Hosted by Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society, The inaugural Berzerkus Festival was held in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. The festival name is derived from Zakk’s fans, who are referred to as Berzerkers, and this was a circus-like festival. It was billed as a “Rock and Roll Circus Extravaganza” and featured a car show, strong man competitions, Battle of the bands, eating contests, and, of course, lots of great bands. Black Label Society and Cody Jinks were the headlining acts.
Berzerkus Festival 2024
Pocono Mountains, Bushkill, Pennsylvania – 14 September 2024
Words And Photography: Jody Wilk
It was a hot mid-September day in the mountains of Pennsylvania as the fans rolled into the grassy parking lot beginning at 11 am. Since the gates were not scheduled to open until 1 pm, many fans decided to stay in the parking lot and tailgate rather than standing in line.
Security went swiftly, and as the fans entered the gates, they were immediately at the festival portion of the event. On the left was a merch stand selling event t-shirts as well as some shirts from a few of the bands playing the first half of the event. The food trucks were straight ahead and up on a hill.
The mini stage featured three weddings, spicy food eating challenges sponsored by High River Sauces, and the fan-favourite winner of the Battle of the Bands competition, Kutthroat.
In the centre of the field was an area where you could test your strength, which was dubbed the Strongman Competition. It featured arm wrestling, dumbbell lifting, curl contest and more. Throughout the field were rock ‘n’ roll vendors, which featured a huge trailer selling merchandise in memory of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.
Also in attendance was Strung, a vendor that makes jewellery out of guitar strings that have been used by many musicians we know and love.
The “Ride for Dime” Motorcycle Ride, which was held to celebrate the life and legacy of Dimebag Darrell, started at Pocono Mountain Harley Davidson and cruised through the Poconos all the way to the festival. 
On the other side of the field was the side stage which featured most of the tribute bands as well as Black Stone Cherry taking the headline slot there. I heard many fans saying that they should have been on the main stage in the amphitheatre later in the day, and I agree.
Crazy Train was the Battle Of The Bands winner in the tribute band category and were first to hit the stage for the day. Next on the side stage was the Atomic Punks, a Van Halen tribute band which featured early era Van Halen. 
Next to hit the side stage were The Iron Maidens, the world’s only all-female Iron Maiden tribute band. They were followed by Zoso, a Led Zeppelin tribute which rocked the stage and had the look down to boot.
Black Stone Cherry
Closing the first part of the day and headlining the side stage was Black Stone Cherry. Hailing from North Carolina, these guys brought a high-energy rock ‘n’ roll performance to the stage that left its mark on the crowd.
We got to hear a superb eight-song set, including two from most recent album, Screamin’ At The Sky. This put fans in great spirits for the rest of the day.
As fans made their way from the side stage towards the amphitheatre for the second half of the event, they got to walk by the Berzerkus car show, which featured many classic cars and even a coffin car. 
Our Part Two Report is available below:
Hey that dude who won the strongman competition looks pretty cool. Oh wait… that was me!!!