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Rock idols head HFStival; 'Granddaddy' of festivals at M&T Bank Stadium.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Jessica Leshnoff, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

When WHFS-FM (99.1) vanished from the airwaves in mid-January, the future of the nation's largest rock festival seemed uncertain.

El Zol, a Caribbean and Central American dance music station, replaced Washington's longstanding free-form rock radio overnight, and with it ended an annual spring tribute to everything rock 'n' roll - the HFStival.

Or so we thought.

Although still unbeknownst to many Washingtonians, WHFS is back. Its new Towson, Md.-based home and dial frequency may feel a little foreign, but its HFStival is as strong as ever.

And the festival's lineup (unfolding in four performance spaces) is enough to make any bona fide rock 'n' roller do cartwheels: Billy Idol, the Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Good Charlotte, Social Distortion, Garbage, just to name a few.

The big names not only represent some of today's hottest acts, but also include some of the pioneers of modern rock and those at the forefront of WHFS' eclectic mix.

"We wanted the lineup to reflect the history of the station," says WHFS program director Lisa Worden.

Brit rockers Echo and the Bunnymen, alternative rockers They Might Be Giants and seminal punk rockers the New York Dolls "are the artists that the station built itself on," Miss Worden says.

WHFS' move also comes with a change of venue for the annual event. Instead of RFK Stadium, tomorrow's HFStival will take place at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium...