To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its best-selling Madden NFL franchise, EA Sports will rock the Rose Bowl on August 11 with help from Madden soundtrack rock bands past and present like Good Charlotte, Airbourne, From First to Last, Rev Theory. Busta Rhymes, and Young Dre the Truth. Each band will play a full set of music at the event.

"Our Madden Music Week – a weeklong launch blitz of live performances, network television appearances and major NFL events featuring the soundtrack's biggest bands – has become an essential component of the game's overall marketing," said Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and marketing, Electronic Arts. "This year, that week will climax with 'Maddenpalooza,' a monster live show that will celebrate 20 years of Madden music while thanking Madden music fans for helping to create the most influential soundtrack in video game history."

The all-day event in Pasadena, CA will be free to the public through ticket giveaways on Los Angeles radio station KIIS, as well as other local radio stations and promotional partners. There will also be a limited number of tickets available at the Rose Bowl on August 11 through a first-come-first-serve basis.

Chris Erb, EA Sports Director of Marketing, expects the on-field experience to attract 6,000 to 8,000 Madden fans. The Rose Bowl seats will be used for Madden and sponsor signage, including partners like Pepsi and 7-11. The event is expected to kick off around 2 pm PT and last into the night.

Hosted at the Rose Bowl, the stadium where John Madden and the 1976 Oakland Raiders won their first Super Bowl, Maddenpalooza brings together the impressive mix of elements from sports, entertainment and video games that have made the Madden NFL franchise an American pop culture icon.

Maddenpalooza attendees can enjoy a number of fan-friendly festivities including autograph signing stations with retired NFL legends and interactive NFL activities. EA will take pre-orders for Madden NFL 09 all day long and start selling them at a Wal-Mart store erected on the common field at 9 pm PT.

"It's something I started about two years ago," said Erb. "We learned through research we did that people take the day off to buy and play Madden. We decided to do something fun for our consumers. For Madden 07 we went to Madden Mississippi. We did the New York Times Square event last year with Ozzy Osbourne. For our 20th Anniversary, we came up with an all-day gaming and music event for our consumers. They can play Madden all day and hear great music."

Erb said that in addition to having 300 Madden NFL 09 kiosks throughout the field, EA Sports will be giving away copies of the game throughout the event. And sponsors will have giveaways, as well.

"Gift bags are fine for the Emmys and Oscars, but if we give our fans some free alcohol and free copies of Madden, I think they'll be happy," said Erb. "The idea is it's cool for the media to get a sense for what Madden is really all about and it's fun for the fans to get to play the game early."

For this August's Maddenpalooza concert, Erb said there's the potential for more of these bands from the new soundtrack to make an appearance on stage, as they're still locking things down. But when it comes to what EA has in store for next year's Madden launch, this year's Maddenpalooza concert may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I don't know if we'll do this every year, no matter how successful it is," said Erb. "The thing is to innovate and do something different every year. I think it's fun to mix things up and change it every year."