 as a hard rock band under the name Mary-Ann. In 1999, they decided to change their musical style to gothic metal, changing their band name as well...

, Peter Murphy

Peter Murphy (musician)

Peter John Murphy is an English rock vocalist. He was the vocalist of the rock group Bauhaus, and later went on to release a number of solo albums, such as Deep and Love Hysteria...

, Agua de Annique

Agua de Annique

Agua de Annique is the solo project of the former The Gathering vocalist, Anneke van Giersbergen.- History :The project was announced June 5, 2007, the same day that both The Gathering and Anneke van Giersbergen issued separate announcements that van Giersbergen would leave the band in August.She...

, Yann Tiersen

Yann Tiersen

Yann Tiersen is a musician from France. His musical career is split between studio albums, collaborations and film soundtracks with a distinctive sound that is always involved...

 and local bands such as Eileen Khatchadourian, Tristmoon and Weeping Willow.

Beirut Rock Festival 2011

The second Beirut Rock Festival took place in the Zouk Mikael Amphitheater (Zouk Mikael

Zouk Mikael

Zouk Mikael is a town in the Keserwan District of Mount Lebanon. The town is famous for its Ottoman era old souk, which was renovated and restored in 1995...

) on the 2nd and 3rd of September 2011 with many international bands and musicians, such as Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...

, Katatonia

Katatonia

Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....

 and Moonspell

Moonspell

Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band from Brandoa, Lisbon. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart...

 as headliners. And many opening acts such as EpiSode

Episode

An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...

, Eileen Khatchadourian, Khatchadour Tankian, Sex Assets and Waste Management, Weeping Willow, Kimaera and The HourGlass. It was sponsored by MTV Lebanon, NRJ, Absolut Vodka

Absolut Vodka

Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....

, Virgin Megastores, Gitanes

Gitanes

Gitanes is a brand of French cigarettes, sold in many varieties of strengths and packages. It is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008, having been owned by SEITA before that. Originally rolled with darker or brun tobacco, in contrast to...

, Demco Steel Industries, Instruments Garage and many other companies or organizations.

Day 1

Local Lebanese trio EpiSode were the opening band, and they played a great show that further expanded their reputation as one of the most interesting local bands. Second on stage was Eileen Khatchadourian who also performed at Beirut Rock Festival 2009 with Yann Tiersen. The band plays Rock music sang in Armenian, with lyrical topics related to Armenian culture and tales. After kicking the show with two local Rock bands, Serj’s father Khatchadour Tankian was supported by several musicians (including EpiSode’s bassist Karno) in his Armenian Folk performance. Finally, around 10:30 PM, the Lebanese Symphony Orchestra was on-stage and ready to perform with a brilliant solo artist / political activist Serj Tankian in a symphonic arrangement of Serj Tankian’s music.

Day 2

French rock band Sex Assets and Waste Management  started the night with some classic rock tunes. Then Weeping Willow fired up the crowd with brutal growling, after that, the Lebanese Ambassadors of Doom Kimaera played some doom metal to get the crowd ready for Katatonia

Katatonia

Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....

 and Moonspell

Moonspell

Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band from Brandoa, Lisbon. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart...

 right before Lebanese-Syrian band The HourGlass performed. Katatonia

Katatonia

Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....

 took a lot of time to start, but the music was really worth it, they really made Beirut go wild, they have also let the people who bought regular tickets 45$ tickets approach to the 85$ zone so they could start mosh pits. Finally, the best was saved for last, Moonspell

Moonspell

Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band from Brandoa, Lisbon. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart...

, made the night "Eternal" by playing very brutal songs.