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Journeys Backyard Barbeque Tour to rock greater Jersey area with top X Games athletes & breakthrough bands

By Beth Pursley
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Some of the world’s best alternative sports athletes will mix it up with some of the nation’s hottest new music artists as the Journeys Backyard Barbeque makes a national tour stop in the area on Saturday, May 21 in the southeast parking lot outside Woodbridge Center (250 Woodbridge Center Dr., Woodbridge, NJ 07095) from noon-7:00 pm.
Serving up a heaping helping of today’s top action sports with a side dish of cutting-edge music, this free nationwide sports and music festival will be grillin’ with the area’s hottest up-and-coming bands competing on the tour’s 32 foot-long mobile music stage. Alongside, the action will also be sizzlin’ as pro skateboard, BMX and motocross athletes streak through the sky in action-packed live demo shows in the tour’s 60,000 square foot “alternative sports playground” of jumps and ramps.
The Metal Mulisha freestyle motocross team will fly and flip nearly three stories high, over a distance of almost 100 feet, as they run their custom-modified motocross motorcycles through an amazing arsenal of tricks, including can-cans, backflips, and the “kiss of death.” (12:45. 2:45, 5:30). Mays Landing, NJ native Ronnie Faisst, one of the world’s top freestyle motocross riders, will also make a special appearance to greet fans and sign autographs.
Not to be outdone, some of the world’s best skateboard and BMX pros will perform the sickest tricks in the sport — staged on a 48 foot wide Super Mini Ramp (1:15 & 4:00). Osiris and Ipath will bring their teams of internationally ranked pro athletes to town for a rare, close-up experience with fans, including athlete autograph sessions after each performance. Athletes slated to appear at this tour stop include several of the world’s top skateboard pros, including punk-skate superstar Corey Duffel, Sewaren, NJ native Fred Gall, and Vilas, NJ native Steve Durante.
 
The Osiris BMX team will also ”take to the air” alongside their skate teammates, sailing their customized bikes off the tour’s ramp with hair-raising jumps and stunts. World-class riders slated to appear include BMX pro and native of Lindenwold, NJ, Darryl Tocco.
Alongside the blazin’ sports action, the music scene will also be roastin’ as an American Idol-style contest takes place on the tour’s mobile stage, the “Converse Battle of the Bands.” Local indie alt, emo, and pop-punk bands compete throughout the day with the winner judged by the audience via text message voting. Many of the breakthrough bands featured on this tour go on to hot careers and new recording contracts.  Local bands competing at the event include: Somersault Sunday” (12:00); “Catch The Mouse”  (2:00); and “Like the Stars (3:15).
The winning band will receive more than $500 in cash and prizes (including a year’s supply of Chuck Taylor high-tops for each band member) Fans can come away winners as well! After voting, winning fans will be text-messaged or emailed to let them know they’ve won a prize, including Journeys gift cards and Converse products.   
A sweet musical treat will be served up after the battle of the bands ends, as opening act  “Sparks The Rescue”  takes to the main stage at 4:40 pm. Finishing things off, a special surprise headliner band hits the stage in a rare, free showcase concert from 6:00-6:45 pm.
Between catching scorching athlete demos and searing new artists, fans can chill with cool entertainment and free giveaways in the tour’s interactive Fun Zone — featuring more than 15 booths with free fun and games.  
At the Converse “Punk Your Chucks” tent, fans can use Sharpie pens to create their own original artistic design on a pair of classic Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops. The winning shoe from each tour stop will be entered into a contest, with the overall winning design having the chance to ultimately become a production shoe for Converse, to be sold at retailers worldwide.
All “non-winning” shoes (250 pairs) will be donated to We Feed — a local volunteer organization that raises funds to support 11 food pantries in Woodbridge Township, collecting 80,000 pounds of food annually and serving 500 families per month. We Feed will work with various local non-profits to distribute the shoes to needy individuals.
Limited-edition tour memorabilia will be also available at the Journeys merchandise tent, where fans can win free gear at Journeys’ quarter pipe shoe toss game. Jamming fans can also have a chance to win a pair of free headphones at the Skullcandy booth.
This free, all-ages tour will leave a smokin’ hot trail across the country this spring – from San Antonio to Charlotte, Woodbridge, NJ to Minneapolis, and wrapping up in Denver.
For updated information, call 732-634-0261 or visit www.JOURNEYSBBQ.com.
This year’s tour is made possible by Presenting Sponsor, Journeys. Additional tour sponsors include: Metal Mulisha; Roxy, Fallen; Lucky 13; Fuel TV; Skullcandy; Macbeth; Reef; Converse;  
DC Shoes; Vans; Osiris, Ipath; etnies; C1rca; Globe.
 
About Journeys
A division of Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO), Journeys is a leader in the teen specialty retail scene, with more than 815 stores across the United States and three locations in Canada. Journeys uses fashion savvy and merchandising science to keep in step with the fast-paced footwear and accessories market for 12- to 22-year-old guys and girls. The company offers a wide variety of trendy, relevant brands that cater to teens that seek the hottest new style, with stores that are an extension of the teen lifestyle — with plasma TVs playing the latest music videos. Journeys also reaches its customers through www.journeys.com, a mobile website, catalogs, social media, and an annual music and action sports tour – the Journeys Backyard BBQ (journeysbbq.com).